“Mindmelder” Subsense Closes on $17 Million

Subsense, a developer of neurotechnologies, has emerged from stealth with $17 million in seed funding.

The seed round was led by Golden Falcon Capital, with participation from several neurological research institutions, including UC Santa Cruz and ETH Zurich.

Palo Alto-headquartered Subsense will use the new capital to continue developing a non-surgical, nanoparticle-based brain-computer interface (BCI). The company is pioneering a bidirectional BCI technology that eliminates the need for invasive neurosurgical implantation. Instead, its system uses nanoparticles designed to bind with brain receptors, enabling precise neural stimulation and monitoring.

Subsense’s research focuses on treatments for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, depression, strokes, and chronic pain. By using precise neural stimulation, the company aims to develop therapies while also exploring innovative applications, including restoring movement, interpreting internal thoughts, integrating AI with the brain, and enhancing memory with external devices.

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

“Subsense is adopting a very different approach to unlock a key area of medical potential, the ability to interact with the brain,” said Artem Sokolov, a co-founder of Subsense and general partner at Golden Falcon Capital. “By offering an alternative to complicated and acute neurosurgical implantations, Subsense holds promise for tens of millions of neuro-compromised patients.”

“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 at UC Santa Cruz, a Subsense research partner.

Golden Falcon Capital invests in early-stage and growth-stage startups in deep tech, fintech, AI, and space technology. The firm has invested in companies such as SpaceX, Asana, SoFi, Coursera, Lemonade, and DigitalOcean.