OpenAI Backs Merge Labs BCI Startup in Seed Round

Timothy Morano
Jan 15, 2026 16:52

OpenAI invests in Merge Labs’ brain-computer interface technology, joining Sam Altman’s personal stake in the $850M-valued neurotech venture.

OpenAI has formally joined the seed round for Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface startup pursuing non-invasive technology that combines gene therapy and ultrasound to connect human cognition with artificial intelligence systems.

The investment, announced January 15, 2026, puts OpenAI’s corporate backing behind a venture where CEO Sam Altman already holds a personal stake as co-founder. Merge Labs has reportedly been seeking $250 million at an $850 million valuation, according to reports from late 2025.

The Altman Connection

Merge Labs’ founding team reads like a who’s who of neurotech research and tech entrepreneurship. Researchers Mikhail Shapiro, Tyson Aflalo, and Sumner Norman bring scientific credibility, while Alex Blania and Sandro Herbig add operational experience. Altman’s dual role—personal co-founder and now corporate backer through OpenAI—raises obvious questions about strategic alignment between the two entities.

OpenAI isn’t being coy about the synergies. The company stated it will collaborate with Merge Labs on “scientific foundation models and other frontier tools,” essentially providing AI infrastructure to accelerate BCI development. High-bandwidth brain interfaces, OpenAI argues, will need “AI operating systems that can interpret intent, adapt to individuals, and operate reliably with limited and noisy signals.”

A Different Approach Than Neuralink

Where Elon Musk’s Neuralink requires surgical implantation of electrodes, Merge Labs is betting on a less invasive path. The company’s approach reportedly combines gene therapy techniques with ultrasound technology to achieve brain-computer communication without opening the skull.

This distinction matters for commercial viability. Surgical BCIs face significant regulatory hurdles and limited patient pools willing to undergo brain surgery. A non-invasive alternative—if it works—could dramatically expand the addressable market from medical rehabilitation into productivity tools, gaming, and enterprise applications.

What OpenAI Gets

The strategic logic for OpenAI extends beyond financial returns. If Merge Labs succeeds, it creates a direct neural pathway to ChatGPT and future AI systems. Think typing speed measured in thoughts per minute rather than words.

OpenAI framed the opportunity in characteristically grand terms: “Each time people gain a more direct way to express intent, technology becomes more powerful and more useful.” Translation: whoever controls the brain-AI interface controls the next computing paradigm.

The seed round timing suggests Merge Labs remains years from commercial products. But with OpenAI’s AI infrastructure and Altman’s fundraising prowess, the company won’t lack resources to pursue what remains one of technology’s most ambitious—and uncertain—frontiers.

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