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OpenAI has taken a leading role in funding Merge Labs, a new brain-computer interface (BCI) startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, marking a strategic push into technologies that aim to connect human neural activity directly with artificial intelligence. The company announced its participation on January 15, 2026, as part of a seed funding round that raised approximately $250–252 million at an $850 million valuation, with OpenAI confirmed as the largest single investor.
Explaining this, OpenAI said:
Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) are an important new frontier. They open new ways to communicate, learn, and interact with technology. BCIs will create a natural, human-centered way for anyone to seamlessly interact with AI. This is why OpenAI is participating in Merge Labs’ seed round.
AI will play a central role to Merge’s approach. It will accelerate research and development including bioengineering, neuroscience and device engineering. In addition, high-bandwidth interfaces will benefit from AI operating systems that can interpret intent, adapt to individuals, and operate reliably with limited and noisy signals. OpenAI will collaborate with Merge Labs on scientific foundation models and other frontier tools to accelerate progress.
We are excited to support and collaborate with Merge Labs as they turn an ambitious idea into reality and ultimately products that are useful for people.
Merge Labs emerged from stealth with a long-term mission to bridge biological intelligence and AI to enhance human ability, agency, and experience. Unlike brain-computer interface efforts that rely on surgical implants, Merge Labs is pursuing non-invasive approaches that use modalities such as ultrasound and molecular interfaces to interact with neural signals. The company’s founders include researchers from the nonprofit Forest Neurotech and technology entrepreneurs aligned with Altman’s broader vision for human-AI integration.
The funding round also attracted participation from major backers, including Bain Capital and Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve, underscoring significant investor confidence in the potential of BCIs to reshape both healthcare and human-machine interaction.
Merge Labs’ approach contrasts with that of companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which has focused on implantable electrodes and has raised substantial capital at higher valuations. Merge Labs’ non-invasive direction aims to offer broader accessibility and safety while still pushing the boundaries of what BCI technology can achieve.
OpenAI’s role in the seed round also highlights ongoing strategic alignment between foundational AI research and emerging hardware interfaces. The company says it plans to collaborate with Merge Labs on developing AI systems capable of interpreting neural data, a move that could accelerate research by combining OpenAI’s software expertise with Merge’s neurotech developments.
