Subsense Inc. has emerged from stealth, raising $17 million in seed funding it will use to develop non-surgical, biodirectional nanoparticle-based brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. The financing was led by Golden Falcon Capital. 

Subsense is working with a consortium of international neurological research institutions, including UC Santa Cruz and ETH Zurich, Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Technology, to develop the first non-surgical nanoparticle-based BCI.

“Brain-computer interfacing promises to unlock limitless human potential, but innovation has been held back by a lack of effective non-surgical approaches,” Subsense Co-Founder/CEO Tetiana Aleksandrova said. “By delivering nanoparticles that bind with receptors in the brain, Subsense can achieve more extensive connectivity with a far gentler approach.”

Through targeted neural stimulation and precise monitoring via nanoparticles, Subsense is developing therapeutics for patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, depression, strokes, chronic pain, and more.

“The integration of nanoparticles into brain-computer interfaces marks a significant advancement in neuroscience. The system-on-a-nanoparticle approach could greatly enhance the precision of neural communication, offering new possibilities for treating neurodegenerative diseases and expanding human cognitive capabilities,” said Prof. Ali A. Yanik, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UC Santa Cruz, a Subsense research partner.

The company is also targeting more expansive applications for later stages such as:

• Sensorimotor recovery of vision, hearing and movement
• Inner speech decoding and thought translation
• Integration with AI by merging brain and artificial neural networks
• External memory as an instant backup and extended capacity
• Mental health regulation – happiness monitoring and control
• Appetite control – identification and managing of regulatory mechanisms.

“Subsense is adopting a very different approach to unlock a key area of medical potential, the ability to interact with the brain. By offering an alternative to complicated and acute neurosurgical implantations, Subsense holds promise for tens of millions of neuro-compromised patients,” Subsense Co-Founder and Golden Falcon Capital General Partner Artem Sokolov stated. Sokolov has invested in SpaceX, Asana, SoFi, Coursera, Lemonade, and Digital Ocean, among others.

Subsense Inc. is a neurotechnology company developing the first non-surgical, nanoparticle-based bidirectional brain-computer interface. Co-founded by Aleksandrova (a neurotech entrepreneur) and Sokolov (a serial entrepreneur), the company is venture-backed with global headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.