Neuralink is a privately-held brain computer interface (BCI) company. Its mission is to develop a generalized brain interface that can process and transfer neural signals.
The Neuralink valuation is $5 billion, up from close to $2 billion in 2021. Non-accredited investors cannot buy Neuralink stock yet on the NYSE or NASDAQ stock exchange.
A Neuralink IPO timeline is still unknown. The company has not filed an S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission announcing an IPO date.
One major factor that motivates companies to launch an initial public offering is to gain capital to support growth. Neuralink's most recent Series D funding round garnered over $280 million of capital.
Venture investors in startup Neuralink include Founders Fund, Vy Capital, Valor, Gigafund, GV, DFJ Growth, and Craft. Given this influx of capital, Neuralink is not likely to IPO soon for funding purposes.
Neuralink’s implant “the Link” is designed to be inserted with the help of a robot directly into brain tissue. Once implanted, the hardware aims to process and transfer neural signals or brainwaves.
Elon Musk, Neuralink CEO, has ambitious long-term goals for its BCI technology. His company is making Neuralink brain implants to treat physical and mental health diseases and control digital devices with the brain. Short-term goals are to assist paralyzed individuals communicate via text without using their hands.
Many issues including company benchmarks, competition, technological milestones, and ethical concerns can influence the Neuralink IPO timeline.
Private companies usually set minimum benchmarks that the company must achieve to qualify for a public offering. Current Neuralink filings state the stock is to be sold at $10.00 per share or more in a public offering. The gross aggregate proceeds from the stock sale should be at least $250,000,000. The filings do not disclose the minimum market cap to qualify for an IPO.
Musk founded the company in June 2016 with seven other co-founders. The company contends with strong competitors in the implant industry rivals namely Synchron, Precision Neuroscience, and Blackrock Neurotech.
All three competitors secured the Food and Drug Administration's approval for human trials before Neuralink. Synchron and Precision Neuroscience have conducted their initial human studies.
Blackrock Neurotech is leading the way with the first FDA approval for implanted BICs. Since 2004, they have had success improving patients' tactile sensation, increased movement of limbs and prosthetics, and operating digital devices. Blackrock Neurotech's porous BCI design aims to cover a larger surface area to collect more data while reducing irritation. Experience has shown that inflammation is the main complication associated with brain implants.
Although Nerualink has the advantage of more funds, the company only received FDA approval for human trials in May 2023. The first instance of a Neuralink chip being implanted in a human brain was in January 2024.
Neuralink's trial's operational ethics have raised some red flags. The company has been accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act. Critics have criticized Neuralink for rushing trials. They claim the company seriously harmed monkey subjects and their trial's animal death rate was higher than normal.
The FDA questions if members of Neuralink's animal protection board had a conflict of interest as shareholders. Experts also have ethical concerns about the how BICs will advance healthy brains.
A study of 14 adult humans since 2004 found that brain chip implants have not lead to death or impairment. It can be assumed that BCIs are as safe as any other surgical insertion.
There is no concrete evidence that Neuralink's BCI technology can achieve Musk's long-term goals. Neuralink must also face design hurdles such as the corrosive atmosphere of the brain's effects on wires.
A director for neural engineering at the NIH predicts that the company will need another decade to to market "the Link". As history shows, the public does not always readily adopt cutting-edge medical technology. It may take time for people to accept the notion of having a chip brain implant. Recent estimates predict the full commercialization of Neuralink's BCI technology may take ten years.
Neuralink remains pre-IPO stock. The Neuralink ticker and Neuralink symbol for its stock are unknown. The company has not announced an initial target Neuralink stock price.
This page will continue to track news and announcements regarding Neuralink's IPO status.