Cortical Labs Founder and CEO Hon Weng Chong (R) with other team members
Singapore- and Australia-based Cortical Labs, which develops a new class of artificial intelligence using human neurons, has closed a US$10 million financing round.
Led by Hong Kong-based Horizons Ventures, the round also saw participation from LifeX Ventures, Blackbird Ventures, In-Q-Tel, and Radar Ventures.
Cortical Labs will use the money to accelerate the commercialisation of its patented Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS) and fulfil pre-orders.
A biological computing company, Cortical Labs uses clusters of lab-cultivated neurons from human stem cells to form a DishBrain. This brain is integrated into the firm’s patented Biological Intelligence Operating System (biOS) with a mixture of hard silicon and soft tissue.
Also Read: Cortical Labs’s hybrid biological-computer chips could make robots smarter, more adaptable
According to the startup, human neurons are a new and untapped resource with the potential to be far better than any digital AI model for Generalised Intelligence. The DishBrain has the ability to grow, adapt, and learn faster than purely silicon-based AI and also requires far less energy consumption.
Hon Weng Chong, CEO and Founder of Cortical Labs, said: “The possibilities that a hybridised AI meets synthetic biology model can unlock are limitless, accelerating the possibilities of digital AI in a more powerful and more sustainable way. Our technology will shape and drive the next frontier of AI.”
Prior to Cortical Labs’s work, developing and testing new drugs and therapies affecting the central nervous system or pre-existing drugs with cognitive side effects was not possible. Cortical Labs aims to change this with the commercial development of the Cortical Labs 1 (CL1) system, enabling novel in-vitro cognitive testing for the life-sciences industry.
Before the latest round, the startup raised US$1.62 (which included a pre-seed round in Jun 2019), from Blackbird Ventures, January Capital, Westcott Family Office, and two individuals, Miles Albert and Vishal Garg.
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