BrainCo raises $286M — largest BCI round outside US ever — IDG Capital and Walden International (Intel CEO) lead, Hong Kong IPO filing reported
Summary
Chinese BCI company BrainCo (强脑科技) raised ¥2 billion (~$286M) in a round co-led by IDG Capital and Walden International — the investment firm founded by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan — with Lens Technology and OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group as strategic investors. The January 2026 round is the largest BCI funding round globally outside of Neuralink's $650M Series E, and the largest ever for a non-invasive BCI company. Bloomberg reports BrainCo has quietly filed for a Hong Kong IPO. The company aims to help 1 million people with limb disabilities regain daily function and improve conditions for 10 million patients with autism, ADHD, Alzheimer's, and insomnia through BCI devices. BrainCo's products include mass-deployed EEG headbands for neurofeedback and cognitive training, and a myoelectric prosthetic hand platform.
Why it matters
Walden International being founded by Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan investing in BrainCo signals Big Tech's recognition of BCI as a strategic computing platform, not just a medical device. The OmniVision (imaging sensors) and Lens Technology (precision optics) strategic investors provide supply chain integration for BrainCo's hardware products. The Hong Kong IPO filing would make BrainCo the first BCI company to go public, preceding both Neuralink and Synchron in public market access.
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