Max Hodak, co-founder of Neuralink, has moved beyond his initial brain-computer interface work to create an even more unusual and groundbreaking innovation through his new company, Science Corp. This venture focuses on advanced neural engineering with ambitious projects like the Science Eye, a prosthetic vision device that aims to restore sight to the blind using a combination of gene therapy and cutting-edge implants[1][3].
From Neuralink to Science Corp: A New Chapter in Neural Engineering
Max Hodak’s journey began with Neuralink, the high-profile startup he co-founded with Elon Musk to develop brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Hodak served as Neuralink’s president until 2021, after which he left to start Science Corp. Unlike Neuralink, which focuses on direct neural implants to connect brains with computers, Science Corp pursues biologically driven technology aimed at treating neurological conditions with innovative engineering approaches[1][3].
Science Corp’s flagship innovation, the Science Eye, represents a major leap beyond traditional visual prosthetics. It combines gene editing techniques to make optic nerve cells light-sensitive with a thin-film microLED implant overlaying the retina. This dual approach is designed to restore vision in patients who have lost photoreceptor cells, such as rods and cones, thereby addressing blindness at a cellular level rather than just mechanical or electrical stimulation[3].
The Science Eye: Restoring Vision Through Gene Therapy and Implants
The Science Eye project is currently in animal trials but has already attracted significant investment, raising $160 million and positioning Science Corp just behind Neuralink in funding scale[3]. The device works by delivering a gene that encodes a protein making optic nerve cells responsive only to the implant’s microLED light pulses, not ordinary daylight. This specificity ensures precise control over visual signals sent to the brain, potentially enabling patients to regain functional vision in a way no other prosthetic has achieved[3].
This innovative blend of gene therapy and microtechnology distinguishes Science Corp’s approach from Neuralink’s invasive neural electrodes. It reflects Hodak’s vision for neurotechnology that leverages biology alongside engineering, aiming not only to treat blindness but eventually to restore cognition and mobility for other debilitating neurological conditions[1].
Max Hodak’s Vision for “Human 3.0” and Beyond
Beyond the Science Eye, Hodak envisions a future he calls “Human 3.0,” a new era where biology and technology merge deeply to enhance human capabilities. He has expressed ambitions that extend to reviving extinct species through advanced genetics and ensuring biodiversity, ideas once considered science fiction but increasingly feasible with modern bioengineering tools[2].
At a relatively young age, Hodak has already founded multiple companies, including Transcriptic, a robotic cloud laboratory for life sciences, and MyFit, an education analytics startup. His background in biomedical engineering from Duke University and his drive to understand and engineer consciousness underpin his pioneering work in brain-machine interfaces and biological innovation[4][6].
What This Means for the Future of Neural Technology
Max Hodak’s transition from Neuralink to Science Corp marks a significant shift in the neural engineering landscape. While Neuralink focuses on high-bandwidth brain-machine interfaces for medical and eventual cognitive enhancement, Science Corp’s biologically integrated approach may offer safer, more naturalistic therapies for sensory and motor impairments. This could open new avenues for treating blindness and other neurological disorders, potentially transforming millions of lives[1][3].
With substantial funding and a promising pipeline, Science Corp is poised to accelerate breakthroughs in neural prosthetics, gene therapy, and the broader field of bioelectronic medicine. Hodak’s work exemplifies the next frontier of human augmentation, where biology and technology converge in unprecedented ways.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Max Hodak and what is his background?
Max Hodak is a biomedical engineer and entrepreneur, co-founder and former president of Neuralink. He graduated from Duke University and has founded multiple companies, including Transcriptic and Science Corp, focusing on neural engineering and bioengineering innovations.
What is Science Corp and how does it differ from Neuralink?
Science Corp is Max Hodak’s new neural engineering company that develops biologically driven technologies like the Science Eye. Unlike Neuralink’s direct brain implants, Science Corp combines gene therapy with implants to restore vision and other neurological functions.
What is the Science Eye and how does it work?
The Science Eye is a prosthetic vision device combining gene editing to make optic nerve cells light-sensitive with a microLED implant that stimulates these cells. This technology aims to restore vision for people who have lost photoreceptors due to blindness.
What are Max Hodak’s future ambitions beyond the Science Eye?
Hodak envisions a future “Human 3.0” where biology and technology merge to enhance human capabilities, including restoring cognition, mobility, and even reviving extinct species through genetic engineering.
How much funding has Science Corp raised to date?
Science Corp has raised approximately $160 million in funding, making it one of the most well-funded companies in the brain-computer interface and neural engineering sector, second only to Neuralink.
What impact could Science Corp’s innovations have on medical treatments?
Science Corp’s biologically integrated neural devices could revolutionize treatments for blindness and neurological disorders by offering safer, more effective therapies that restore natural sensory and motor functions.
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 1:10:24 PM
Max Hodak's Science Corp. is pioneering biohybrid brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that use living neurons to connect with the brain, aiming to restore vision, cognition, and mobility in patients with debilitating conditions. Experts highlight the company's PRIMA retinal implant, which has demonstrated over 80% success in restoring functional vision to patients with advanced age-related macular degeneration, marking a first in BCI vision restoration technology[6][8]. Industry analysis points to Hodak’s concrete strategy, including regulatory engagement and projected profitability at 50 patients per month with an estimated $200,000 cost per procedure, suggesting Science Corp could reshape neurotechnology markets by 2035[1][2].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 1:20:23 PM
Max Hodak, after Neuralink, is advancing brain-computer interfaces with his company Science Corporation, which has developed the Prima system—a retina-implanted chip smaller than a grain of rice coupled with camera-equipped glasses and a two-pound battery that restores form vision to patients with advanced macular degeneration, achieving over 80% significant visual acuity improvement in clinical trials[1][2][8]. Hodak envisions biohybrid neural interfaces, which use living neurons instead of wires to minimize brain damage, becoming widely available by 2035, potentially enabling unprecedented capabilities such as consciousness merging and preservation, fundamentally altering human-machine integration[1][2][5].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 1:30:24 PM
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🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 1:40:23 PM
Max Hodak's new venture, Science Corp., has sparked both excitement and skepticism among consumers and the public, particularly regarding its Prima retinal implant that restores functional vision to patients with advanced macular degeneration. More than 80% of trial participants reported significant vision improvements, impressing advocates for cutting-edge medical tech, while some express concerns about the broader implications of merging human consciousness with machines, a vision Hodak openly discusses for the coming decades[1][2][7]. Time magazine recently highlighted the innovation, reflecting strong mainstream interest, yet public reaction remains mixed as ethical debates about "consciousness spanning multiple substrates" gain traction[1].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 1:50:23 PM
Max Hodak, co-founder and former president of Neuralink, has launched a new brain-computer interface startup called Science Corp, securing over $47 million in funding from 14 investors, signaling strong backing and potential competition in neurotechnology[3]. This new venture, reportedly focused on gene-editing and optogenetics to interact with neurons, has already acquired a research facility spanning more than 21,000 square feet in Alameda, California[3]. Hodak’s departure from Neuralink in 2024 followed increasing tensions and delays in clinical trials, marking a clear shift toward an even more unconventional approach in brain interface innovation[1][3].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:00:24 PM
Max Hodak, co-founder of Neuralink, has moved on to a new startup called Science Corp, which has already raised over $47 million from 14 investors and secured a 21,000-square-foot research facility in Alameda, California, signaling a strong push into neuroscience technologies leveraging gene-editing and optogenetics[3]. Hodak left Neuralink amid leadership tensions and delays in clinical trial approvals, but remains a vocal supporter of the company while focusing on his more unconventional venture[1][2]. Science Corp appears positioned to become a major competitor in the brain-computer interface space, diversifying the neurotech landscape beyond Elon Musk’s Neuralink[3].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:10:23 PM
Max Hodak's new venture, Science Corporation, has sparked positive market reactions as investors respond to its breakthrough PRIMA brain-computer interface implant restoring functional vision in over 80% of patients with late-stage macular degeneration. While Science Corporation remains privately held, optimism around its FDA breakthrough device status and upcoming approval processes has driven venture investment interest sharply upward, with some biotech funds reportedly increasing their exposure to BCI innovation firms following these clinical successes[1][3]. No public stock price data is available as of now.
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:20:29 PM
Max Hodak's departure from Neuralink last year and the launch of his new startup, Science Corp, funded with over $47 million from 14 investors, is shifting the competitive landscape of brain-computer interface technology[2]. While Neuralink has raised $363 million to date and recently begun human trials, Hodak’s Science Corp is focusing on novel approaches involving gene-editing and optogenetics, potentially positioning itself as a formidable competitor in the neurotech market[2]. This intensifies competition as Neuralink pushes forward with products like Blindsight, aimed at restoring vision, while Hodak leverages a large 21,000+ sq ft Alameda facility to advance distinct neuroscience innovations[2][3].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:30:28 PM
Max Hodak's new innovation, Science Corp.'s PRIMA retina implant, is making a significant global impact by restoring functional vision in patients with advanced macular degeneration, with over 80% of trial participants showing substantial improvement in visual acuity. The technology, which has received U.S. FDA Breakthrough status and is progressing through European approval, is positioned to transform neurotechnology internationally by 2035, when biohybrid neural interfaces could offer unprecedented medical and cognitive enhancements. Hodak envisions a future where patients with terminal illnesses might opt for consciousness preservation through brain-computer interfaces, signaling an emerging global ethical and technological debate[1][2][7].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:40:28 PM
Max Hodak’s new innovation, a rice-grain-sized retinal implant called Prima, restores functional vision for patients with advanced macular degeneration, achieving over 80% significant visual acuity improvements in clinical trials[2][7]. The technology, which has FDA Breakthrough status and is progressing toward U.S. and European approval, has sparked international interest for its potential to transform treatment for blindness and brain-computer interface (BCI) applications globally[2][7]. Hodak envisions biohybrid neural interfaces becoming widely available by 2035, potentially enabling consciousness to merge with machines, a prospect that has already drawn both fascination and concern from international researchers and ethicists[1].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 2:50:30 PM
Max Hodak’s post-Neuralink venture, Science Corp., has launched a biohybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) that restores functional vision to patients with advanced macular degeneration, achieving over 80% significant visual acuity improvement in trials and earning FDA Breakthrough status in 2023[3][8]. Globally, this innovation has sparked international regulatory interest as Science Corp. pursues approvals in both the U.S. and Europe, signaling a shift in neurotechnology with widespread implications for treating neurological conditions and potentially redefining human-machine integration[1][3]. Hodak forecasts that by 2035, biohybrid neural interfaces could enable radical new forms of consciousness sharing, with profound cultural and ethical impacts worldwid
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 3:00:30 PM
Max Hodak, after departing Neuralink, is spearheading Science Corporation’s breakthrough device called Prima—a rice-grain-sized retinal implant that, combined with camera-equipped glasses and a two-pound battery, restores **form vision** for patients with advanced macular degeneration, with over 80% of trial participants showing significant visual acuity improvement[1][2][7]. Hodak emphasizes a biohybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) approach using living neurons to interface with the brain, minimizing damage compared to traditional wired devices, and projects that by 2035, biohybrid neural implants could offer options like consciousness preservation for terminal patients, potentially transforming human-machine integration and consciousness itself[1][2][4].
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 3:10:38 PM
**Max Hodak's Next Chapter: From Neural Implants to Brain-Machine Fusion**
Max Hodak, who previously served as president of Neuralink, has launched Science Corp. with a vision that extends far beyond traditional brain-computer interfaces—and public reaction reflects both fascination and concern about his ambitions.[1] His flagship product, Prima, a rice-grain-sized retinal implant that restored functional vision to over 80 percent of patients in clinical trials, recently earned a Time magazine cover feature, signaling mainstream tech media's embrace of the breakthrough.[1][3] However, Hodak's longer-term roadmap—which includes biohybrid neural tissue that would merge
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 3:20:34 PM
Max Hodak’s new venture, Science Corp., is pioneering a biohybrid brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that uses living neurons to connect with the brain, a significant departure from traditional electrode-based BCIs like Neuralink. Experts highlight that this approach, exemplified by their retinal implant PRIMA—which has restored functional vision in over 80% of patients with advanced macular degeneration during clinical trials—represents both a pragmatic entry point and a foundation for more radical future innovations in neural engineering[1][2][8]. Industry analysts view Hodak’s $200,000-per-procedure pricing and goal of 50 patients per month as feasible milestones toward profitability, with a regulatory pathway underway in both the US and Europe
🔄 Updated: 12/5/2025, 3:30:43 PM
Max Hodak, former Neuralink president and co-founder, has launched Science Corp., a new venture that has raised over $47 million and is pursuing biohybrid neural interfaces with a focus on gene-editing and optogenetics—fields that could leapfrog current brain-computer interface technology. According to Hodak, by 2035, these interfaces will be available for patients, fundamentally reshaping the neurotech landscape and intensifying competition with Neuralink and other startups. "You could cure cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease," Hodak said, "but there's this alternative view of substrate independence—what if we just moved consciousness somewhere else?"