Synchron

What Synchron does

Synchron is a clinical-stage bioelectronics medicine company developing endovascular brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for patients with severe paralysis. Its core product, the Stentrode, is a stent-based 16-electrode array implanted via the jugular vein into a blood vessel adjacent to the motor cortex in a procedure that takes approximately 20-30 minutes and avoids open brain surgery. The device reads motor intent signals from within the vasculature and transmits them wirelessly to external digital devices, enabling patients with ALS, spinal cord injuries, and stroke to control iPhones, iPads, Apple Vision Pro, Amazon Alexa smart home devices, and computers through thought, with clinical trial data showing above-90% cursor control accuracy and 14-20 characters per minute text entry. The Synchron Switch BCI device has been assessed in clinical trials across 10+ sites in the United States and Australia, including Mount Sinai, UPMC, Mayo Clinic, UT Southwestern, University at Buffalo, and Royal Melbourne Hospital, with the COMMAND study having met primary safety endpoints in six participants.

The company is pre-revenue and sells no commercial product; the Stentrode is an investigational device limited by US federal law to investigational use and is not approved for sale in any geography. Revenue model is expected to be primarily hardware sales of the implantable BCI system at industry-comparable pricing of $50,000-$140,000 per unit, with commercial launch guided to 2027-2028 following FDA premarket approval. Go-to-market runs through academic medical centers and interventional neuroradiology suites in the US and Australia, supplemented by a portfolio of strategic ecosystem integrations: an Apple BCI Human Interface Device protocol, NVIDIA Holoscan AI infrastructure supporting the Chiral cognitive AI foundation model, Amazon Alexa smart home integration, and OpenAI-powered chat functionality. The company is headquartered in New York with engineering operations in San Diego and Melbourne, and has raised $345 million across Series B through Series D from ARCH Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Bezos Expeditions, Gates Frontier, Double Point Ventures, and the Australian government's National Reconstruction Fund.

Name

Synchron

Legal name

Synchron, Inc.

Website

https://synchron.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Synchron is a clinical-stage bioelectronics company developing the Stentrode, an endovascular brain-computer interface implanted via the jugular vein to enable thought-controlled digital device interaction for patients with severe paralysis due to ALS, spinal cord injury, or stroke.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Implantable Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Medical Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Implantable Neuromodulation & Neurostimulation (SCS/DBS/VNS/PNS) (HLAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Connected Medical Devices & Wearables (Sensors, Patches, Implantables) (HLACAPAB), Rehabilitation Therapy Equipment (PT/OT Modalities, Exercise & Balance Devices) (HLAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Brain-computer interface
• Implantable medical device
• Neuromodulation technology
• Endovascular neural implant
• Neuroprosthetic device

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Stentrode BCI Device: Pre-revenue company in clinical trial stage. Revenue model will likely involve sale of implantable BCI devices to patients with paralysis and other neurological conditions. The company is pursuing FDA approval through pivotal trials before commercial launch. Device pricing is expected to range from $50,000 to $140,000 per unit based on industry comparisons.
2. Clinical Trial Services: Partnerships with major medical institutions for conducting clinical trials, potentially generating service revenue during trial phases.
3. Future Commercial Launch: Planned commercial launch pending FDA approval, targeting patients with severe paralysis including ALS, spinal cord injuries, and stroke. Commercial approvals for severe paralysis indications anticipated by 2027-2028.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Synchron builds and clinically tests an endovascular brain-computer interface (Stentrode) implanted via the jugular vein to read motor-intent neural signals from blood vessels adjacent to the motor cortex, enabling patients with severe paralysis to control smartphones, tablets, computers, and smart home devices through thought alone. The company supplements its implantable hardware with the Chiral Cognitive AI Foundation Model and ecosystem integrations with Apple, Amazon Alexa, NVIDIA Holoscan, and OpenAI, and distributes through ongoing clinical trials at major US and Australian academic medical centers pending FDA premarket approval.

Product overview

Synchron is a brain-computer interface company that has developed a platform of implantable neural devices led by the Stentrode, a minimally invasive BCI implanted via blood vessels. The product portfolio includes the core Stentrode device for thought-controlled device interaction, the Chiral Cognitive AI Foundation Model for advanced neural decoding, and various software integrations including Apple device support, Amazon Alexa smart home control, NVIDIA Holoscan AI infrastructure, and OpenAI-powered chat functionality. The company pioneered interventional brain-computer interfaces to enable patients with paralysis to control digital devices through thought without open-brain surgery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chiral: The world's first Cognitive AI Brain Foundation Model, announced March 2025, representing the emergence of Cognitive AI technology for brain-computer interfaces.
• Stentrode

Products and services

• Stentrode Endovascular Brain-Computer Interface Stentrode is an implantable brain-computer interface device consisting of a stent-based electrode array with 16 electrodes that is implanted via the jugular vein into a blood vessel adjacent to the motor cortex, avoiding open-skull surgery. It reads motor-intent neural signals and transmits them wirelessly to external devices (smartphones, tablets, computers, smart home devices), enabling patients with severe paralysis due to ALS, spinal cord injury, stroke, or other motor neuron diseases to control digital devices through thought alone. The procedure takes approximately 20–30 minutes, is performed by interventional radiologists in standard radiology suites, and most patients go home the next day. Clinical trials have demonstrated cursor control accuracy above 90% and text entry rates of 14–20 characters per minute. Currently investigational and limited by US law to investigational use, with planned commercial launch for severe paralysis indications anticipated by 2027–2028 pending FDA premarket approval.
• Chiral Cognitive AI Brain Foundation Model Chiral is the world's first cognitive AI brain foundation model, designed to scale BCI technology by training large-scale neural data-based models that enhance neural decoding. It processes neural data from BCI implants and combines brain-signal inputs with AI-powered output generation for environmental control and communication. Developed in partnership with NVIDIA using the Holoscan platform, Chiral represents the emergence of Cognitive AI technology applied to brain-computer interfaces and supports the company's second mission of addressing cognitive decline across approximately 500 million people globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cursor control accuracy above 90% and text entry rates of 14-20 characters per minute in COMMAND trial
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• NVIDIA CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026In January 2026, Synchron formed a partnership with NVIDIA to integrate NVIDIA's Holoscan platform and AI-optimized computing power into Synchron's implantable BCI systems for real-time neural signal processing and enhanced clinical applications. The partnership enables AI-powered neural decoding and supports the Chiral cognitive AI foundation model development announced at NVIDIA GTC 2025.
• Apple Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2025Apple announced support for Synchron's brain-computer interface technology enabling users to control iPhones, iPads, and Apple Vision Pro headsets with their thoughts. The partnership includes a new BCI Human Interface Device (HID) protocol that allows two-way communication between the brain implant and Apple devices. In August 2025, Synchron demonstrated the first thought-controlled iPad experience using this integration, with ALS patient Mark Jackson navigating apps without hands or voice commands.
• Team GleasonkeyGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Synchron expanded its partnership with Team Gleason to raise awareness for BCI technology and support individuals with paralysis. The collaboration involves sharing information through various channels to promote BCI development, community building, and accessibility awareness. Team Gleason is a nonprofit focused on providing solutions for people with ALS.
• Amazon (Alexa)keyTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2024Synchron announced the first use of Amazon's Alexa with a brain-computer interface, enabling patients to control smart home devices through thought. The integration allows hands-free voice assistant interaction for paralysis patients to control lighting, thermostats, and other smart home devices using their neural signals.
• OpenAIkeyTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2024Synchron integrated generative AI speech capabilities powered by OpenAI into its brain interface software. The Chat feature powered by OpenAI was announced in July 2024, with BCI patient Rodney Gorham demonstrating how the technology helped him communicate with family more effectively using AI-generated responses.
• ACQUANDAScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Synchron acquired an equity stake in ACQUANDAS, a technology provider for high-precision components used in medical devices, as part of efforts to develop brain-computer interfaces for patients with motor impairments. The investment aims to strengthen Synchron's technology and supply chain capabilities and support the expansion of ACQUANDAS's manufacturing facilities.
• Mount Sinai HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMount Sinai Hospital in New York serves as a primary clinical trial site for Synchron's COMMAND study. Director of Rehabilitation Innovation David Putrino has commented on the potential of implantable BCI to restore autonomy for patients with tetraplegia.
• University at Buffalo NeurosurgerycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUniversity at Buffalo Neurosurgery serves as a clinical trial site for the COMMAND study investigating Synchron's Stentrode device in patients with severe paralysis.
• UPMCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center) is a clinical trial site for Synchron's BCI studies, with patient enrollment ongoing pending site activation.
• Royal Melbourne HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRoyal Melbourne Hospital serves as the primary Australian clinical trial site for Synchron's BCI technology, with research continuing from early human trials conducted in Australia since 2019.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Neuralink: Neuralink is the most prominent direct competitor to Synchron, developing implantable brain-computer interfaces to restore digital device control and communication for people with paralysis. Both companies target the same initial patient populations (paralysis, ALS, spinal cord injury) and pursue FDA approval for permanently implanted BCIs, but Neuralink uses a more invasive direct-cortical surgical approach versus Synchron's endovascular Stentrode.
• Blackrock Neurotech: Blackrock Neurotech is a pioneering BCI company developing the Utah Array-based Neuralace and MoveAgain BCI systems for patients with paralysis and ALS. It is one of the longest-running implantable BCI companies with extensive clinical experience, directly competing with Synchron for FDA approval and the paralysis/communication indication.
• Precision Neuroscience: Precision Neuroscience develops a minimally invasive cortical BCI using a thin-film electrode array (Layer 7) that sits on the surface of the brain. Founded by a Neuralink co-founder, it competes in the same implantable BCI category as Synchron but with a different procedural profile targeting higher-resolution signal recording.
• Paradromics: Paradromics is developing a high-bandwidth implantable BCI (Connexus) targeting both medical applications (communication for paralysis) and future cognitive applications. It competes with Synchron for first-mover FDA approval and addresses overlapping patient populations.

Broad incumbents

• Medtronic: Medtronic is the global leader in implantable neuromodulation devices, with deep expertise in deep brain stimulation (DBS), spinal cord stimulation (SCS), and interventional delivery systems. Its established neuromodulation infrastructure, regulatory capabilities, and procedural training programs make it a credible long-term competitor or acquirer in the BCI space.
• Abbott: Abbott's neuromodulation business (formerly St. Jude Medical) is a major player in implantable neurostimulation devices for chronic pain and movement disorders. Its scale, sales infrastructure, and R&D capabilities position it as a broad incumbent that could enter the BCI space via internal development or acquisition.
• Boston Scientific: Boston Scientific is a major implantable neuromodulation company with DBS, SCS, and emerging interventional neurology portfolios. Its commercial-scale device infrastructure and interventional delivery experience make it relevant comparably as a broad medtech incumbent in the neuromodulation landscape.

Emerging players

• NeuroPace: NeuroPace developed the RNS System, the first closed-loop implantable neurostimulator for epilepsy. While focused on seizure detection rather than motor BCI, it shares Synchron's profile of a clinical-stage company commercializing an implantable, AI-powered brain-interface device addressing neurological disease.
• Inspire Medical Systems: Inspire Medical Systems commercializes an implantable neurostimulation device for obstructive sleep apnea, demonstrating the commercial pathway for FDA-approved implantable neurostim devices in non-life-threatening conditions. It is comparable as a mid-stage neuromodulation company that has scaled clinical trials to commercial launch.
• Axonics: Axonics develops sacral neuromodulation devices for incontinence and overactive bladder, representing a successful example of an implantable neurostimulator reaching commercial scale. It is relevant as a comparable mid-cap medtech in the implantable neuromodulation category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/synchroninc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/synchronbci
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synchron-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors29 records

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M&A1 record

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Synchron