The US still leads in brain-computer interface patents, especially invasive BCI, but Chinese capital is arriving fast. Now is the time to own the space.
The US leads the brain-computer interface patent landscape, and on the invasive side the lead is decisive. But Chinese capital is arriving fast on both sides.
Gestala’s $21.6 million raise this week marks the largest early-stage brain-computer interface round in China, and it landed on the non-invasive side. The non-invasive BCI IP space has no single large patent holder. Several of the biggest positions belong to universities rather than startups, and the field is spread across dozens of portfolios that take real effort to untangle.
The invasive side looks nothing like this. The invasive BCI IP space is US-heavy, and Galvani Bioelectronics, a joint venture between Google and GSK, holds more patent families than the next two holders combined. Chinese capital is arriving here, too. StairMed Technology closed a $48 million Series B in early 2025, the largest single investment in China’s implantable BCI sector.
An invasive BCI a few years from now might be like a Dexcom skin prick.
While the US leads, now is the time to own this space.
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Written by
John Cronin