Neurotech Notables #51: March 16-31, 2026
Wallflowers to Dance Partners: Neurotech's March Madness
Greetings Readers!
Another deluge of commercial neurotech carried on through a trio of major industry events over the last two week. LSI, OctaneOC, and Asilomar. I’ve just come home from at the latter and my BrainMind is still spinning. Here are your notables for the back half of March.
Nearly $100m in new capital to BCI, various neuromodulation plays, and wearables was dwarfed by a jumbo round to WHOOP and a super-duper-mega-jumbo round to OpenAI. Both NIH and DARPA posted relevant program calls.
BCI’s March: StairMed secured funding from AliBaba, while Neuracle received governmental clearance for commercial use, two streams of China’s broader flood-the-zone BCI strategy. Ruten secured a small round while Araya, the Japanese federal moonshot program announced a new partnership and a new public program. Stateside, Paradromics advanced their clinical study with MGH and announced a new research platform with five new partners, while Neuralink and Science hired key clinical leaders.
Partnership Season: EEG decoding platforms, Wearables, BCI, Prosthetics, Neuromodulation, and other players announced new partnerships. Distribution deals, two acquisitions, a new spinout, cross-indication capabilities, and executive appointments rounded out the fortnite’s commercial news.
Regulatory News: Nia Therapeutics obtains FDA Breakthrough, while LivaNova secures a clearance in sleep apnea, with other approvals in the UK and China. The FDA issues new notices on patient preferences and an update on the TAP program.
New health systems opening their doors and expanding their footprints around the US indicates the market for newer care models opening up across neurology and psychiatry alike. Meanwhile clinical progress from Keygrip, Fareon, Cognito, and various TMS plays.
“And More” A spree of articles on neural organoids. Chinese Neurotech. Neuro-inspired Music, Dance, Ethics. Meta drops its new TRIBE model (which one executive at BrainMind event described to me as “invasive as hell”…) CoMind posts its first publications. New Journals. New research platforms.
Lastly make sure to scroll to our Community Board for student hackathons, and other events and opportunities worth a click. Fresh roles on our Job Board too! Major congrats to our colleagues at Neurotech Reports on their acquisition! Stay tuned for more collaborated content and event announcements from us in the coming weeks. Safe travels to all of you jetsetters and road warriors.
As always, Hit reply with your news, ideas, and feedback.
👋🏽 Hi, I’m Naveen. I believe brain health is human health. You are one of the 4,130 readers of my biweekly reports on emerging neurotech markets.
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PL Neuro: Models to Markets: BCI, Neural Data, and Business Innovation in the AI Era - Read More
Resonant Link Medical: RLM is hiring a Staff Power Electronics Engineer in the Cambridge, MA Office - Learn more and apply today!
NANS: NANS Applauds Aetna for Revising Policy on Peripheral Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Pain Policy - Read More
TTP: The role of algorithms in closed-loop neuromodulation - How hardware limits shape algorithm performance, and what makes closed-loop systems work beyond the lab. Read the full insight
Datwyler: Join us in Mountain View, CA, June 10-11, 2026, at the TechBlick event, “The future of electronics RESHAPED.” Mattia Lucchini, Head of Venture Unit Wearable Sensors, will share insights on next-gen wearables as a window into internal physiological and mental states. Learn more and join us!
BrainMind: Stay tuned for output from Asilomar! Follow BrainMind’s LinkedIn page to stay on top of all updates.
Funding
WHOOP Raises $575 Million at $10.1 Billion Valuation to Advance Global Health Platform (BusinessWire)
WHOOP may not be your grandpa’s “neurotech device” but pay attention because this deal’s valuation, backers, and ripples will certainly influence the biometric wearables landscape. And while the aperture is open, on the AI side OpenAI just closed Silicon Valley’s largest ever fundraise: $122 Billion at a $852B valuation. What are your thoughts on ripples into neurotech valuations?
Alibaba leads RMB 500m (~$75m USD) investment in BCI startup StairMed (KR Asia)
Surf Therapeutics Reports Positive First-in-Human Data and Secures Additional Financing, Bringing Total Funding to $6M as Rheumatoid Arthritis Clinical Study Begins (BusinessWire)
BrainsWay Completes Additional $6 Million Milestone-Based Investment in Neurolief Ltd. Following FDA Approval of Proliv™Rx System for MDD (GlobeNewswire)
BrainsWay Completes Revenue-Based Milestone Investment into Axis Integrated Mental Health (Yahoo)
Mave Health Raises $2.1M to Launch Focus and Stress Regulation Wearable (BusinessWire | TechCrunch)
Ruten raises $2m for BCI from Coral Capital (LinkedIn)
Audicin lands $1.9M to make real-time nervous-system regulation a built-in layer for wearables and partner apps (Cision)
Theta Neurotech has raised $1.75m pre-seed to monitor the brain and predict epileptic seizures (LinkedIn)
CrossSense’s AI software for smart glasses wins £1m prize for technology to help people with dementia (Guardian)
NINDS plans to release a HEAL Initiative RM1 focused on understanding the mechanisms of therapeutic medical devices to improve patient outcomes (Grants.gov)
DARPA launches O-Circuit (Organoid Cytomorphic Intelligence Resulting from Convergent Understanding and Information Transfer) - Proposers’ Workshop April 10 (SAM)
BCI Enters a New Funding Stage (Neurofounders)
Commercial
Erika Ross Ellison joins Neuralink as Head of Clinical ( LinkedIn)
Science Corp. Appoints Murat Günel, MD, as Medical Director for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BusinessWire | Science Corp)
Cognito Therapeutics and Ochsner Health Launch Brain Health Collaboratory to Advance New Care Models for Alzheimer’s Disease (BusinessWire)
Paradromics Launches APEX Partnership Program to Boost Neurotechnology Discovery (Paradromics)
Massachusetts General Hospital’s IRB approves initial recruiting for Paradromics’ Connexus BCI clinical study (LinkedIn)
Neuronoff Demonstrates Multi-Site IPG Compatibility for Injectrode® Platform, Expanding Neuromodulation Beyond Spinal Cord Stimulation (PR Newswire)
“Resonetics® Completes the Acquisition of Resolution Medical, Expanding End-to-End Integrated Capabilities for Interventional and Neuromodulation Markets” (StockTitan)
U: The Mind Company Launches Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Device Requiring No Surgery (EIN Presswire)
Australis Scientific partners with Innostim Medical to launch wearable device for Overactive Bladder in APAC markets, for distribution with ROHTO (LinkedIn)
Alto Neuroscience reported full-year 2025 financial results and recent business highlights (Alto)
ONWARD Medical Schedules Webcast to Report Full-Year 2025 Financial Results and Provide Business Update (ONWARD)
Neuronetics Appoints Dan Reuvers as Chief Executive Officer (CityBiz)
PSYONIC & NVIDIA Officially Announce Collaboration at NVIDIA GTC 2026 (Psyonic)
KeyGrip team at The MetroHealth System complete successful first-in-human implant (LinkedIn)
Neurofenix’s technology acquired by Bioness Medical, Inc (LinkedIn)
Sutter Health opens new Brain Health Pathways program at Ray Dolby Brain Health Center (Sutter Health)
Dr Harry Rowland appointed new Chair of the Board at Kitea Health (LinkedIn)
ZenoWell Announces Strategic Cooperation with USound to Explore Advanced Sensing Technologies for Next-Generation Wearable Devices (GlobeNewswire)
Fluent and Araya Inc. Unite to Redefine Neural Speech Decoding for Thought to Text applications (LinkedIn)
DeepTech Company Zander Labs Enters the U.S. Market With Groundbreaking pBCI Technology (Yahoo)
Cognitive Signals spins out of Cornell with a diagnostic platform to measure the brain’s responses to natural spoken language (e.g. story telling) with an EEG headset and LLM to interpret signals and identify neural signatures of understanding (LinkedIn)
Regulatory
Nia Therapeutics wins FDA breakthrough nod for neuromod that treats memory loss (MassDevice)
LivaNova wins FDA Approval for sleep apnea treatment device (Medical Economics)
Neurovalens earns European, UK approval for non-invasive neuromod (MassDevice)
China Clears NEO System by Neuracle, First BCI for Commercial Use (Sixth Tone)
Letter asks Congress for nearly $500 million to sustain BRAIN Initiative (The Transmitter)
Opinion: Congress must pass legislation to ensure Medicare covers breakthrough medical technologies (Stat)
Incorporating Voluntary Patient Preference Information over the Total Product Life Cycle: Guidance for Industry,FDA Staff, and Other Interested Parties (FDA)
FDA TAP Update: 115 devices enrolled in the program (FDA)
Data Show Dramatic Slowdown in NIH Grantmaking (AAU)
📌Community Board
🆕Pin your news - Highlight key deals, events, roles, or announcements!
Cambridge Innovation Institute Announces Acquisition of Neurotech Reports (PR Newswire)
Synaptrix Labs: Join our NYC research study to help develop next generation neural control technology. Get paid $50 for 90 minutes. Multiple sessions allowed! Learn more and sign up here
Neurotech X & Imperial host the Global Neurohack April 10-12 at Frontier Tower in San Francisco: 3 days, 3 tracks, and 100+ students from a dozen universities. Attend, Sponsor, or Get Involved!
The 4th Annual California Neurotech Conference at UC Berkeley on April 26 is co-hosted by six University of California student chapters. It seeks to convenes next-gen leaders across academia and industry. Register here.
iBCI-CC Meeting Save the Date: Oct 16, 2026 - Washington DC (iBCI-CC)
New Orleans BioInnovation Center’s (NOBIC) global pitch competition applications now open! “We invite neurotech and brain health founders from anywhere to compete for $100k in non-dilutive funding, lab space, and grant writing support.”- Apply today
GreyMatters Health opens applications for Spring / Summer M&A Associate & Summer Associate
Industry
Meta Launches TRIBE: An AI Model of the Human Brain: Predicting neural responses to sight, sound and language (Meta)
From SCAN to SPARK: China’s Galaxy Brain Scientific Enables a New Paradigm in Non-invasive, Personalized Precision Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease (Morningstar)
Wuhan advances development of brain-computer interface industry (China Optics Valley)
Comind publishes first papers: Monte Carlo simulations of time-resolved blood flow index (SPIE) and CoMind R1: a time-resolved interferometric optical neuromonitoring system for pulsatile cerebral blood flow measurement at late times-of-flight (SPIE)
Fareon: Microtesla Magnetic Therapy for cognitive impairment in post-acute sequelae of SARS CoV-2: A randomized controlled feasibility study (MedRxiv)
Araya launches JapanEEG — an open EEG database for non-invasive speech BCI research: https://japaneeg.araya.org (LinkedIn)
Nature Translational Psychiatry Study Reveals Distinct Functional Neuronal Signatures in Patient-Derived Brain Organoids with Itay&Beyond’s Neurotech Platform (GlobeNewswire)
28bio’s Endurance Study Meets Primary Endpoint, Showing CNS-3D Brain Organoids Predict Clinical Seizure Liability (PR Newswire)
Sequential Bilateral TMS Protocol Offers Durable Relief for PTSD Patients (Morningstar)
University of South Carolina opens new Brain Health Center (WACH)
Beacon Behavioral Partners Welcomes Novus Neurology and SunCoast Psychiatry (GlobeNewswire)
Staff at New Data Center Powered by Human Brain Cells Need to Swap Out Cerebrospinal Fluid Every Day (Futurism)
Beijing-backed brain chip firm NeuCyber Neurotech says it is 3 years behind Musk’s Neuralink (Reuters)
Graymatters: ‘The coolest thing:’ Cutting-edge video game PTSD treatment now offered in Conway (WPDE)
Naqi Logix Provides Validation by Demonstrating Hands-Free Control of Kinova Robotic Arm Using Neural Earbuds (EIN Presswire)
Cionic, Insightec, Medtronic, Beacon named in top 10 most innovative med device companies (Fast Company)
Cognito Therapeutics Presents New Data on Spectris™ in Alzheimer’s Disease at AD/PD™ 2026 (Business Wire)
NANS 2026: Abbott’s Vision for Neuromodulation (SmartTRAK)
Palm Health Foundation Convenes Global Brain Health Leaders to Launch Inaugural Brain Coast Advisory Council (SFHN)
Former Director of U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Joins the Invisible Wounds Foundation (Invisible Wounds)
Neurotech.TV
Neuralink Update — March 2026 (NeuraPod)
Karen Rommelfanger: Why Neuroethics Matters in the Age of Brain Technology (Dana Foundation)
How SynchNeuro Is Using Brain Data to Personalize Metabolic Health (Startup Health)
The TMS Podcast With Steve Harvey and Greg Malzberg (Frontier Psychiatrist)
They’ve Revived Dead Brains. And Now We Might Finally Get Some Cures (Core Memory)
Serge Picaud - Director of the Paris Vision Institute (Iconeus Talks)
How AI Is Hijacking Our Brains with Tim Requarth (Thriving with Addiction)
His Family Faced Alzheimer’s Too Late. Now He’s Building AI to Change That (Startup Health)
The Brain Treatment That Helped Get Her Life Back - Derrick Buchanan (TEDxStanford)
Casey gets his voice back - Braingate trial participant using BCI for daily communication (LinkedIn)
Translating Voice to Speech: Neuralink’s VOICE trial (LinkedIn)
Society
Araya launches Trusted Neurotechnology Initiative (TNI), a public interdisciplinary effort exploring how neurotechnology can move from research into everyday use in ways that remain responsible and trustworthy (Araya on X | https://trustedneurotechnology.org )
Promise and peril: Neurotech between wellness and medicine part two (CfG)
Meet the Man Making Music With His Brain Implant (Wired)
Financial Decline Accelerates Brain Aging (Neuroscience News)
Your Neighbor’s Brain is Your Business (Jordan Shlain)
Tango Therapy: How the Dance of Passion Is Helping Parkinson’s Patients (NYTimes)
Introducing “Neurotech between wellness and medicine”(CFG)
The data gap that costs women their cognitive health (FastCompany)
In the race for a brain economy, developing countries have chance to win (DevEx)
I wore Meta’s smartglasses for a month – and it left me feeling like a creep (Guardian)
Head injury survivors help us understand the brain (NHS)
Art of Parkinson’s: A virtual gallery of original artwork and stories from people with Parkinson’s, sharing how they’ve reclaimed parts of themselves with DBS therapy (Abbott)
The best use of corporate funds I’ve seen in some time! h/t Abbott
Research
BD² Integrated Network Data Release: Largest multi‑modal psychiatric dataset now available to accelerate breakthroughs in bipolar disorder (BD2)
Wearable optomyography enables continuous neuroprosthetic control (Nature Scientific Reports)
A right-hemispheric language network at single-neuron resolution (BioRxiv)
Towards Magnanimous AGI: A neuroscience-first strategy for aligning advanced AI and the teams executing it (Amaranth Foundation)
Wearable intelligent throat enables natural speech in stroke patients with dysarthria (Nature Communications)
Active dissociation of intracortical spiking and high gamma activity (Nature | Northwestern)
Feinstein Institutes research finds early brain warning signs in severe liver damage (Northwell)
Computational framework to predict and shape human–machine interactions in closed-loop, co-adaptive neural interfaces (Nature Machine Intelligence)
New Soldier-Worn Tech Tracks Brain Activity During Blasts to Flag Potential Trauma (NextGenDefense)
Stanford Scientists Just Discovered a Remote Control for the Brain That Could Reverse Memory Loss (Inc)
Meet the 2026 Brains Fellows! (SpecTech)
Can Electrical Stimulation Restore Sight?Electrode arrays could help regenerate damaged optic nerves (IEEE)
New Collection: Multi-Organ Wearable Bioelectronics for Neurological and Autonomic Health (Journal of Bioelectronic Medicine)
“We seek papers on ear-EEG and novel cranial sensing form factors, non-invasive vagal and autonomic monitoring, flexible electrode arrays for gastrointestinal and cardiac sensing, closed-loop wearable systems, and data-driven approaches for integrating multi-organ physiological signals into actionable clinical insights.”
Nature Announces Nature Progress Brain Health, a selective open-access journal within the Nature Portfolio (Nature)
That’s a wrap! What did we miss? Let me know for next time.
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super interesting updates!