Merge Labs, co-founded by Sam Altman and building devices that connect human brains to computers, has raised $252 million. OpenAI, where Altman serves as CEO, is the largest investor in the round. The raise was led by Bain Capital, and joined by notable backers including Gabe Newell, who runs his own brain tech venture, Starfish Neuroscience.
A future shaped by blended intelligence
Merge is built around the idea that humans and intelligent machines will eventually collaborate far more deeply than they do today. As AI becomes more capable, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs believe people will seek tools that extend their cognitive abilities, just as smartphones expanded access to the digital world. Merge wants to make that transition seamless, with the goal of enhancing human ability, agency, and everyday experience.
The company is focusing first on healthcare. Its initial products will be aimed at medical use, where early brain-linked devices already help people with paralysis control computers or turn attempted speech into spoken words. Once the technology is proven safe and effective, Merge plans to extend these capabilities to the wider public.
A fast-moving and competitive landscape
Merge enters a rapidly expanding field. Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk in 2016, sparked the rush to develop devices that can augment human capabilities. More than $2 billion has been invested in the US brain-tech sector alone, with China accelerating parallel efforts. While companies like Neuralink are pursuing surgical implants, others are exploring non-invasive systems such as external headsets, which may appeal to users unwilling to undergo medical procedures.
The scale of Merge’s raise reflects growing belief that brain-computer interfaces could become a major technological platform. No other company has raised more in a single round than Neuralink, underscoring both investor confidence and the intensity of competition.
A research-driven path forward
What Merge ultimately plans to build remains closely guarded. But co-founder Mikhail Shapiro, a Caltech professor who has spent decades studying the brain, has made it clear that Merge does not intend to implant hardware inside the brain. This sets it apart from Neuralink and several rivals pursuing invasive implants.
Achieving high-bandwidth communication without entering the brain poses immense scientific and engineering challenges. That is why Merge is structured as a research lab, a place built to explore breakthroughs before turning them into real-world devices. With substantial funding, world-class talent, and a mission centred on human empowerment rather than replacement, Merge Labs is positioning itself at the forefront of a future where intelligence is shared between humans and machines, not siloed between them.
