Tag: neural-interface-chips

3 articles

Market Moves

MintNeuro raises $5 million to supply purpose-built chips to neural device makers

MintNeuro, a London semiconductor company spun out of Imperial College London, announced a $5 million round on 7 October 2026 led by Odyssey Ventures, with 33East, JSK Investments and Alumni Ventures joining and Empirical Ventures, Jumpspace Ventures and other early investors investing again. It designs modular chips for neural sensing, signal processing and stimulation that device makers can build on in place of adapted general-purpose components or years of custom chip design. Its partners include Motif Neurotech, which announced a multi-year chip supply agreement with MintNeuro on 30 April for its depression implant, and Amber Therapeutics, whose co-founder Tim Denison chairs MintNeuro. The money will fund product launches, delivery of pre-release chips to partners, a larger team and a stronger US presence. MintNeuro's last disclosed equity round was £1 million in November 2024.

Oct 8

Market Moves

Tencent takes a minority stake in Hangzhou brain-chip developer Nanochap Electronics

Tencent Holdings has acquired a minority equity stake in Nanochap Electronics, a Hangzhou-based fabless semiconductor company specialising in neural interface and biosensing SoCs for brain-computer interface and medical device applications. The investment was disclosed through a 28 May 2026 business registration filing showing Shanghai Qishan Investment, a Tencent subsidiary, added as a new shareholder. Nanochap's registered capital increased to RMB 16.8853 million. Exact stake size and investment amount have not been publicly disclosed. The move follows the April 2026 StairMed funding round in which Alibaba led and Tencent joined, and signals a sustained pattern of Chinese big-tech equity participation in the country's BCI silicon supply chain.

May 29

Market Moves

MintNeuro becomes Motif Neurotech's silicon supplier as the BCI supply chain splits from vertical integration

Imperial College London spinout MintNeuro announced a multi-year commercial supply agreement on 30 April 2026 to provide its miniaturised sensing and stimulation integrated circuits to Motif Neurotech's DOT depression implant across pre-clinical, early clinical, and pivotal trial phases. The deal was announced three days after Motif announced FDA approval of its Investigational Device Exemption.

May 19