How to Invest in Neuralink Stock Before Its IPO

Last Updated: Jan 4, 2024

Investor

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Neuralink is a private neurotechnology company co-founded in 2016 by Elon Musk, Max Hodak, and Paul Merolla.

Neuralink is developing implantable computer chips for the brain, known as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).

These devices have the potential to treat people who have disabilities of the brain and spine, such as blindness, deafness, memory loss, paralysis, and more.

Beyond medical use cases, the company also believes these devices could “unlock human potential” by linking our brains with the internet, artificial intelligence, and other technologies.

If the company is successful, these devices will be revolutionary, and will likely generate excellent returns for early shareholders.

And, if you qualify as an accredited investor, there's a way for you to invest in Neuralink right now.

Can you buy Neuralink stock?

Neuralink is a private company, which means it is not a public stock — you cannot purchase shares of it in your regular brokerage account. There is no Neuralink stock symbol, and the company has made no indication of an IPO in the near future.

Given the star power of the founding team, Neuralink has had no problem raising capital from private equity investors and venture capitalists. To date, the company has raised $552 million from investors.

Even though it's not publicly-traded, there is still a way to buy Neuralink stock today.

How to Buy Neuralink Stock

Accredited investors are those who have either:

Income of $200,000 (or $300,000 as a joint couple)
A net worth of $1 million excluding their primary residence

If you meet either one of these criteria, you're an accredited investor.

Hiive is a marketplace where accredited investors can buy private companies stocks.

On Hiive, accredited investors can buy shares of private, VC-backed startups. There are hundreds of companies listed on Hiive, including Discord, Databricks, and Neuralink:

As of the time of this writing, there are 3 unique listings of Neuralink stock available on Hiive.

These 3 listings are from different sellers who have various asking prices and volume offered. Sellers may be current or former employees, venture capitalists, or angel investors.

On Hiive, buyers can either accept asking prices or place bids and negotiate directly with the sellers. There are no fees for buyers on Hiive.

Neuralink alternatives for retail investors

If you don't qualify as an accredited investor but want to own companies with similar medical devices being developed, consider the following neurotech and biotech companies:

Amgen (AMGN): Amgen is a $162 billion biotechnology company dedicated to solving neurodegenerative diseases and other neurological conditions. While it's not directly competing with Neuralink to develop BCIs, its Digital Health and Innovation team has kept the company at the leading edge of healthcare.
Biogen (BIIB): Although it is not developing BCIs, Biogen has been developing products for neurological diseases, like Alzheimer's, for years.
AstraZeneca (AZN): AstraZeneca is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company with a specialized focus on neuroscience, particularly in developing drugs for neurological disorders.

If you're looking for general exposure to biotechnology innovations, you may be interested in ARK Invest's Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG), though the companies in this fund are working on genomics, not BCIs.

When will Neuralink IPO?

Neuralink has not filed any IPO documents with the SEC and has not mentioned any specific plans to go public.

By staying private, the company can take its time researching and making progress toward its lofty goals without the added pressure of having to answer to shareholders.

In my opinion, the company is unlikely to go public before it has a marketable product and a consistent stream of revenue. I would guess we'll hear about this on Musk's social media accounts before any SEC filings.

When it does go public, the stock symbol might be something like LINK, NLNK, or NRLK (my ideas) and you'll need a brokerage account to buy shares.

Most brokerages will start offering the stock for trading on the day of the IPO, usually around 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

If you don't have a brokerage account, we recommend Public.

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Who owns Neuralink?

Elon Musk initially invested $100 million in Neuralink back in 2016 and is still the largest shareholder.

Since then, the company has raised an additional $452 million from a number of private investors such as Google Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Craft Ventures, DFJ Growth, Dreamers VC, Future Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI), and up to 9 other investors and firms.

Most recently, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund led a $280 million round in August 2023. In June, employee stock sales valued the company at $5 billion, so we can assume this round was raised near that valuation.

In addition to Musk, his two co-founders (Max Hodak and Paul Merolla), current CEO Jared Birchall, and a handful of early employees also likely own stakes in the company, though their exact stakes are unknown.

More about Neuralink

At its core, Neuralink is aiming to connect human brains and computers.

Its device, known as the “Link,” will be implanted with an incision by a robotic system that will manage the entire procedure. The device will be about the size of a large coin.

The implant operation will cost around $5,000 and the hardware will cost about $200–$300.

After being implanted, you'll connect the device to your smartphone, keyboard, mouse, or other internet- or Bluetooth-enabled device.

Musk believes the Link will become as essential as a car — everyone will have one. Compared to this, his mission for SpaceX doesn't seem so far-fetched in comparison.