Amidst the AI investment trend, Max Hodak, co-founder and ex-president of Neuralink, is advancing a startup poised to potentially be the first brain-computer interface company to launch a product.
These assertions have captured attention. Hodak’s startup, Science Corporation, declared on Wednesday morning that it has secured $230 million in a Series C funding round. An insider disclosed that this round has attributed Science Corp. a post-money valuation of $1.5 billion.
Currently, Science Corp. is focusing on PRIMA, a chip touted as smaller than a grain of rice, which, when implanted in the eye, pairs with camera-equipped glasses to restore functional vision for those with advanced macular degeneration.
The startup didn’t develop this technology independently: It acquired PRIMA’s assets in 2024 from France’s Pixium Vision, enhanced it, and concluded trials initiated by Pixium.
The clinical outcomes achieved since are proprietary to Science. In trials involving 47 patients from Europe and the U.S., 80% exhibited significant visual acuity improvements and could read letters, numbers, and words, according to the company.
“As far as I know, this marks the first confirmed instance of reinstating fluent reading capability in blind patients,” Hodak stated in a TechCrunch interview in December. Furthermore, the device was featured on Time magazine’s cover.
The timeline for PRIMA’s patient availability isn’t certain, but regulatory processes are underway. Science Corp. has applied for a CE mark for the implant with the European Union, anticipating approval by mid-2026, after which it plans to launch the product in Europe. If successful, it claims it would be the first BCI company with a market-ready product.
Germany is expected to be its initial launch market due to established pathways for early medical technology access. In the U.S., FDA discussions are ongoing.
Science Corp. is enlarging its PRIMA trial program to encompass Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa, genetic retinal diseases that cause major vision loss in young adults.
The new funds will finance PRIMA commercialization and bolster the startup’s wider research initiatives. This includes a biohybrid neural interface program, which involves cultivating engineered neurons from stem cells on a waffle-like device placed on the brain’s surface, forming biological links with existing neural networks.
Additionally, there’s a new line within Science called Vessel: An organ preservation platform aiming to develop compact perfusion technology, allowing organs to be transported via commercial flights or maintained at home by patients, instead of ICU units.
The Series C investors consist of a mix of old and new supporters, such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, and Quiet Capital. IQT, a non-profit investment firm catering to government entities like the FBI and CIA, also contributed.
This round augments Science Corp.’s total funding to $490 million. The startup presently employs 150 people.
Update: This account initially indicated the company’s pre-money rather than post-money valuation.