Epia Neuro
San Francisco startup led by Michel Maharbiz developing a minimally invasive brain-computer interface that drives a motorised glove for people with upper-limb impairment after stroke. Came out of stealth in April 2026, with human demonstrations planned at Lenox Hill Hospital and an FDA submission targeted for February 2027.
Overview
Epia Neuro came out of stealth on 2 April 2026, led by chief executive Michel Maharbiz, the UC Berkeley engineer who founded iota Biosciences and ran it through its acquisition by Astellas. He stepped down as iota’s chief executive on 1 April and describes Epia as “totally independent” of any corporate parent. Co-founder Gil Mandelbaum is chief technology and science officer. The company had 45 employees in April 2026 and has not disclosed its funding or investors.
Technology
The implant is a 64-channel electrode array placed above the motor cortex in an outpatient procedure of under an hour that does not pierce the dura. It can both sense and stimulate, is charged wirelessly through a headset, and needs no chest-implanted pulse generator. Decoded movement intent drives a lightweight motorised glove on the affected hand, and the implant is designed to be replaced or upgraded without further invasive surgery.
Commercial position
Epia’s pitch is assistive function first, with any recovery benefit treated as a possible bonus. The company estimates that about 60,000 of the 690,000 new US stroke survivors each year could be candidates, and plans later programmes in cognitive decline, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy. First-in-human demonstrations are planned at the Department of Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, with an FDA submission targeted for February 2027.
Why it matters
The nearest comparison is CorTec, which holds FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for stroke motor rehabilitation and pursues recovery through neuroplasticity. Whether regulators and payers treat the two approaches as one indication or two separate product categories is unresolved, and the answer will shape reimbursement for stroke BCIs.