Gestala, a China-based deep-tech startup developing brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, announced $21.69 million in funding.
The funding came through an Angel Round and set a new record for the largest early-stage financing in China’s BCI market, the company said. Guosheng Capital and Dalton Venture led the round. Tsing Song Capital, Gobi Partners, Fourier Intelligence, Liepin, and Seas Capital participated, too.
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Gestala completed its oversubscribed financing just two months after its launch. It said it marked the second-largest financing scale in the segment globally, following OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman’s Merge Labs venture, which received $252 million in a round led by OpenAI.
Meanwhile, other major BCI players, like Elon Musk’s Neuralink ($649 million in July 2025), Science Corp. ($230 million last week), Synchron ($200 million in November 2025) and more have secured significant funding in recent years.
Gestala says it represents China’s first ultrasound-based BCI company. Other Chinese BCI makers have come to the fore recently, including a joint research venture advancing human studies and a startup called StairMed, which raised $48 million last year.
Peng Lei, founder and CEO of Gestalt Technology, said that he is “very confident in leading Gestalt Technology to become a leading force in China’s global hard technology competition and to achieve ‘parallel development’ in the cutting-edge ultrasound brain-computer interface field.”
Gestala said its ultrasound-based pathway delivers non-invasive, bi-directional capabilities and multi-target neural circuit regulation.
The technology could address chronic pain, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, stroke rehabilitation and epilepsy. It aims to target clinical needs with broader patient populations and greater market potential.
Gestala plans to complete the first phase of its headquarters and production line in Chengdu, China, by late May. Its first-generation product targets chronic pain management, with mass production scheduled for the third quarter of this year.
The company targets NMPA (China’s medical device regulatory authority) registration filing by the end of 2026. It hopes to garner approval and bring its BCI to market within one or two years. The company already has established frameworks with top Chinese hospitals to conduct clinical trials for different indications.
Additionally, Gestala inked a partnership with AI company Fourier Intelligence. They aim to develop a closed-loop sensory feedback mechanism that would shift rehabilitation from passive to active, mind-driven recovery.
“Gestala is committed to developing an ultrasound-based BCI platform with bi-directional capabilities,” Lei said. “By providing innovative therapies for neurological disorders, the company is dedicated to decoding the human brain and exploring the future convergence of neuroscience and artificial intelligence. The successful completion of this Angel Round not only reflects the capital market’s recognition of Gestala’s technological leadership and clinical execution but also underscores the global strategic significance of the ultrasound BCI sector.”
