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 led by OpenAI at an $850 million post-money valuation.
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 funding round led by OpenAI, valuing the company at $850 million post-money. Additional Series A investors include Bain Capital, Interface Fund, Fifty Years, and notable individuals including Valve co-founder Gabe Newell.
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.” The directory previously listed Merge’s founding year as 2023; the corrected date reflects that 2023 was the founding of the Forest Neurotech non-profit predecessor, while Merge Labs itself was officially introduced to the public on 15 January 2026.
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. The technology direction is more experimental and longer-horizon than the implantable cortical-electrode programmes that dominate the clinical-stage BCI cohort.
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 (publicly articulated by figures including D. Scott Phoenix and Sam Altman) on a commercial pathway distinct from the therapeutic-clinical pathways that anchor most other BCI companies in 2026.