Neuralink Secures Additional $43 Million in Funding Ahead of Human Trials

　　CLS

According to a document filed with the U.S. SEC,Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company, Neuralink Corp., has secured another $43 million in venture capital funding.

Founded in 2016, Neuralink aims to establish a communication channel between the human brain and external devices by implanting ultra-fine threads into the brain and connecting them to a custom-designed chip containing electrodes capable of reading information from groups of neurons.

The company stated that this represents a key milestone in helping patients overcome high-level paralysis and a range of neurological disorders.

Although brain signal-reading implants are a technology with several decades of history, Neuralink’s innovation lies in making the implant wireless and increasing the number of implanted electrodes.

　　Valuation May Expand Further

In May this year, Neuralink received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human clinical trials. In September of this year, Neuralink announced that it had conducted its first human brain-computer interface experiment.

According to reports,Thousands are already queuing for Neuralink's brain implants. Furthermore, the company plans to implant chips in more than 22,000 people by 2030.

Its popularity has made investors more favorably inclined toward Neuralink, further boosting its valuation.

　　Neuralink has not publicly disclosed its valuation recently, but insiders revealed in June this year that the company’s valuation was approximately $5 billion.

It is reported that the previous round of financing, led by Founders Fund co-founded by Peter Thiel in early August, increased from the originally planned $280 million to $323 million, with 32 investors participating.

　　More Reviews

However, Neuralink is facing increasing scrutiny as critics argue that it misled investors about the safety of its brain-implant devices, potentially exposing Elon Musk to charges of securities fraud.

This month, four U.S. lawmakers jointly wrote to the SEC, requesting that the agency review Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface company.

The letter mentioned that experimental records of Neuralink’s tests on monkeys showed that brain-implanted devices had adverse effects on the animals’ health, including paralysis, seizures, and brain swelling.

Responsible Editor: Zhou Wei