Elon Musk's Neuralink Raises $280 Million for Brain Implants
Elon Musk's pioneering biotech venture, Neuralink, has successfully secured an impressive $280 million in funding through its latest investment round, as revealed in a recent update shared on X, Musk's distinctive social media platform (previously known as Twitter).
This funding drive, recognized as Series D, saw Founders Fund, a prominent San Francisco-based venture capital firm founded by the enigmatic billionaire Peter Thiel (also known as a co-founder of PayPal), at the forefront of investment activities.
The forward momentum of Neuralink has garnered excitement from the company itself, which expressed its enthusiasm for the upcoming phase. This marks a significant step for the brain-chip startup, which envisions a future where brain-computer interfaces are achieved through implantable devices. This vision has been an ongoing pursuit for Musk over the course of five years.
While making remarkable strides, Neuralink has primarily conducted tests on animals, a process that has attracted scrutiny following an unfortunate incident in 2022 involving the demise of a monkey during an experiment aimed at enabling the primate to engage in a computer game, specifically Pong. The experiments have been performed on macaque monkeys, utilizing Bluetooth-enabled implantable chips ingeniously placed within their brains. These chips, designed by the company, have the potential to establish communication with computers via a compact receiver.
This substantial infusion of capital arrives in the wake of Musk's earlier pronouncement that Neuralink was gearing up for human trials. In a recruiting event held in December, the billionaire disclosed that the majority of required paperwork had been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration, raising the possibility of commencing human testing within a relatively short timeframe
. However, certain concerns have been raised by employees, who have voiced worries about the company's fast-paced approach, resulting in regrettable animal fatalities and even prompting a federal investigation, as outlined in a report by Reuters published in December.
Prior to the widespread availability of Neuralink's groundbreaking brain implants, regulatory endorsement will be pivotal. A noteworthy development in this regard was a paper issued by the FDA in 2021, outlining the agency's initial insights into brain-computer interface devices, an area of rapid advancement and innovation.
In an engaging and proactive gesture, Neuralink recently shared a tweet indicating its plans to expand its team through new hiring. The tweet extended an invitation to individuals interested in participating in engineering endeavors aimed at restoring vision and mobility.
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