Science Corp., a biotech startup focused on brain-computer interface technologies, announced Thursday that it has closed on a $230 million Series C fundraise.
Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, IQT and Quiet Capital were among the investors participating in the syndicated round. With the latest financing, Science Corp. says it has now raised $489 million since its 2021 inception. The Alameda, California-based company’s most recent raise previously was a $104 million convertible note led by Khosla last April.
While Science did not disclose its valuation in the announcement, it has been reported that the company is now valued at $1.5 billion.
The Neuralink competitor is working on both a brain-implant system and a retina implant to treat eye diseases. Notably, it was founded by Max Hodak, a co-founder of Neuralink, and Alan Mardinly, formerly part of Neuralink’s leadership team.
Science says it acquired MEMS, or microelectromechanical systems, facility assets in North Carolina, giving it the ability to manufacture in-house chip/MEMS for neural interface devices. Many competitors outsource manufacturing, which the company noted can slow down iteration or increase cost and risk.
The company says the funding will accelerate the commercialization of its PRIMA BCI retinal implant, with the expansion of its PRIMA clinical trial program to include other retinal diseases such as Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa.
Big deals for neural interface startups
Billions of venture dollars have flowed into the neural interface and brain technology space in recent years, with Neuralink being the most well-funded of the group. Last June, the Elon Musk-founded brain implant startup, announced a $650 million Series E funding round.
Other companies working on computer-brain interfaces have also raised significant venture backing, a review of Crunchbase data shows.
Another example is China’s Stairway Medical, a Neuralink competitor that raised a $48 million Series B funding round in February 2025, reportedly the largest-ever funding round for a startup in the field in that country. It also raised an unknown amount of capital in December. It’s unclear how much the company raised in previous venture rounds.
Meanwhile, yet another Neuralink competitor, Austin-based Paradromics, announced last June that it had performed its first human surgery using its Connexus Brain-Computer Interface. Paradromics has raised a total of $108.6 million in funding since its 2015 inception, according to Crunchbase data. Investors include Fusion Fund, FJ Labs, 15th Rock, Alpha Edison and DARPA.
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Illustration: Dom Guzman
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