Michael Byster was born on March 5, 1959, in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was raised alongside his older sister by his parents, Gloria and Dave, who encouraged his early passion for mathematics. Byster attended Niles North High School before enrolling at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he earned a finance degree.
Following a career as a commodity trader, Byster transitioned into education, motivated by his cousin who was a math teacher. He left his trading profession to focus on teaching math techniques to children. Over time, he has addressed more than 10,000 classrooms nationwide without charge. Byster created Brainetics, a program aimed at enhancing math and memory abilities. His rapid mental calculation skills have been recognized among the fastest globally.
Byster has appeared on various media outlets, including ABC’s 20/20 and Oprah Radio. On June 26, 2017, he won the FOX TV competition series Superhuman. He currently resides in Chicago’s northern suburbs, where he continues to teach and mentor youth.
