"A so-called focused research organization, Forest Neurotech has been working on an ultrasound-based brain-computer interface for the past few years. The nonprofit launched in 2023 out of the philanthropic incubator Convergent Research, which is funded in part by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, his wife Wendy Schmidt, and billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin. Forest and Convergent declined to comment."
"Along with Altman, WIRED has learned, Forest Neurotech's CEO Sumner Norman and chief scientific officer Tyson Aflalo are among the cofounders of Merge Labs, which is still in stealth mode. While some details of Merge have previously been reported, this is the first time the company has been linked to Forest Neurotech. According to the Financial Times, Alex Blania, the CEO of World-an Altman-backed digital identity company that makes an eye-scanning orb-is also among the cofounders."
"Forest and Convergent declined to comment. Mikhail Shapiro, a Caltech researcher who has, The Verge has reported, been tapped for Merge Labs, is currently an adviser to Forest Neurotech. Norman, who earned his PhD in neural engineering at Caltech, worked closely with Shapiro during his postdoctoral work; Aflalo, according to his LinkedIn, was previously the executive director at Caltech's T&C Chen Brain-Machine Inter"
Merge Labs is a new brain-computer interface company being spun out of Los Angeles-based nonprofit Forest Neurotech to focus on using ultrasound to read brain activity. Cofounders include Sam Altman, Forest Neurotech CEO Sumner Norman, chief scientific officer Tyson Aflalo, and Alex Blania. The company remains in stealth mode and has been connected with fundraising at a valuation of $850 million. Forest Neurotech launched in 2023 as a focused research organization out of the philanthropic incubator Convergent Research, which receives funding from Eric and Wendy Schmidt and Ken Griffin. Caltech researcher Mikhail Shapiro advises Forest Neurotech; Norman and Aflalo have Caltech ties.
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