US EditionSam Altman’s Latest Startup Takes On Elon Musk’s Neuralink
OpenAI led the $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation to develop non-invasive brain-computer interfaces aimed at enhancing human-AI integration.
- On Thursday, Merge Labs came out of stealth with OpenAI writing the largest single check in its $250 million seed round at an $850 million valuation, planning to collaborate on foundation models.
- Sam Altman has long promoted the Merge idea since at least 2017, framing it as shaping human-machine descendants while Merge Labs aims for non-invasive interfaces using molecules and ultrasound.
- The company lacks a president or CEO and lists its four co‑founders on the board; Sam Altman serves personally, and OpenAI holds rights to a board observer seat at Merge Labs.
- Altman's launch raises competition in the brain‑computer interface sector as OpenAI said collaborating with Merge could accelerate R&D across bioengineering, neuroscience, and device engineering, deepening rivalry with Elon Musk and Neuralink.
- The BCI industry has grown rapidly in recent years, raising more than $2 billion in the US; Merge Labs plans medical products first, favoring non-invasive devices as observers note OpenAI's circular investment.
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22 Articles
OpenAI invests in a company called Merge Labs that proposes to make it possible to control the devices with the help of the brain, but without the need for hardware implants in the human body. It is also called Sam...
TechCrunch
OpenAI invests in Sam Altman’s brain computer interface startup Merge Labs
OpenAI is participating in a $250 million seed round into Merge Labs, Sam Altman's brain computer interface startup. The startup is valued at $850 million.
Image by Bigstock OpenAI re-marks agenda in the technological ecosystem by backing one of the most ambitious bets at the intersection between artificial intelligence and neuroscience. It is Merge Labs, a startup that until recently operated with low profile and now comes to light after receiving an investment of 252 million dollars headed by OpenAI itself. Beyond the figure, the movement reveals a different view on how the relationship between t…
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