Arctop – a software platform for brain decoding – recently announced $10 million in Series A funding co-led by Fifth Growth Fund (FGF) and Supermoon Capital. This funding round will accelerate the commercialization of Arctop’s pioneering technology that translates brain activity into real-time information for third-party applications.
Launched in 2016 by neuroscientist Dan Furman and software engineer Eitan Kay, Arctop decodes brain signals measured from wearables like headbands, earbuds, and virtual and augmented reality headsets equipped with basic electric skin sensors. And Arctop’s software is licensed to enterprise developers to create unprecedented user-centric applications, such as personalized skill training, assistive communication, and emotion-adaptive experiences.
Arctop’s software platform is the intelligence layer between wearable electronics and third-party applications. And it is designed with end-users privacy in mind.
The company’s business model does not and will never include sharing raw brain data with clients or partners. And Arctop offers end users a simple dashboard that allows them to control their data, including granting and withdrawing permissions for third-party apps, authorizing or deactivating certain features, and easy data and account deletion.
CEO Dan Furman, Ph.D. started his neuroscience training at age 16 as a research intern working to mathematically model brain tumor growth patterns and proactively halt metastases through targeted gamma radiation. And after graduating from Harvard University, he led the team that developed a non-invasive brain-computer interface for renowned physicist Stephen Hawking to continue communicating as his ALS advanced.
Arctop’s real-time cognition technology has many uses, and it could be deployed today with trusted partners in health, education, cybersecurity, gaming, and entertainment. Initially, the primary applications are in the medical field, where Arctop is collaborating with Stanford Medicine, Surgical Safety Technologies, and the Academy for Surgical Coaching as recipients of a grant from Wellcome Leap’s SAVE: a $50 million program.
Stanford Medicine’s Drs. Teodore Grantcharov, James Korndorffer, and Carla Pugh are the Co-PIs on the project titled “Advanced Quantification and Acquisition of Surgical Skills Using the Wearable Sensing System” which has multiple goals, including decreasing the time necessary for acquiring minimally invasive surgical skills.
KEY QUOTES:
“By investing in revolutionary companies like Arctop, we aim to ensure technology serves people. Arctop is positioned to create the world’s premier non-invasive brain-computer interface and we couldn’t be more excited.”
– Royce Wilson, partner at FGF
“Our partnership with Arctop is part of our commitment to advancements in human-centered technologies that improve our lives, organizations, and communities.”
– Mike Masterson, co-founder and managing partner of Supermoon Capital
“As a neuroscientist, I have seen firsthand the life-changing impact that cutting edge technology can have on people who face difficult challenges. And that is basically all of us at some point of our lives. Our neural decoding platform can enhance communication, learning, and experiences in a way that is accessible for all.”
– Arctop’s CEO Dan Furman
