Max Hodak, Neuralink's co-founder, announced his mysterious departure earlier this year. It was not clear if he had a disagreement with Elon Musk or was fired because he was slow in moving forward with clinical trials.
Futurism learned that Hodak is currently working on Science Corp, a new venture in brain interfaces. According to a July SEC filing, Hodak has raised over $47 million from 14 investors. This is not nearly as much as Neuralinks $363million to date. However, it's a strong start that could indicate growing competition in the emerging neurotech market.
Hodak also appears to be taking some Neuralink talent with him. Alan Mardinly (Neuralinks long-time director of biology) recently updated his LinkedIn account to state that he had been working at a stealth start-up since July 2021. He also left his position at Neuralink August 2021. In addition to posting a link to Science Corps' hiring page, he exhorted to join the venture early.
Corey Wolin, a Neuralink hardware engineer, appears to have also moved to Science Corp. He posted a link to the same page for hiring and ended his relationship with Neuralink via LinkedIn.
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Wolin wrote, We are hiring. Opportunity to join a startup that works at the intersection between biology and electronics.
We would love to hear about any information you have on Science Corp's current projects. You can email the author of this story at simon_reporting@protonmail.com.
Although none of the former Neuralink employees will comment on the record however, their research background and the company's hiring page provide many clues that Science Corp may be focusing on neuroscience tech that leverages genetic editing and optogenetics as the foundation for its work.
Mardinly's past research included the use of biological light-sensing sensors to detect and encode brain activity. The company's website lists specialists interested in CRISPR gene editing technology, mass-production stem cells, optics design and surgical tool development. This menu suggests that Mardinly is looking for people with similar interests to Neuralink, but with deeper bioengineering knowledge.
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Hodak and other Neuralink employees may not have left Musk, unless he is quietly funding Science Corp. But theyve made some strange friends at Science Corp.
Jed McCaleb is the most prominent, who was the founder of Mt. Gox, which was founded by Jed McCaleb, became the victim of a hack that saw 850,000 bitcoin stolen by attackers. This haul would have been worth more than $40 Billion at current prices.
McCaleb is listed as the director of Science Corp. He later became involved in ongoing SEC litigation against Ripple Labs. McCaleb was also CTO of another Blockchain project. He currently serves as the CTO for Stellar, a cryptocurrency startup.
McCaleb, who is now in the brain interface industry, has declined to comment. McCaleb may also be involved in another project, the Astera institute, a non-profit that claims its focus on innovative engineering developments.
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According to the Astera Institutes website, our focus is on R&D that has a multiplier-effect potential for civilization. Our mission is to bring new engineering to the forefront of the innovation valley of death.
Moonshots and Manhattan projects are not the province of governments. The site continues to ominously reference the United States program which developed the first atomic weapon. We believe that the state and the market should not be the only ones responsible for bold engineering. There is a critical niche within the system where engineers can use their resources strategically to maximize effect without being influenced by profit or reputation.
McCaleb spoke in June about the Astera Institute's plans to validate machine learning models of brain activity. It seems probable that Astera may be involved in or bankrolling Science Corp's Hodaks work.
Hodak was responsible for managing the operations of Neuralink. He also received approval for clinical trials with paralyzed people. STAT News received complaints from former Neuralink employees in 2020 about unrealistic expectations and the push for clinical trials that never materialized one year later.
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According to a source familiar with the situation, Hodak wasn't working on Science Corp while he was at Neuralink.
According to the SEC filing, the new venture appears to have already secured a substantial research facility. The address is located in Alameda CA and includes more than 21,000 square foot.
Hodak has moved from Neuralink and Science Corp to become a colorful personality.
It is unclear if this dynamic will lead to the public rivalry Musk is famous for. However, it will be interesting to see if it can reach clinical trials prior to Neuralink which has been defeated by Synchron, a 20-person startup.
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Neuralink: Elon Musk Quietly Fires the President of Neuralink
