MintNeuro, the Imperial College London spinout developing specialised semiconductor chips for neural devices, has raised $5 million in funding led by Odyssey Ventures, with participation from 33East, JSK Investments, Alumni Ventures, Empirical Ventures, and Jumpspace Ventures. The round brings MintNeuro’s total funding to approximately $6.3 million, following a £1 million raise in 2024 .
The funding moves MintNeuro from technology validation to commercial scale-up. The company has already delivered functioning silicon and reached integration milestones with partners including Motif Neurotech in the US and Amber Therapeutics in the UK. Earlier this year, MintNeuro announced a multi-year commercial chip supply agreement with Motif supporting its minimally invasive neurostimulator for treatment-resistant depression .
MintNeuro Funding Overview By CREDX Media
| Startup Name | MintNeuro |
| Founders | Dr Dorian Haci (CEO), Professor Tim Constandinou |
| Founded | 2022 |
| HQ | London, UK |
| Round | Venture Funding |
| Amount Raised | $5M |
| Valuation | Not disclosed |
| Category | Semiconductors, Neurotechnology, Medical Devices |
| Lead Investor | Odyssey Ventures |
| Key Investors | 33East, JSK Investments, Alumni Ventures, Empirical Ventures, Jumpspace Ventures |
| Previous Round | £1M (2024) |
| Total Funding Raised | ~$6.3M |
| Key Product | Purpose-built chips for neural implants and BCIs |
| Key Partners | Motif Neurotech, Amber Therapeutics |
| Market Focus | Neurological and mental health conditions |
💡 Use of Funds
- Product Launch Acceleration: Bringing MintNeuro’s chip platform to market .
- Partner Adoption: Expanding delivery of pre-release silicon to customers and research partners .
- Team Growth: Expanding engineering and commercial teams.
- US Expansion: Strengthening presence in the United States alongside UK and European operations .
Startup Overview: MintNeuro
What MintNeuro Is Building in Simple Words
MintNeuro builds semiconductor chips purpose-built for devices that connect with the brain and nervous system. Neural implant developers today face a difficult choice: use generic components that were never designed for the body, or spend years and millions developing custom chips. MintNeuro’s modular platform offers a third option—specialised chips designed from the ground up for neural sensing, signal processing, and stimulation .
- Purpose-Built for the Body: Ultra-small, ultra-low-power chips meeting the extreme size, power, and safety requirements of implantable devices .
- Modular Architecture: Developers can combine sensing, processing, and stimulation functions to build integrated closed-loop systems that monitor and respond to neural activity .
- Proven Silicon: MintNeuro has already delivered working chips and reached key integration milestones with partners including Motif Neurotech and Amber Therapeutics .
- Commercial Validation: A multi-year supply agreement with Motif Neurotech provides a clear commercialization proof point extending beyond research collaboration .
Why MintNeuro Matters
- Neurological Conditions Affect Over One Billion People Stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease affect more than a billion people worldwide. Many are underserved by current treatments, and neural implants offer a promising alternative—but they require specialised chips to function safely and effectively .
- The Hardware Gap Is Holding Back Neurotech As neurotechnology moves from research into clinical deployment, the lack of purpose-built hardware has become the key obstacle to industry scale. Professor Tim Denison, Chair of MintNeuro, frames it directly: “Neurotechnology is entering a phase where specialised hardware will determine how far, and how fast, the field can go” .
- MintNeuro Ends the Trade-Off CEO Dorian Haci explains the core problem: “Today, most device and therapy developers still have to choose between generic components that were never designed for the body and years of custom chip development. We are building the chips that end that trade-off” .
- Commercial Traction Validates the Model The Motif Neurotech agreement—supporting a minimally invasive neurostimulator for treatment-resistant depression—provides a clear commercial proof point. Motif’s XCS implant has received FDA breakthrough device designation .
Startup Story: From Imperial Lab to Neural Implant Infrastructure
MintNeuro didn’t start as a company. It started as a research project.
The technology originated in the Next Generation Neural Interfaces Lab at Imperial College London, led by Professor Tim Constandinou in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Dr. Dorian Haci, then a postdoctoral researcher, worked alongside Constandinou to develop the foundational chip technology .
The founding insight was simple: neural implants were being held back not by neuroscience, but by electronics. Most devices relied on generic components that were bulky, power-hungry, and never designed for the body. The team saw an opportunity to build chips purpose-built for neural applications.
In 2022, Haci and Constandinou founded MintNeuro, building on a business case developed through the MedTech SuperConnector, an accelerator run by Imperial that supports promising innovations in medical technology. The company raised £1 million in 2024, supported by the Imperial College Enterprise Fund and the conversion of a loan note issued through the MedTech SuperConnector Seed Fund.
By 2026, MintNeuro had delivered working silicon and secured its first commercial supply agreement with Motif Neurotech. The $5 million round now supports the transition from technology validation to commercial scale-up—bringing chips to more developers and expanding into the US market.
Hiten Thakrar, Head of Imperial SuperConnector, captured the significance: “MintNeuro is a standout example of what the MedTech SuperConnector Seed Fund exists to do: back exceptional deep tech founders early and help them reach their next stage” .
Our Take on MintNeuro
MintNeuro is solving the least glamorous problem in neurotechnology—the chip—and that’s precisely why it matters.
Neural implants promise transformative treatments for conditions from epilepsy to depression. But the devices themselves have been held back by a fundamental hardware gap. Most developers build on generic components or spend years on custom silicon, both of which slow progress and increase risk. MintNeuro’s insight is that the industry needs a standard platform—the semiconductor equivalent of a Lego set for neural interfaces .
The $5 million round is justified on multiple fronts: proven silicon (not just prototypes), a commercial supply agreement with a clinical-stage partner, and a team with deep expertise in both neural interfaces and semiconductor design. Odyssey Ventures’ leadership signals conviction that MintNeuro can become the foundational infrastructure layer for neurotechnology .
The real risk isn’t technical feasibility—MintNeuro has demonstrated working chips and partner integration. The risk is market adoption velocity. Neural device development timelines are long, and customers need to validate chips in their own systems before committing to commercial supply. The Motif agreement provides a template, but MintNeuro must prove it can replicate that success across more partners.
For now, MintNeuro has capital, working silicon, and a clear thesis: make the chips that make neural implants possible.
Founder Background: The Researcher Who Built the Chips He Needed
Dr Dorian Haci (CEO) was a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial’s Next Generation Neural Interfaces Lab when he co-founded MintNeuro. His academic work focused directly on the semiconductor challenges that neural implants face—experience that shaped the company’s purpose-built approach .
Professor Tim Constandinou(Co-Founder) leads the Next Generation Neural Interfaces Lab and brings deep expertise in neural interface technology. His research group developed the foundational chip technology that MintNeuro commercializes .
Professor Tim Denison (Chair) is a specialist in emerging biomedical technologies at the University of Oxford. His involvement signals the company’s connection to the broader neurotechnology research ecosystem .
The founding team’s combination of academic depth and commercial ambition positions MintNeuro to navigate both the technical and regulatory challenges of medical-grade semiconductor design.
The Neurotech Semiconductor Race Nobody Expected
MintNeuro operates at the intersection of two rapidly evolving fields: neurotechnology and semiconductor design.
Neurotechnology companies including Motif Neurotech, Amber Therapeutics, and others are developing implantable devices for conditions from depression to chronic pain. These companies need specialised chips but often lack the resources to design them in-house .
Semiconductor companies have historically focused on consumer and industrial applications. Neural implants have unique requirements—ultra-low power, extreme miniaturisation, medical-grade reliability—that generic chip makers haven’t prioritised .
MintNeuro’s positioning as an enabling technology supplier differentiates it from device developers. Rather than betting on a single therapeutic application, MintNeuro provides infrastructure that multiple device companies can build on. This model is already being tested commercially through the Motif agreement .
Founder Intelligence: What Founders Can Learn from MintNeuro
- Build what the ecosystem needs, not what you can sell: MintNeuro didn’t start by designing a device. It built the chips that every device needs. Infrastructure plays can be more durable than product bets.
- Academic origins can be a strength: The company emerged from Imperial’s research labs with deep technical expertise. That foundation shaped a product that solves real engineering problems, not just market opportunities.
- Commercial agreements are the best validation: The Motif supply agreement—extending beyond research into commercial supply—proves that MintNeuro’s chips work in real device development programs.
- Find your chair early: Professor Tim Denison’s involvement as Chair brings credibility and connections across the neurotechnology ecosystem. Academic networks can open doors for deep tech startups.
Investor Intelligence: Why This Round Gets Premium Capital
Odyssey Ventures led the round. Michelle Robson, Founding Partner, framed the thesis: “Neural devices such as BCIs represent one of the most exciting frontier technology opportunities today, and significant value will accrue to those solving the foundational infrastructure challenges that stand between innovation and widespread adoption. MintNeuro has the technology, market pull and ambition to become a globally important semiconductor company” .
33East participated, with Partner Yiannis Eftychiou noting: “What stood out to us is the sheer breadth of the hardware opportunity. MintNeuro is solving critical needs for neural implants today, with technology that can extend into wearables and beyond” .
Empirical Ventures returned after investing before the chips were in hand. Johnathan Matlock, Co-Founder and General Partner, explained: “We invested before the chips were in hand, and we are reinvesting now that MintNeuro has working silicon, deep customer traction and a clear path to becoming a category-defining semiconductor business” .
The investor composition signals conviction: Odyssey brings deep tech expertise, 33East sees the hardware opportunity, and Empirical’s reinvestment validates the company’s technical progress.
The Road Ahead for MintNeuro
Expansion Targets
With $5 million in capital, MintNeuro will:
- Accelerate product launches and bring chips to market
- Expand delivery of pre-release silicon to partners
- Grow engineering and commercial teams
- Strengthen US presence alongside UK and European operations
Competitive Response
Expect:
- Other semiconductor companies to explore neural interface chips
- Neurotech device developers to evaluate build vs. buy decisions
- New startups targeting specific neural device functions
- MintNeuro’s moat: proven silicon + commercial supply agreement + deep expertise in neural interface design
Conclusion
MintNeuro’s $5 million funding validates the thesis that purpose-built semiconductors are the missing infrastructure layer for neurotechnology. The company’s working silicon, commercial supply agreement with Motif Neurotech, and team with deep expertise in both neural interfaces and chip design position it to become the standard platform the industry builds on.
Market tailwinds favor MintNeuro: over one billion people affected by neurological conditions, a growing wave of neural device development, and a hardware gap that has slowed industry progress. The company’s modular chip platform and commercial traction position it to capture this opportunity.
For deep analysis of semiconductor funding, neurotechnology innovation, and companies building foundational infrastructure for medical devices, explore CREDX Media for comprehensive coverage of startup funding trends, valuation intelligence, and founder playbooks.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is MintNeuro’s total funding and latest round size?
MintNeuro has raised approximately $6.3 million total. Its $5 million funding round was led by Odyssey Ventures in October 2026, following a £1 million raise in 2024 .
2. How much did MintNeuro raise in its latest round and who led the investment?
MintNeuro raised $5 million led by Odyssey Ventures, with participation from 33East, JSK Investments, Alumni Ventures, Empirical Ventures, and Jumpspace Ventures .
3. What is the valuation of MintNeuro?
MintNeuro did not disclose its post-money valuation. The company has raised approximately $6.3 million in total disclosed funding .
4. Who are the major investors in MintNeuro?
Major investors include Odyssey Ventures (lead), 33East, JSK Investments, Alumni Ventures, Empirical Ventures, and Jumpspace Ventures .
5. Who are MintNeuro’s founders?
MintNeuro was founded in 2022 by Dr. Dorian Haci (CEO) and Professor Tim Constandinou, originating from Imperial College London’s Next Generation Neural Interfaces Lab .
6. What is MintNeuro’s business model?
MintNeuro operates as a semiconductor supplier, selling purpose-built chips to neural device developers. The company has a multi-year commercial supply agreement with Motif Neurotech .
7. What are MintNeuro’s chips used for?
MintNeuro’s chips enable neural sensing, signal processing, and stimulation in devices including brain-computer interfaces, neuromodulation systems, and sensory prostheses. Applications span Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, depression, hearing loss, and more .
8. What partnership does MintNeuro have with Motif Neurotech?
MintNeuro has a multi-year commercial chip supply agreement with Motif Neurotech, supporting development of a minimally invasive neurostimulator initially targeting treatment-resistant depression .
9. What are MintNeuro’s plans for the $5 million funding?
MintNeuro will accelerate product launches, expand pre-release silicon delivery to partners, grow engineering and commercial teams, and strengthen US presence .
10. What problem does MintNeuro solve for neural device developers?
MintNeuro eliminates the trade-off between using generic components not designed for the body and spending years developing custom chips. Its purpose-built platform gives developers smaller, lower-power chips with faster time-to-market .
11. Who is the CEO of MintNeuro?
Dr. Dorian Haci serves as CEO and co-founder of MintNeuro. He was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College London’s Next Generation Neural Interfaces Lab .
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