Merge Labs
Brain-computer interface research lab focused on bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximise human ability. Co-founded by Sam Altman and Alex Blania alongside Mikhail Shapiro, Tyson Aflalo, Sumner Norman, and Sandro Herbig. Launched publicly on 15 January 2026 with a $252 million seed round at an $850 million valuation, in which OpenAI wrote the largest cheque.
Overview
Merge Labs is a research lab focused on bridging biological and artificial intelligence to maximise human ability. The company emerged from stealth on 15 January 2026 with a $252 million seed round at an $850 million valuation. OpenAI wrote the largest cheque, and Bain Capital, Interface Fund, Fifty Years and Valve co-founder Gabe Newell also invested.
Founders
Merge Labs was co-founded by Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI, who founded Merge separately from his OpenAI role) and a team of BCI researchers and entrepreneurs: Mikhail Shapiro (bioengineering professor at Caltech specialising in ultrasound-tissue interactions), Tyson Aflalo, Sumner Norman, Alex Blania (CEO of World, formerly Worldcoin), and Sandro Herbig.
Forest Neurotech connection
Tyson Aflalo and Sumner Norman are also co-founders of Forest Neurotech, the non-profit focused research organisation (FRO) founded in 2023 that pioneered the ultrasound-based BCI research underlying Merge Labs’ commercial direction. Forest Neurotech continues operating independently of Merge Labs, with the two organisations describing a “wonderful working relationship.” Forest Neurotech rebranded as Arbor Neuroscience in September 2026, with Philip Sabes as CEO.
Technology
Merge Labs is exploring non-invasive ultrasound-based brain-computer interface approaches, with research direction extending into the integration of ultrasound with gene therapy to create specific brain cells responsive to acoustic waves. On 1 September 2026 Merge named Butterfly Network its exclusive partner for chip-based ultrasound, licensing Butterfly’s Poseidon ultrasound-on-chip family under a multi-year deal. The technology direction is more experimental and longer-horizon than the implantable cortical-electrode programmes that dominate clinical-stage BCI development.
Strategic position
Merge Labs is the most visible AI-anchored entry into the BCI category, with OpenAI’s involvement signalling that the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem is making explicit bets on neural-interface technology as a long-term complement to language and vision AI work. The company’s emergence puts the human-AI integration thesis, which Sam Altman set out in his 2017 blog post “The Merge”, on a commercial pathway distinct from the therapeutic-clinical pathways that anchor most other BCI companies in 2026.