Cortical Labs
Category: AI Infrastructure
Australian biotechnology company developing biological computing systems by integrating lab-grown human neurons with silicon hardware Cortical Labs was founded in 2019. The company is led by Brett Kagan. Based in Melbourne, Australia. Team size: 11-50. Total funding raised: $11.6M. Latest round: Series B. Key investors include Horizons Ventures; Blackbird Ventures; In-Q-Tel; LifeX Ventures; Radar Ventures; January Capital; Gobi Partners (via Gobi Dana Impak Ventures); 3C AGI Partners; Tom Oxley (Synchron founder).
- Founded
- 2019
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Australia
- Team size
- 11-50
- Total funding
- $11.6M
Value proposition
World's first commercially available code-deployable biological computer (CL1) that uses living human neurons grown on silicon chips to process information with dramatically lower energy consumption than traditional AI hardware
Products and solutions
CL1 (biological computer, ~$35K/unit); Cortical Cloud (Wetware-as-a-Service platform with Python SDK); DishBrain (research platform); biOS (Biological Intelligence Operating System)
Unique value
Only company with a commercially deployable biological computer using real human neurons on silicon chips — enabling ultra-low-energy computing, animal-testing-free drug discovery, and a fundamentally new compute paradigm (Synthetic Biological Intelligence)
Target customer
Academic research institutions, pharmaceutical companies for drug discovery, neuroscience researchers, biomedical labs, and AI/ML researchers
Industries served
Drug discovery & disease modelling; Neuroscience research; Central nervous system drug development; Robotics & adaptive AI; Biomedical research
Technology advantage
Proprietary biOS (Biological Intelligence Operating System) for closed-loop neuron-silicon interaction; high-density multielectrode arrays (22,000 electrodes); human iPSC-derived neuron cultures; life-support system sustaining neurons up to 6 months; 850-1000W power consumption vs. traditional AI hardware; demonstrated sample efficiency surpassing deep RL in constrained learning scenarios
How they differentiate
First and only company with a commercially available, code-deployable biological computer (CL1) — competitors like FinalSpark offer research platforms but not commercial-grade deployable systems. Cortical Labs also offers Cortical Cloud (Wetware-as-a-Service) for remote access without specialized lab infrastructure, and has demonstrated real-world applications (Pong, Doom) with published peer-reviewed research in Neuron.
Main competitors
FinalSpark (Switzerland, Neuroplatform biocomputing); Organoid Intelligence research groups (Johns Hopkins, academic); INBRAIN Neuroelectronics (Spain, graphene-based neural interfaces)
Key partnerships
Monash University (early research), DayOne + NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (Singapore biological data center prototype live, 20 CL1 units, Jul/Aug 2026), VERSES AI (beta partnership integrating Friston's free energy principle), bit.bio (Cambridge biotech), Organoid Intelligence alliance led by Johns Hopkins University, Blackbird Ventures (investor/partner), Malaysia SIDEC IC Design Park / K-One Technology (engineering & manufacturing)
Notable customers
Monash University; National University of Singapore / Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Various academic and commercial research institutions (specific names not publicly disclosed)
Major milestones
2019: Company founded, 2021: First demonstration of neurons playing Pong, 2022: Peer-reviewed publication in Neuron (DishBrain), 2023: $10M Series A led by Horizons Ventures, 2025: CL1 commercial biological computer launched at Mobile World Congress Barcelona, 2025: Demonstrated DOOM running on CL1, 2026: Cortical Cloud (WaaS) launched, Mar 2026: Series B (undisclosed, Horizons/3C/Gobi/Tom Oxley), Mar 2026: Malaysia engineering & manufacturing hub (Puchong), Jul–Aug 2026: Singapore DayOne+NUS Medicine biological data center prototype live (20 CL1s), Aug 2026: Brett Kagan appointed CEO (Hon Weng Chong stepped down)
Growth metrics
CL1 launched March 2025 at ~$35K/unit; Cortical Cloud (WaaS) ~$300/week; Melbourne biological data center; Singapore DayOne+NUS Medicine prototype live (20 CL1 units, July 2026; showcased Aug 2026); Malaysia engineering/manufacturing hub (Puchong)
Market positioning
Pioneer and early leader in the emerging organoid intelligence / synthetic biological intelligence market; positioned as an alternative compute substrate for AI that addresses the energy crisis of traditional GPU-based AI infrastructure
Geographic focus
Global: Melbourne HQ (AU); Singapore biological data center prototype with DayOne/NUS Medicine (live 2026); Malaysia engineering & manufacturing hub (SIDEC Puchong / Kuala Lumpur); partnerships in Europe (UK/Cambridge bit.bio) and US (Johns Hopkins Organoid Intelligence)
Patents and IP
Holds patents related to synthetic biological intelligence and organoid intelligence systems (as noted in PMC publications); proprietary biOS platform
About Brett Kagan
Co-founder of Cortical Labs (since 2019); previously Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer; led DishBrain research (Neuron 2022); PhD in neuroscience (cell therapy for neonatal brain injury), University of Melbourne; Masters of Neuroscience, University of Queensland; Adjunct Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute; Scientific & Regulatory Affairs Manager, Grünbiotics
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Official website: https://corticallabs.com