Can you invest in Neuralink? Elon Musk’s neurotechnologic company

If you follow Elon Musk’s work, you’ve likely heard of Neuralink, his neurotechnology company on a mission to integrate human intelligence with computers, treat neurological disorders, and ultimately bridge the gap between human cognition and artificial intelligence.

Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk in 2016, focuses on developing implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs): tiny chips placed in the brain that allow direct communication between neural signals and external devices. The technology consists of ultra-thin flexible electrode “threads” (thinner than a human hair), a coin-sized implantable computer chip that processes neural signals, and a specialised surgical robot that precisely places those threads into brain tissue. Its primary near-term applications are medical, restoring mobility and communication for people with spinal cord injuries, paralysis or other severe neurological conditions, though Musk’s long-term vision extends to cognitive enhancement and brain-AI integration.

Neuralink’s last disclosed funding round was a $650 million Series E in June 2025 at a $9 billion pre-money valuation. Since the SpaceX IPO in 2026, trades in Neuralink shares on private secondary markets have reportedly implied valuations of around $29 billion to $42 billion, though these are not official figures. By January 2026, 21 people had received the N1 implant in trials in the US, Canada, the UK and the UAE, and Musk has said the company aims to start high-volume production of its brain chips in 2026.

Want to know if you can invest in Neuralink stock? Wondering about alternative investments with similar exposure? We’ve got you covered.

Can you invest in Neuralink stock?

Unfortunately, retail investors cannot directly invest in Neuralink shares. Neuralink, founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and a team of leading neuroscientists, is a privately held company, meaning its shares are not listed on any public stock exchange and are not available through regular brokerage accounts.

Most of Neuralink’s funding has come from venture capital and private investors. Its institutional backers include ARK Invest, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund (Peter Thiel), Lightspeed Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, DFJ Growth, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, G42, Human Capital and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), with the Oman Investment Authority joining in May 2026. Elon Musk himself is also a significant contributor. To date, Neuralink has raised about $1.3 billion in disclosed funding, most recently a $650 million Series E in June 2025 at a $9 billion pre-money valuation.

Neuralink has not announced any IPO plans as of October 2026, and given the substantial capital runway from its recent Series E, the company has no immediate need to access public markets. However, the pioneering nature of brain-computer interface technology has attracted significant investor attention, and many are watching closely for any signs that the company might eventually go public.

That said, there are still ways for accredited investors to gain exposure to Neuralink through pre-IPO marketplaces and secondary share platforms, covered later in this article.

What is Neuralink?

Neuralink, founded by Elon Musk in 2016, is a pioneering neurotechnology company developing brain-computer interfaces (BCIs): implantable chips placed directly in the brain to monitor and potentially stimulate neural activity. The technology aims to enable direct, two-way communication between the human brain and external devices.

Neuralink first attracted broad public attention in 2017, with its major public debut coming in 2019 when Musk and his team showcased the technology in a live-streamed event. The company’s technology consists of three core components:

• The N1 chip: a coin-sized implantable computer chip connected to 1,024 electrodes spread across thin “threads” (each thinner than a human hair) that monitor and stimulate neural activity.
• The R1 surgical robot: a specialised robot designed to precisely insert these flexible threads into the brain tissue, automating what would otherwise be a highly delicate neurosurgical procedure.
• The Link software: the underlying software platform that processes neural signals from the implant and translates them into device commands (cursor control, typing, app navigation, etc.).

Neuralink’s technology holds significant promise for treating a range of neurological conditions, including spinal cord injuries, paralysis, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, blindness, and depression. The longer-term vision extends to enabling people to control digital devices with their thoughts, restoring lost motor or sensory functions, and, more speculatively, integrating human cognition with artificial intelligence.

The company has faced significant scrutiny along the way. In December 2022, Reuters reported allegations of rushed animal testing, with an estimated 1,500 animals killed since 2018, and a federal probe by the US Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General. A 2023 USDA inspection review found no violations beyond one self-reported incident, a conclusion animal welfare groups dispute, and the Inspector General’s probe never produced a public finding. These concerns remain part of the public discussion around the company’s methods.

Despite these challenges, Neuralink received FDA clearance to begin human clinical trials in May 2023. Since then, Neuralink has implanted its N1 device in a growing number of patients, the first being Noland Arbaugh in January 2024, who has since demonstrated cursor control, video game play and computer navigation purely through thought. By January 2026, 21 participants had been implanted worldwide (17 of them during 2025), in trials in the US, Canada, the UK and the UAE for people with paralysis from spinal cord injury or ALS.

Two further projects have FDA Breakthrough Device designation: Blindsight, which aims to restore vision (designated in September 2024, with no human implant confirmed as of October 2026), and a speech restoration programme (designated in May 2025), whose trial participants have begun producing speech through the implant. Musk has said Neuralink will begin high-volume production and an almost fully automated surgical procedure in 2026, and investor materials reported by Bloomberg projected 20,000 implants a year and $1 billion in revenue by 2031.

Who owns Neuralink?

Launched in 2016 by Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX), Neuralink began with his initial investment of approximately $100 million. Over the following years, the company has raised substantial private capital across multiple funding rounds:

• Series C ($205M, July 2021): led by Vy Capital, with participation from Google Ventures, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Founders Fund, DFJ Growth and others.
• Series D ($280M announced, August 2023): led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, with $323 million sold in total according to its SEC filing. Private trades at the time valued the company at about $5 billion.
• Series E ($650M, June 2025): at a $9 billion pre-money valuation, backed by ARK Invest, Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Thrive Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital, G42, Human Capital, DFJ Growth and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).
• Oman Investment Authority (May 2026): an undisclosed investment, with no new valuation published.

In total, Neuralink has raised about $1.3 billion in disclosed funding. Its last official valuation is the Series E price, although secondary market trades in 2026 reportedly implied a much higher figure.

The company’s co-founders alongside Musk included a team of leading neuroscientists and engineers: Flip Sabes, Ben Rapoport, DJ Seo, Paul Merolla, Vanessa Tolosa, Max Hodak, Tim Hanson, and Tim Gardner. Some of these original co-founders have since left the company, notably Max Hodak, who left in 2021 and founded Science Corporation, now a Neuralink competitor. Others, such as DJ Seo, remain at the company.

Other notable investors across rounds include Google Ventures (GV), ARCH Venture Partners, Founders Fund, Vy Capital, Valor Equity Partners, DFJ Growth, and ARK Invest. Despite the growing institutional investor roster, Elon Musk remains the largest individual shareholder of Neuralink through his continued capital contributions and founder equity.

Will Neuralink go public?

The question on everyone’s mind: “Will Neuralink go public?” As of October 2026, Neuralink remains a privately held company with no IPO announcement, and an IPO is unlikely in the immediate term. The SpaceX IPO in 2026 has fuelled speculation about Musk’s other private companies, but there is no credible report of IPO plans for Neuralink.

Neuralink’s valuation trajectory has been steep. The company was valued at around $2 billion in 2021 and about $5 billion in 2023, before its Series E in June 2025 at $9 billion pre-money. Secondary market trades in 2026 have reportedly implied values several times higher.

Any future Neuralink IPO would need to navigate several significant hurdles:

• FDA approval pathway: Neuralink needs to demonstrate sustained safety and efficacy across a growing patient population to move from clinical trials to a commercially approved medical device. This is typically the single biggest gating factor for a medical device IPO.
• Revenue track record: public investors typically want to see a meaningful revenue runway before an IPO. Neuralink remains pre-revenue at the time of writing, with implants administered as part of clinical trials, although investor materials project $1 billion in revenue by 2031.
• Ethical and regulatory scrutiny: the company continues to face scrutiny around its animal testing practices and the broader ethical implications of brain-computer interfaces. Any public listing would amplify these conversations.
• Competitive landscape: rival BCI companies including Synchron, Science Corporation, Precision Neuroscience and Paradromics are developing competing or alternative approaches, and some are already further along with regulators, which could influence Neuralink’s competitive positioning at IPO.

For now, the most realistic timeline for a Neuralink IPO is the late 2020s at the earliest, and only after the company has scaled its commercial implant volume, achieved broader FDA approval, and demonstrated a credible path to recurring revenue.

Neuralink IPO

Let’s start with the basics: what is an IPO? An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the process through which a private company first sells shares of its stock to the public, becoming listed on a stock exchange such as the NYSE or Nasdaq. It’s how companies transition from being owned by founders, employees, and private investors to having publicly tradeable shares accessible to retail investors. For prospective Neuralink investors, an IPO would represent the first realistic opportunity to buy shares through a standard brokerage account.

However, Neuralink has not announced any specific IPO date, timeline, or filing. The company has remained focused on its clinical trials, FDA approval pathway, and scaling its production and surgical infrastructure, all priorities that take precedence over a public listing in the near term. With substantial capital runway from its June 2025 Series E, Neuralink has no immediate financial pressure to file for an IPO.

Investors and enthusiasts watching for any IPO signals should focus on a few key indicators that historically precede public listings:

• Confidential S-1 filing with the SEC (typically three to six months before going public).
• Investment bank selection for IPO underwriting (a public announcement would likely follow).
• FDA commercial approval milestones for the N1 device.
• Significant secondary market trading activity on platforms like Forge Global or Clarity (formerly Hiive), which often signals growing investor interest ahead of a public listing.

Until any of these signals emerge, accredited investors looking to gain exposure to Neuralink today need to use the private secondary market route covered later in this article.

Neuralink stock price

As of October 2026, Neuralink remains a privately held company, which means there is no publicly disclosed share price available to retail investors through standard brokerage platforms. Unlike publicly listed companies whose stock prices update in real time during market hours, Neuralink’s share value is primarily determined through:

• Primary funding rounds: when Neuralink raises new capital, the negotiated valuation sets a benchmark share price (most recently, the $9 billion pre-money valuation in the June 2025 Series E).
• Secondary market transactions: existing shareholders (employees, early investors) sometimes sell shares on private marketplaces like Forge Global, EquityZen or Clarity (formerly Hiive). These transactions provide intermittent data points on what Neuralink shares trade for, though prices can fluctuate significantly above or below the most recent primary funding round valuation.
• 409A valuations: internal valuations conducted for employee equity purposes, typically conservative and not publicly disclosed.

Based on the most recent funding round, Neuralink’s last official valuation is $9 billion pre-money (June 2025). Since the SpaceX IPO, secondary market data reported by Business Insider has implied valuations of roughly $29 billion to $42 billion, reflecting strong demand for any available exposure to the company. However, these secondary prices are illiquid, infrequent and not directly comparable to public market pricing.

Important: secondary market access to Neuralink shares is generally restricted to accredited investors, which in the US means $200,000+ annual income ($300,000 with a spouse) or $1 million+ net worth excluding your main home. Similar thresholds apply in other jurisdictions. Standard brokerage accounts cannot access Neuralink shares.

Neuralink stock alternatives

If you want exposure to neurotechnology, brain-computer interfaces, and the broader AI revolution but can’t directly buy Neuralink stock today, several alternative routes can give you partial or thematic exposure to these themes. Below are the main categories worth considering:

Thematic ETFs

ETFs offer diversified exposure to the broader neurotechnology, biotechnology, and AI themes without needing to pick individual stocks. Options worth considering:

• iShares Neuroscience and Healthcare ETF (IBRN): tracks an index of US and non-US companies that may benefit from innovation in neuroscience and brain-related healthcare. Note that it is very small (about $6.5 million in assets in October 2026), which raises the risk of closure.
• Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ): tracks the Indxx Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index, providing exposure to companies developing robotics and AI, including some surgical robotics manufacturers relevant to the BCI space.
• iShares Genomics Immunology and Healthcare ETF (IDNA): broader healthcare innovation exposure, including some companies working on neurological and brain-related conditions.
• ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK): Cathie Wood’s flagship innovation fund. ARK Invest took part in Neuralink’s Series E, but ARKK itself doesn’t hold Neuralink. The shares sit in the ARK Venture Fund (ARKVX), an interval fund available to US investors, where Neuralink was about 1.3% of assets in September 2026.

Private BCI competitors to watch

Direct competitors in the brain-computer interface space are all still privately held, so they are worth watching rather than buying:

• Synchron: Neuralink’s most direct BCI competitor, with a device implanted via blood vessels rather than open brain surgery. It has completed an early feasibility study and raised $200 million in November 2025 to fund a pivotal trial, but its device is not yet FDA-approved. Backers include Bill Gates, Bezos Expeditions and ARCH Venture Partners.
• Science Corporation: founded by former Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak in 2021. Its PRIMA retinal implant for vision loss received a CE mark in July 2026 and is launching in Europe.
• Precision Neuroscience: developing a thin, flexible neural interface that sits on the surface of the brain. Its Layer 7 interface received FDA 510(k) clearance in April 2025 for temporary implantation of up to 30 days.
• Paradromics: developing high-data-rate BCI technology. It received FDA approval for a clinical study in November 2025, implanted its first patient in June 2026 and reported real-time speech results in September 2026.

Publicly traded biotechnology and pharma adjacencies

Established public companies with significant exposure to neurological conditions and neuroscience innovation, tradeable through any standard brokerage account:

1. Amgen (AMGN): one of the largest biotech companies globally, with a strong pipeline focused on neurodegenerative diseases and neurological conditions. Listed on NASDAQ.
2. AstraZeneca (AZN): global pharmaceutical leader with a significant neuroscience portfolio, including medications for mental health and neurological conditions. Listed on LSE and NASDAQ.
3. Biogen (BIIB): specialist in neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, ALS and multiple sclerosis, directly aligned with the conditions Neuralink targets. Listed on NASDAQ.
4. Medtronic (MDT): major medical device company with established deep brain stimulation products for Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions. Listed on NYSE.
5. Boston Scientific (BSX): medical device manufacturer with neuromodulation products and growing investment in neural interface technologies. Listed on NYSE.

Secondary market access (accredited investors only)

If you’re an accredited investor (typically $200K+ annual income or $1M+ net worth in the US, with similar thresholds elsewhere), private secondary market platforms can occasionally provide actual Neuralink share access:

• Forge Global: one of the largest pre-IPO secondary marketplaces, acquired by Charles Schwab in March 2026, sometimes lists Neuralink shares from employees and early investors.
• EquityZen: another established pre-IPO platform, now owned by Morgan Stanley, with periodic Neuralink share availability.
• Clarity (formerly Hiive): a newer secondary marketplace focused on pre-IPO transactions, renamed in September 2026.

These platforms typically require accredited investor status verification, minimum investment thresholds (often $10,000 to $50,000+ per transaction), and offer limited liquidity, so you may not be able to sell easily until Neuralink goes public.

How to invest in these alternatives

Considering the alternatives mentioned above (thematic ETFs and publicly traded biotech/pharma companies), our team has identified three brokers that work well for retail investors looking to gain exposure to Neuralink-adjacent themes. These options are particularly useful given that Neuralink itself remains private and inaccessible through standard brokerage accounts.

Interactive Brokers: founded in 1978 and listed on Nasdaq (IBKR), Interactive Brokers is one of the world’s most trusted brokers. It offers an enormous range of financial products (stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, futures), access to more than 170 markets and some of the lowest currency conversion fees in the industry. It has also launched IBKR GlobalTrader, a streamlined mobile trading app for newer investors who want to buy US stocks and ETFs such as AMGN, BIIB, MDT or BOTZ.

eToro: the leading social trading platform with 40+ million registered users, listed on Nasdaq (ticker: ETOR) since May 2025. eToro lets you copy other traders’ portfolios, invest in pre-built Smart Portfolios, or trade independently. Real ETFs are commission-free, stocks carry a $1 or $2 commission depending on your country, and real cryptocurrency trading is available (other fees apply).

Trading 212: a London-based fintech with more than 5 million clients and over €30 billion in client assets (May 2025), offering US stocks and ETFs with no commission (other fees may apply, see terms and fees), fractional shares from €1, and Pies & AutoInvest, which let you group several stocks or ETFs into a single portfolio and invest in it on a schedule. A 0.15% FX fee applies when converting funds. Other fees may apply.

The bottom line

Looking to invest in Elon Musk’s pioneering Neuralink venture? You can’t buy Neuralink stock directly through a standard brokerage account, since the company remains privately held. With about $1.3 billion in disclosed funding, a $9 billion pre-money valuation at its June 2025 Series E and much higher implied values on secondary markets in 2026, Neuralink continues to focus on its clinical trials, scaling implant production and developing its brain-computer interface technology. There’s no announced IPO timeline as of October 2026, though a future public listing remains plausible later in the decade.

If you want exposure to the broader brain-computer interface, neurotechnology, and AI revolution today, you have several realistic options:

• Thematic ETFs: IBRN (neuroscience), BOTZ (robotics and AI), IDNA (genomics and healthcare) or ARKK (Cathie Wood’s innovation fund, whose manager invested in Neuralink’s Series E through a separate fund).
• Publicly traded biotech and medical device companies: Amgen (AMGN), AstraZeneca (AZN), Biogen (BIIB), Medtronic (MDT), and Boston Scientific (BSX) all have meaningful exposure to neurological conditions, neurotechnology, or neural interface adjacencies.
• Secondary market access (accredited investors only): platforms like Forge Global, EquityZen and Clarity occasionally list actual Neuralink shares for accredited investors (typically requiring $200,000+ income or $1 million+ net worth).

To execute any of these strategies, well-regulated brokers like Interactive Brokers, eToro, and Trading 212 offer access to the relevant ETFs and publicly listed stocks. While none of these alternatives is a perfect substitute for direct Neuralink ownership, together they provide a meaningful way to participate in the broader BCI and neurotechnology theme as it develops.