Science Corp raises $230M as it races to bring its brain to market

While many countries around the world are chasing AI commercialization, Max Hodak – co-founder and former president of Neuralink – has been working on a startup that claims it is about to become the first brain-computer modeling company to get a drug to market.

Those claims have not been identified. Hodak’s introduction, Concept of the company Science Corporationsaid Wednesday morning that it raised $230 million in Series C funding. A source close to the startup said the round gave Science Corp a valuation of $1.25 billion.

In the short term, Science Corp. it’s betting PRIMAa tiny piece said to be smaller than a grain of rice that is placed in the eye, works with camera-equipped lenses to restore normal vision to people suffering from severe macular degeneration.

The startup didn’t just install the technology: They bought PRIMA equipment in 2024 from the French outfit Pixium Vision, cleaned it, and completed the tests that Pixium launched.

But the medical results that Science has produced are its own. In trials involving 47 patients across Europe and the US, 80% showed significant improvement in visual acuity and were able to read letters, numbers, and words, the company says.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time that recovery of reading ability has been demonstrated in blind patients,” Hodak told TechCrunch. interview in December. The original device has regenerated screen of Time magazine.

It is unclear when PRIMA will be available to patients, but the regulatory process is well under way. Science Corp. has submitted a CE certificate to the European Union, and says it hopes to be approved in mid-2026, after which it will launch the product on the continent. It says this will make it the first BCI company to have products on the market.

The company told TechCrunch that Germany is likely to be its first market, as the country has implemented early access to healthcare. In the US, regulatory discussions with the FDA are “ongoing,” the founders said.

Science Corp. is also expanding its PRIMA trial program to include Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease of the retina that leads to vision loss in adults.

The new headquarters will be used to support PRIMA’s commercialization, as well as to support basic research. This includes a biohybrid neural structure The program involves growing neurons made from stem cells into a waffle-like device that sits on top of the brain and creates natural connections with existing neural circuits.

There is also a new line of business within Science called A vessel: An organ storage platform that aims to be miniaturized watering technology so organs can be transported on commercial flights or cared for by patients at home, instead of ICU suites.

Investors in the Series C round include a mix of new and established investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator and Quiet Capital. IQT, a non-profit company that looks for solutions that can be used by government agencies such as the FBI and CIA, also invested.

The round brings all of Science Corp.’s funding. to $490 million. The current starting position is 150 people.