Q1 2026 neurotech funding reaches $976M across 8 deals — 577% increase vs Q1 2025, China and US lead
Summary
Q1 2026 neurotech funding reached $976M across 8 disclosed deals — 577% higher than Q1 2025's $144M and 101% higher than Q4 2025's $485M. Unlike Q2 2025 which was dominated by Neuralink's $650M round, Q1 2026's total was distributed across four large rounds: BrainCo ($286M), Merge Labs ($252M), Science Corporation ($230M), and Cognito Therapeutics ($105M). China-based startups raised $356M+ in the period, led by BrainCo and StairMed. The average deal size across all 30 rounds from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026 was approximately $79M.
Why it matters
Quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year acceleration in neurotech funding — with both deal count and deal size increasing simultaneously — is the clearest possible signal that the sector has crossed from niche to mainstream investment category. The distribution across four large rounds rather than one outlier suggests genuine broad-based investor conviction rather than a single company effect.
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