September 2025 issue
September 30, 2025 | Subsense, Inc., the Palo Alto, CA manufacturer of brain neuromodulation systems, is not the only startup to target the market for brain-computer interfaces. But the company’s novel nanoparticle-based noninvasive technology stands to set the firm apart from the myriad others entering this space.
The company emerged from stealth mode in February of this year, and earlier this month, hosted an open house at its California headquarters. Co-founded by neurotech entrepreneur Tetiana Aleksandrova and serial entrepreneur Artem Sokolov, Subsense has raised $17 million in seed funding led by Sokolov’s Golden Falcon Capital to accelerate the development of bidirectional nanoparticle-based technologies that connect the human brain with external sources. Subsense is working with a consortium of leading international neurological research institutions which include UC Santa Cruz and ETH Zurich, Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Technology.
At the open house event, Aleksandrova invited a panel of neurotechnology researchers and industry veterans to weigh in on the future of BCI. “The future is not something we enter,” she said. “It’s something we create.” Panelists included Daniel Palanker from Stanford University, a pioneer in visual neuroprosthetics, Sergey Stavisky, co-director of the UC Davis Neuroprosthetics Lab, Naomi Halas from Rice University, a pioneer in plasmonics and the inventor of gold nanoshells, Vikash Gilja from Paradromics, and re.Mind Capital co-founder Max de Vere.
Sokolov added his thoughts on Subsense’s potential: “This technology will connect the body, brain, consciousness, and AI,” he predicted. Sokolov has been an investor in companies that include: SpaceX, Asana, SoFi, Coursera, Lemonade, Digital Ocean among many others.
Scott Meek, who heads research and development at Subsense, gave attendees an overview of the company’s technology, highlighting the advantages that nanoparticles offer for BCI. These are the ability to come in contact with neural tissue without the need for surgery, and bi-directional wireless signal transmission. Magnetoelectric nanoparticles can enter the brain intravenously or intranasally and by moved to a desired location. The particles, which are less than 100 nm in size, feature a magnetostrictive core and piezoelectric shell, which creates a local electric field when activated by a magnetic field. Once in place, the particles are activated with an external magnetic field to provide targeted stimulation. Additionally, electrochromic plasmonic nanoparticles scatter light differentially in the presence of a local electric field. This scattering can be tuned and sensed with a wearable fNIRS helmet, which performs in vivo optical imaging of neural activity.
“Brain-computer interfacing promises to unlock limitless human potential, but innovation has been held back by a lack of effective non-surgical approaches,” said Aleksandrova. “By delivering nanoparticles that bind with receptors in the brain, Subsense can achieve more extensive connectivity with a far gentler approach.”
Through targeted neural stimulation and precise monitoring via nanoparticles, Subsense is developing therapeutics for patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, depression, strokes, chronic pain and more.
“The integration of nanoparticles into BCIs marks a significant advancement in neuroscience. The system-on-a-nanoparticle approach could greatly enhance the precision of neural communication, offering new possibilities for treating neurodegenerative diseases and expanding human cognitive capabilities,” said Ali Yanik, a Subsense research partner from the department of electrical and computer engineering, UC Santa Cruz.
The company is also targeting more expansive applications for later stages such as vision restoration, speech decoding, appetite control, and mental health regulation.
