Merge Labs
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Investors
Founders
About
Merge Labs is a brain-computer interface (BCI) research startup that emerged from stealth on January 15, 2026 1. The company is developing noninvasive BCI technology that uses molecules instead of electrodes and transmits/receives information using ultrasound, in contrast to Neuralink’s surgically implanted electrode approach 12. It reportedly spun out of Forest Neurotech, a nonprofit focused on BCI research 1. Sam Altman co-founded the company “in a personal capacity” alongside Caltech researcher Mikhail Shapiro, Forest Neurotech co-founders Tyson Aflalo and Sumner Norman, and Alex Blania (CEO, also associated with Tools for Humanity/Worldcoin) 12. The company describes itself as dedicated to “bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximize human ability, agency, and experience” 1. Multiple outlets noted the governance concern of Altman’s dual role as OpenAI CEO and Merge Labs co-founder 123.
Funding History
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead | Co-investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-15 | Seed | $252M | OpenAI | Bain Capital, Interface Fund, Fifty Years, Gabe Newell 12 |
Total raised: $252M at an $850M post-money valuation 2. OpenAI wrote the largest single check and will provide “scientific foundation models and other frontier tools” to help interpret brain activity signals 1. The company is described as “still in an early research phase” 3.
What Investors Say
No independently sourced investor quotes found at this time.
What Founders Say
No independently sourced founder quotes found at this time.
Sources
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TechCrunch, “OpenAI invests in Sam Altman’s brain-computer interface startup Merge Labs,” January 15, 2026, accessed March 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/15/openai-invests-in-sam-altmans-brain-computer-interface-startup-merge-labs/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩
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Bloomberg, “Altman’s Merge Raises $252 Million to Link Brains and Computers,” January 15, 2026, accessed March 2026. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-15/altman-s-merge-raises-252-million-to-link-brains-and-computers↩↩↩↩↩
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Tom’s Hardware, “Sam Altman raises $252 million for brain-computer interface venture, but Merge Labs is still in an early research phase,” January 2026, accessed March 2026. https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/wearable-tech/sam-altman-raises-usd252-million-for-brain-computer-interface-venture-but-merge-labs-is-still-in-an-early-research-phase↩↩