SSubsense develops nanotechnology-based noninvasive brain-computer interfaces and medical devices aimed at treating neurodegenerative diseases. Its products are designed for daily, seamless use in healthcare, combining brain signal interfaces with nanotech to aid patients and clinicians. The company works with academic experts from ETH Zurich and Stanford to guide research and development, and plans to sell or license its BCI devices in Europe and the USA. Compared with competitors, Subsense emphasizes noninvasive, nano-scale interfaces and strong collaborations to translate research into market-ready medical devices. The overarching goal is to improve quality of life for individuals with neurodegenerative conditions by delivering practical, clinician-friendly BCI solutions.
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Founded
2022
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Subsense announces "major expansion" of AI-driven strategy to develop non-surgical BCI technology. 17 September 2026 Subsense - an artificial intelligence (AI)-native neurotechnology company developing non-surgical, nanoparticle-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) - has announced a major expansion of its AI-driven NanoBCI strategy, bringing together AI, nanotechnology and neural interfaces to advance a new category of BCI technology. Unlike traditional approaches that either rely on implanted hardware or capture neural activity from outside the skull, Subsense is developing a nanoparticle-based interface intended to eventually enable neural activity to be read or stimulated without permanently implanted electrodes. The company is using AI across the development process to design, score and evaluate nanoparticle candidates, and model how they could be navigated to specific areas of the brain. Rather than applying AI only after neural data are collected, Subsense is using these data upstream to help determine what the underlying interface itself should look like. This extends the role of AI beyond software and neural-data analysis into the materials and delivery layers of the BCI itself, the company states. Subsense also says it is applying AI at the materials-development stage, where nanoparticle composition, structure and field-driven behaviour can be evaluated computationally before synthesis. Subsense further claims to be "the first in the world" to develop an integrated computational workflow that evaluates and ranks magnetoelectric nanoparticle candidates across five coupled design dimensions - colloidal stability, core magnetostriction, shell piezoelectric response, core-shell interface strain transfer, and biocompatibility - and has built two- and three-dimensional physics simulations of nanoparticle navigation so that candidates can be prioritised before experimental testing. Additionally, Subsense has been awarded US$250,000 in Google Cloud credits to scale these computational workflows, explore a broader nanoparticle design space, and strengthen the AI infrastructure supporting its research and development (R&D). This support is helping the company expand the computational resources behind its AI-enabled design and simulation work. "We are combining AI with physics-based modelling to help identify promising nanoparticle architectures, understand how they may respond to externally applied magnetic fields, and guide which candidates move forward into experimental validation," said Parminder Mankoo, head of AI at Subsense. "The goal is to narrow a highly complex design space computationally so that our laboratory work can focus on the candidates with the strongest potential." "Most of the BCI field has been forced into a trade-off," added Tetiana Aleksandrova, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Subsense. "You can get closer to the neurons and obtain better signals, but doing that generally requires surgery - or you can stay outside the skull, but accept limitations in what you can access. Neuro News International started Subsense because Neuro News International believe that trade-off should be challenged. "Our nanoparticle-based approach is designed to challenge that trade-off by creating a path to neural access that does not require surgery. AI helps us move faster and with greater precision in R&D by allowing us to explore nanoparticle design, navigation and performance computationally before committing to a physical candidate. It accelerates how we develop the technology." Subsense is currently developing separate nanoparticle systems for stimulation and neural reading. For stimulation, the company is working with magnetoelectric nanoparticles designed to respond to externally generated magnetic fields and produce localised electrical effects. For neural reading, Subsense is studying plasmonic nanoparticle approaches intended to generate optical signals that could ultimately be detected by external hardware. The two programmes are being advanced in parallel as Subsense works toward a longer-term architecture that could eventually combine neural reading and stimulation within the same platform. The company remains in the preclinical stage, and is engaging with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as it develops its research and regulatory strategy, as noted in a press release. As it advances its platform, Subsense has assembled a multidisciplinary advisory network spanning deep brain stimulation (DBS) and neuromodulation, functional neurosurgery, movement disorders, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), neural-interface engineering, regulatory strategy, and medtech commercialisation. This group is intended to help Subsense pressure-test its technology against the same scientific, clinical and practical standards applied to established implantable neurotechnology, the release adds. "AI is becoming increasingly capable of helping us understand and engineer systems of extraordinary complexity, and the brain is perhaps the most complex system we can work with," commented Ray Kurzweil, who recently joined Subsense as a product and vision advisor. "Subsense's approach brings AI into the development of the interface itself, while nanotechnology creates a potential path beyond the limitations of surgically implanted hardware."
Subsense defines a new category of ai-native NanoBCI, advancing a new path to bcis without surgery. SAN FRANCISCO-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Subsense, an AI-native neurotechnology company developing non-surgical, nanoparticle-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), today announced a major expansion of its AI-driven NanoBCI strategy, bringing together AI, nanotechnology and neural interfaces to advance a new category of BCI technology. Unlike traditional approaches that either rely on implanted hardware or capture neural activity from outside the skull, Subsense is developing a nanoparticle-based inter Click here to view original post
Silicon Valley startup Subsense is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface using nanoparticles delivered through the nose. Founded around 2021-2022 by Tetiana Aleksandrova and Artem Sokolov, the company has raised $27 million in seed funding. The technology, called NanoBCI, uses plasmonic and magnetoelectric nanoparticles that work with a wearable headset to read neural signals and stimulate brain activity. Subsense is targeting neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, aiming to demonstrate neural reading capabilities and symptom relief by end-2026. The company opened a laboratory in Palo Alto and began mouse proof-of-concept studies in late 2025, expected to conclude by late 2026. Subsense faces competition from surgical approaches like Neuralink, which has raised hundreds of millions, and Synchron, which secured over $100 million.
Subsense develops nanoparticle-based brain-computer interface with $27M in seed funding. The legendary AI futurist is teaming up with a Palo Alto startup that wants to create brain-computer interfaces through nasally delivered nanoparticles, bypassing surgery entirely. Ray Kurzweil, the AI scientist who has spent decades predicting the future with uncanny accuracy, is making a move into brain-computer interfaces. The legendary Google researcher is joining Subsense, a Silicon Valley startup working on what might be the most sci-fi sentence in all of neurotechnology: putting computers in the brain by snorting nanoparticles. Subsense announced the partnership at an event at its Palo Alto headquarters on Wednesday evening, with Kurzweil present. Founded around 2021-2022 by Tetiana Aleksandrova and Artem Sokolov, Subsense is developing what it calls NanoBCI, a non-surgical brain-computer interface that uses intranasally delivered nanoparticles. Rather than drilling into the skull, Subsense wants to deliver tiny particles through the nose that can then interface with neurons. The technology relies on two types of nanoparticles: plasmonic and magnetoelectric. These particles, once delivered, work in conjunction with a wearable headset to both read neural signals and stimulate brain activity. The immediate clinical targets are neurological disorders. Parkinson's disease and epilepsy sit at the top of the list. The company aims to demonstrate nanoparticle-enabled neural reading and symptom relief by the end of 2026. As of December 2025, Subsense had raised $27 million in seed funding. Part of that capital has gone toward opening a lab in Palo Alto and initiating mouse proof-of-concept studies, which began in late 2025 and are expected to wrap up by late 2026. Elon Musk's Neuralink remains the most high-profile player in brain-computer interfaces, having implanted its device in multiple human patients. Neuralink's approach is surgical: a robot drills into the skull and places ultra-thin threads into brain tissue. Synchron threads a device through blood vessels to reach the brain, avoiding open brain surgery but still requiring a medical procedure. Kernel has worked on non-invasive neuroimaging helmets. Precision Neuroscience uses a thin film placed on the brain's surface. Neuralink has raised hundreds of millions of dollars. Synchron has pulled in over $100 million. Subsense's $27 million in seed funding is modest by comparison.
Ray Kurzweil, the renowned AI scientist and Google researcher, is joining Subsense, a Silicon Valley startup developing brain-computer interface technology. The company announced Kurzweil's appointment as product and vision adviser at an event in Palo Alto on Wednesday. Subsense is working on a non-surgical approach to brain-computer interfaces involving charged nanoparticles introduced into the brain intra-nasally, similar to inhaling nasal spray. The particles would be controlled through a specialised cap containing magnetic coils to stimulate or read neuron activity. The technology remains years away from availability. Subsense, which has raised $27 million in funding, is currently conducting pre-clinical work and mouse experiments. The company aims to first develop medical applications before creating consumer products. Kurzweil will advise on the company's technology roadmap and the convergence of AI and neural interfaces.
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Industries
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Early VC
Total Funding
$27M
Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Founded
2022
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today