Sam Altman's Merge Labs Raises $252M to Explore Non-Invasive Brain–AI Interfaces
Merge Labs, a neurotechnology startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam AltmanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised $252 million in funding as it seeks to develop devices that link the human brain to computers without the need for surgical implants.
The round values the company at about $850 million, and was led by OpenAI and Bain CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. OpenAI said it would also collaborate with Merge Labs on research, applying AI models to help interpret and modulate neural signals.
Founded as a spin-out from the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Forest NeurotechDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Merge Labs is developing brain–computer interface (BCI) technology that relies on ultrasound rather than implanted electrodes.
The approach aims to read from and write to the brain by detecting and influencing neural activity indirectly, avoiding invasive procedures that have so far defined much of the field.
The company’s ambitions place it in direct competition with Elon MuskDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →’s Neuralink, which has raised more than $1.3 billion and is testing implanted devices in human patients.
Unlike Neuralink and other implant-based rivals such as Synchron, Merge argues that non-invasive interfaces could ultimately prove more scalable and accessible, particularly for uses beyond clinical treatment.
Merge’s founding team reflects its hybrid scientific and entrepreneurial roots. Alongside Altman, co-founders include neuroscientists Mikhail ShapiroDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Tyson AflaloDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Sumner NormanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, as well as entrepreneurs Alex BlaniaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Sandro HerbigDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Several of them are also affiliated with Forest Neurotech, which will continue to operate as a nonprofit research organisation while collaborating with Merge.
The company has yet to spell out its first commercial applications, though Forest’s prior work in areas such as mental health and brain injury offers clues about potential early use cases. A miniaturised ultrasound device developed within the Forest ecosystem is already being tested in an early-stage safety trial in the UK.
The funding comes amid renewed interest in brain–computer interfaces as advances in artificial intelligence raise questions about how humans might interact more directly with machines.
For OpenAI, the investment deepens its exposure to hardware and neuroscience at a time when AI companies are increasingly exploring the limits of human–machine interaction.
Sources:
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