CategoryBiometric wearables
Overview
Merge Labs is a San Francisco-based brain-computer interface research lab developing non-invasive, ultrasound-based neural interfaces. Co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and several neurotechnology researchers, the company emerged from stealth in January 2026 with a $250M seed round at an $850M valuation.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Backerssee investors →
Founder
Approach
Data & sources
News coverage
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Merge Labs on the deployment map
View the global mapMerge Labs has no verified deployments on the DEPLOY registry yet. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
No verified deployments for Merge Labs on the DEPLOY record yet. Track Merge Labs to know the moment the first one is verified.
Relationships
Current leadership (1)
- Sam Altman Co-foundersecondary-verified
Founders (1)
- Sam Altmancofounderfounded 2025-01-01
Safety record
No incidents on record for Merge Labs.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Recent coverage
Merge Labs in third-party press
Peers
35 peers across 1 segment. Every Merge Labs competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
wearable(35)
32 companies in this segment · highly_concentrated (HHI 2595.3892239124602) · leader Oculus VR at 4361%
- Dexcomdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Happy Healthdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Science Corpdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Withingsdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Baidudirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- Based Hardwaredirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Mentioned on (1)
Registry pages whose text names Merge Labs.
People (1)
Financial state
- Total funding
- $250.0M
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- Seed2026-01-15
$250M(reported)
Investors: Bain Capital
Timeline
Every recorded move in Merge Labs’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeed funding round
2026-01-15Seed raising $250000000
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 8, 2026
Added to the verified registry
Sources (1)
Common questions
What is Merge Labs?
What does Merge Labs make?
Is Merge Labs publicly traded?
Who competes with Merge Labs?
Who is the CEO of Merge Labs?
How can I invest in Merge Labs?
Where is Merge Labs headquartered?
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Who owns Merge Labs?
Where does Merge Labs operate robots?
Is Merge Labs a top robotics company?
When was Merge Labs founded?
Is Merge Labs safe?
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-10-31
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-10-31
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- secondary-industry-publication
- Industry publication
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Merge Labs.Peer companies
- Google12 models
- Samsung Electronics6 models
- Abbott2 models
- Butterfly Network2 models
- Apple1 model
- Blackrock Neurotech1 model
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Merge Labs from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
A New Neurotech Startup Launches to Rival Sam Altman’s Merge Labs
Bridge Neurotech is planning to build a wearable brain-computer interface that uses ultrasound.
Sam Altman-Backed Merge Labs Picked Butterfly’s Chips for Brain Interfaces. Is This the Breakout BFLY Needed?
OpenAI invests in brain-computer interface startup founded by OpenAI CEO
Merge Labs emerged from stealth with 52M seed round co-founded by Sam Altman, focused on ultrasound-based non-invasive BCI
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/merge-labs.md
- RSS feed: /companies/merge-labs/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/437cc12d-fc58-4893-a44e-4b15607e9dcf
- Revision history: /companies/merge-labs/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Google12 models
- Samsung Electronics6 models
- Abbott2 models
- Butterfly Network2 models
- Apple1 model
- Blackrock Neurotech1 model
Video
Watching MACA & RONI https://www.youtube.com/c/MACAandRONI/ [Game Play] ▶Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dev3ffactory.macaroni.merge ▶App Store https://apps.apple.com/kr/app/MERGE%20LAB/id15
Shocking! Neuralink & Optimus: Elon Musk Plans to Merge Robots with Humans, Game-Changing Solution! === 00:56 How are Optimus parts implanted into the human bod
The cold war between Sam Altman and Elon Musk just went biological. OpenAI is no longer content with chatbots; they want a direct line to your neurons. Tonight,
Shocking! Neuralink & Optimus: Elon Musk Plans to Merge Robots with Humans, Game-Changing Solution! === 00:56 How are Optimus parts implanted into the human bod
AI, Quantum Computing, and Robotics are advancing faster than ever but what happens when they all mature at the same time? This isn’t just a tech revolution. I
In the future, AI-powered humanoid robots could work in factories assembling other humanoid robots. If that happens, the Ability Hand developed by PSYONIC—origi
This isn’t sci-fi. It’s science—barely. - Researchers have created a particle-armored liquid robot that can: 💧 Deform 🧲 Merge with objects 🌀 Maintain its sha
Skulls are so last season. We explore a fresh rival to Neuralink that swaps drilling and brain microwires for ultrasound to read, and maybe write, neural activi
MaicroBanker 100: WOMAI 我買, womai 我賣 MaicroMarket: The War Of Merger & Acquisitions for AI business, startups, and talents In 2026, we witness a bipolar AI w
Heat Index
Category contender75/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Merge Labs draws attention at the 61st percentile but verifies reality at the insufficient-data level among biometric robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Well-capitalized with $250M raised and recent funding activity. Limited public visibility and press coverage relative to peers.
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Nov 7, 2026