Sam Altman's Merge Labs launches with $252M to build non-invasive brain interfaces
OpenAI is the largest investor in the seed round, led by Bain Capital. The start-up is betting on ultrasound and molecular tools instead of electrodes.
Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface start-up co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has come out of stealth with a $252 million seed round. Bain Capital led the round, OpenAI is the largest investor, and Valve co-founder Gabe Newell also took part.
A different technical bet
Merge Labs isn’t using implanted electrodes like Neuralink. It plans to read and influence brain activity without surgery, using ultrasound combined with molecular tools. The company says it will focus on medical uses first and consumer uses later.
Why it matters
- It’s one of the largest early rounds in neurotech. Among BCI companies, only Neuralink has raised more in a single round.
- AI and BCIs are converging. Most modern decoding relies on machine learning, and an AI lab investing directly shows how closely the two fields are now linked.
- Non-invasive approaches are getting more attention. If ultrasound-based methods can approach the resolution of implants, far more people could use BCIs.
Merge Labs is still early-stage, and it hasn’t published human results.
Learn more: Invasive vs. non-invasive BCIs · Merge Labs in the Directory