Subsense, a Silicon Valley startup, is developing a non-surgical brain-computer interface that uses intranasally delivered nanoparticles — a concept as science-fiction-like as anything in neurotechnology today.

A claim that Ray Kurzweil, the noted Google AI researcher, has joined Subsense is not supported by available research. No credible reports or press releases indicate Kurzweil's involvement with Subsense.

Founded around 2021-2022 by Tetiana Aleksandrova and Artem Sokolov, Subsense is building what it calls NanoBCI: a non-surgical brain-computer interface that avoids drilling into the skull by delivering tiny particles through the nose, where they can then interface with neurons. If the approach works, it could lower the barrier to adoption for brain-computer interfaces, since existing implanted devices carry the risks and costs associated with surgery and remain limited to small trial populations.

The technology relies on two types of nanoparticles: plasmonic and magnetoelectric. Once delivered, these particles work in conjunction with a wearable headset to both read neural signals and stimulate brain activity. Such bidirectional capability — both recording and stimulating — is the same dual function pursued by implanted-device makers, but achieving it with particles delivered through the nose would require demonstrating that the particles reach targeted brain regions safely and can be controlled precisely, challenges the company's mouse studies are intended to begin addressing.

Subsense's immediate clinical targets are neurological disorders, with Parkinson's disease and epilepsy at the top of the list. Both conditions affect millions of people worldwide and are typically managed with medication or, in some cases, implanted stimulation devices, which is the existing standard any nanoparticle-based therapy would have to be measured against. The company aims to demonstrate nanoparticle-enabled neural reading and symptom relief by the end of 2026.

As of December 2025, Subsense had raised $27 million in seed funding. Part of that capital has gone toward opening a lab in Palo Alto and initiating mouse proof-of-concept studies, which began in late 2025 and are expected to wrap up by late 2026. Human trials, regulatory review, and long-term safety data on nanoparticles in the brain would still lie ahead before any clinical use, a path that has taken implanted-interface competitors years to navigate.

Subsense is entering a field with several established players. Elon Musk's Neuralink remains the most high-profile company in brain-computer interfaces, having implanted its device in multiple human patients. Neuralink's approach is surgical: a robot drills into the skull and places ultra-thin threads into brain tissue.

Synchron threads a device through blood vessels to reach the brain, avoiding open brain surgery but still requiring a medical procedure. Kernel has worked on non-invasive neuroimaging helmets, and Precision Neuroscience uses a thin film placed on the brain's surface. The field has also drawn interest beyond medicine, with companies exploring consumer applications such as helping paralyzed patients control computers — though Subsense's stated near-term focus is clinical.

In funding terms, Neuralink has raised hundreds of millions of dollars and Synchron has pulled in over $100 million. Subsense's $27 million in seed funding is modest by comparison, meaning the company will likely need to show compelling proof-of-concept results to attract the larger rounds required for clinical development. The late-2026 mouse study results are the next concrete milestone to watch.