Synchron

Synchron is a neurotechnology company developing implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that are delivered through blood vessels rather than by open brain surgery. Its first product, the Stentrode, is implanted via the jugular vein and positioned in a vessel on the surface of the motor cortex (the superior sagittal sinus), where it detects motor intention and wirelessly transmits those signals out of the brain to enable hands-free point-and-click control of phones, tablets and other screen-based devices. The company describes the procedure as taking roughly two hours in the clinical trial setting, with most participants going home the following day. The device carries an investigational-device caution and is limited by U.S. federal law to investigational use.

The company frames its work as creating a category it calls "interventional" brain-computer interfaces, explicitly modeled on the cardiac interventional field, where stents and pacemakers are delivered at scale in the cath lab. Its stated first mission is to release motor models serving 15 million people with motor impairment; a stated second mission is general cognition models addressing 500 million people with cognitive decline. Synchron also articulates ethical principles centered on agency, cognitive sovereignty and mental privacy, and human flourishing.

Beyond the first-generation implant, Synchron is developing a next-generation transcatheter, high-channel whole-brain interface, and operates a Cognitive AI division in New York training models that decode thought from neural data in real time, plus an engineering hub in San Diego.

Founding story

Sources attribute the company's founding to Thomas (Tom) Oxley, a physician, neurointerventionalist and neuroscientist, with Nicholas Opie as co-founder and CTO. The founding insight was that open brain surgery would limit the scalability of BCIs, prompting a catheter-delivered approach modeled on cardiac stent procedures. Founding dates conflict across sources: one profile states 2016 in its quick facts and FAQ while its narrative sections state 2012.

Business model

Clinical-stage medical device developer. Synchron is funded by venture and strategic investment and is working toward commercialization of the Stentrode BCI platform; the device is currently investigational and not approved for commercial sale.

Not established in the sources. The device remains investigational; one third-party profile lists a revenue range of $10M-$50M, but this is unverified and inconsistent with the device's investigational status.

Traction

Ten patients implanted with paralysis across US and Australian trials as of late 2025; COMMAND trial enrollment completed in September 2023; 12-month study results reported; $345 million raised in total funding; awards cited include the 2019 UNSW Eureka Prize, Fierce 50 (2023) and TIME Best Inventions 2025.

Latest developments

In November 2025 Synchron announced a $200 million Series D led by Double Point Ventures, bringing total funding to $345 million, to accelerate pivotal trials and Stentrode commercialization, hire engineers, neuroscientists and operators, expand its New York Cognitive AI division, stand up a San Diego engineering hub, and develop a next-generation transcatheter high-channel whole-brain interface.