OpenAI, Founders Fund back Coherence Neuro in $45 million seed round

The investment is part of a growing wave of bets AI companies are making on brain data. In January, OpenAI directly invested in Merge Labs, a brain-computer interface company cofounded by Sam Altman, which came out of stealth with $252 million in initial funding for ultrasound technology to decode brain information. Thiel's VC firm has also backed Elon Musk's Neuralink and CTRL-labs, the wristband creator acquired by Facebook in 2019. Coherence's approach differs from restoring function for paralyzed individuals: it focuses on decoding subtle electrical signals associated with brain tumors. The company says it already knows how to detect these signals in animals to determine whether cancer is growing, shrinking, or recurring, and is working to translate findings for human research and clinical trials. This summer, Coherence briefly tested its implant in three people undergoing brain tumor removal surgery at Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, with the implant in place for roughly 30 minutes as a safety check. Next, it is testing recording and stimulation capabilities in an additional seven patients. The funding will support a clinical trial for long-term implantation in glioblastoma patients and development for other cancers. Woodington says AI models can help read raw neural data and link it to actions, and that capturing data to train better models and optimize treatments will be important.