Precision Neuro: Restoring Freedom Through Brain-Computer Interfaces

The Next Generation of Neural Engineering

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Alumni Ventures portfolio company Precision Neuro is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) installed via a patented minimally invasive insertion procedure. Precision’s BCI employs a thin film microelectrode array that conforms to the brain’s cortex without harming the surrounding tissue. This allows thousands of channels to be delivered anywhere on the brain’s surface.

A New Kind of Brain-Computer Interface

The World Health Organization estimates that in 2019 alone, over 7.5 million years of life were lost globally due to neurological disorders like Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis. Because of their severity and lack of treatment options, neurological conditions can be hard to diagnose and harder to effectively treat.

Legacy BCI technology typically relies on penetrating electrode arrays to function. In other words, the installation of the electrode itself causes brain tissue damage. While reversal of the procedure is possible, it is more invasive and subject to a higher risk of complications due to the invasive approach.

Precision’s BCI takes a different approach. Rather than physically penetrating the patient’s brain, Precision’s BCI is instead a smooth, flexible sensor array thinner than a strip of tape that is carefully positioned on top of the patient’s brain, between the brain tissue and the skull. Dubbed the Layer 7 Cortical Interface, the array not only allows for a less invasive insertion for patients but is capable of capturing vastly more amounts of data over a larger proportion of the cortex than other interfaces, while also maintaining the capability to both read and stimulate regions of the brain.

What We Like About Precision

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    World Class Team of Neuroscientists

    Precision features a team of talented and knowledgeable neuroscientists, several of whom helped co-found Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup founded by Elon Musk.
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    Unique Technology and IP

    Precision has developed a minimally invasive approach capable of implanting millions of electrodes without causing damage to brain tissue, compared to other riskier interfaces.
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    Rapid Progress

    Within a year of launch, the company has validated its system in multiple large-animal studies, developed a portfolio of over 20 patents, and charted a regulatory pathway to obtain FDA clearance in the next few years.

How We Are Involved

116 Street Ventures (for the Columbia community) sponsored our investment in Precision’s $41 million Series B led by Forepont Capital Partners. Sibling funds Blue Ivy Ventures (for the Yale community), Chestnut Street Ventures (for the Penn community), The Yard Ventures (for the Harvard community), and AV’s Total Access and Deep Tech Funds also participated in the round.

Learn How To Join AV Funds Invested in Precision Neuro

NOTE: These investments are not available to future fund investors except potentially in certain follow-on investment options.

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Contact [email protected] for additional information. To see additional risk factors and investment considerations, visit av-funds.com/disclosures.