Overview
- Merge Labs emerged from stealth with roughly $252 million in seed funding as OpenAI confirmed it is participating in the round.
- TechCrunch, citing a source, reported that OpenAI wrote the largest single check in a roughly $250 million round at a reported $850 million valuation.
- OpenAI said it will collaborate with Merge on scientific foundation models and other frontier tools to speed research in brain–computer interfaces.
- Merge describes a non‑invasive, high‑bandwidth approach that uses molecules to connect with neurons and deep‑reaching modalities like ultrasound, with AI operating systems interpreting user intent from limited, noisy signals.
- Coverage notes governance questions about circularity given Altman’s involvement, while the venture sets up a contrast with Neuralink’s surgically implanted electrodes.