Bridge Neurotech Emerges With $13.5M to Build Surgery-Free Brain-Computer Interface Using Ultrasound

Bridge Neurotech Launches With $13.5 Million to Challenge Surgical Brain Implants

Bridge Neurotech emerged from stealth mode with $13.5 million in funding to develop a non-invasive brain-computer interface using ultrasound technology1

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. The neurotech startup, backed by General Catalyst, reMind Capital, Sunflower Capital, and Scott Sandell, aims to create a wearable device that bypasses the need for neurosurgery entirely2

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. Founder and CEO Will Biederman, who developed the chip Neuralink licensed for its first devices during his PhD work at Berkeley, says the fundamental difference in vision centers on accessibility and safety1

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Why Ultrasound Technology Matters for Brain-Computer Interface Development

Bridge Neurotech is building a functional ultrasound imaging platform that uses high-frequency sound waves to measure blood flow in the brain, which closely follows neural activity1

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. The ultrasound-powered BCI approach addresses a critical limitation: only around 100 people worldwide have received implanted brain-computer interfaces as part of clinical trials, including at least 21 volunteers with Neuralink's device1

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. Biederman emphasizes that the risks of neurosurgery cannot be minimized, noting that "nobody really wants a hole in their head"1

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. This positions Bridge against companies like Neuralink, Synchron, Paradromics, and Precision Neuroscience, all of which require surgical implantation to record electrical signals directly from neurons1

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Strategic Partnership With Butterfly Network Accelerates Development

Bridge signed a multi-year research and development agreement with Butterfly Network to license its Ultrasound-on-Chip technology through Butterfly Embedded2

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. The deal includes payments for technology access and development milestones, plus commitments to purchase Butterfly hardware3

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. Biederman stated that Butterfly has already brought ultrasound onto a fully integrated semiconductor chip, providing "a powerful and programmable foundation as we work toward real-time, non-invasive interaction with the brain"3

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. Butterfly Network CEO Joseph DeVivo noted that innovators like Bridge are exploring surgery-free approaches to broaden access3

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First Human Study in Redwood City Begins Enrollment

Bridge Neurotech has opened enrollment for its first human study in Redwood City, California, targeting healthy adults aged 18 and older, as well as adults who have undergone cranioplasty with PEEK or Longeviti implants2

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. The observational study involves placing a small ultrasound probe on the side of participants' heads while they listen, watch, move, and speak1

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. Bridge's device, described as "something close to headphones," will sit on the temporal window above the ear, the thinnest part of the skull and the easiest place to image through with ultrasound imaging1

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. The probes use semiconductor silicon chips made by Butterfly Network to record brain activity1

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Technical Challenges and AI-Driven Neural Interfaces Solution

Ultrasound technology faces inherent challenges because it measures brain activity indirectly from blood flow rather than directly from neurons, creating a natural delay of a few seconds between neural firing and blood flow changes1

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. Maryam Shanechi, a neuroengineer at the University of Southern California, explains this captures slower variations in neural activity, which could pose challenges for real-time tasks like moving robotic limbs or rapid typing1

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. Bridge plans to use predictive AI models to reduce lag time and boost interface performance1

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. The company aims to decode brain activity using AI models applied to the functional ultrasound imaging data it collects2

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Competition Heats Up With Merge Labs in Ultrasound BCI Race

Bridge Neurotech enters direct competition with Merge Labs, the Sam Altman-backed startup also building an ultrasound-powered brain-computer interface1

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. Both companies have ties to Arbor Neuroscience, previously known as Forest Neurotech, a nonprofit founded in 2023 by Biederman and researchers Sumner Norman and Tyson Aflalo1

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. Merge Labs spun out of Forest Neurotech in January with Norman and Aflalo among its cofounders, alongside Altman, researcher Mikhail Shapiro, and tech entrepreneurs Alex Blania and Sandro Herbig1

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. The organization built an ultrasound instrument to image brain function currently in trials in the UK1

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What This Means for the Future of Brain-Computer Interfaces

Bridge's launch signals growing momentum toward non-invasive alternatives that could reach far more people than surgical implants. Biederman spent nearly a decade at Verily and Google working on health technology before co-founding Forest Neurotech, where he led work on the first miniaturized functional ultrasound imaging device for the human brain2

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. The company is pursuing both consumer and medical applications, though specific plans remain undisclosed1

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. If Bridge succeeds in overcoming ultrasound's technical limitations through AI and semiconductor advances, it could democratize access to brain-computer interface technology beyond the small population willing to undergo neurosurgery. The race between Bridge and Merge Labs will likely determine whether ultrasound can compete with established electrical recording methods that have already demonstrated real-time control capabilities in paralyzed patients.