UCANACT raises €800K to turn brain signals into speech
What's the deal? UCANACTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Dutch neurotechnology startup, has raised €800,000 in pre-seed funding to develop a brain-computer interface for people with motor disabilities. LUMO LabsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Utrecht Holdings Seed Fund co-led the round.
What's the endgame? The company is building an interface that translates brain signals directly into computer actions and speech. It targets people who have lost the ability to speak due to motor neuron disease, stroke, or trauma.
Why now? The technology builds on decades of brain-computer interface research at UMC UtrechtDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, combining brain science, AI, and neurotechnology. Its design aims to enable independent communication at home, minimising support from technicians and caregivers.
What's the money for? UCANACT will fund technical product development, clinical studies, market-access research, and early commercialisation. It also plans key hires to strengthen its technical capabilities and business strategy.
"UCANACT is applying advanced technology to a deeply human and urgent need," said Thomas Hannes of LUMO Labs, pointing to the company's research base and experienced team.
The startup's work has been partially funded by the ALS AssociationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and supported by an MIT Feasibility Grant and NWODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Take-off I, among other grants.
The signal: At €800,000, the round sits toward the smaller end of European pre-seed deals, reflecting the early, science-heavy stage of clinical neurotech. For UCANACT, it is capital to move lab research toward a real-world product.
Read more: lumolabs.io
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
