Neuroscience Firm Kernel Raises $35m for Brain Tech

LA-based 'Neuroscience as a Service' (NaaS) platform Kernel has raised $35m in a Series C round of funding, which it will use to develop new technology for recording brain activity, and for 'customer success' initiatives.

Founded in 2016 by Bryan Johnson, who sold his payments company Braintree to PayPal for $800m in 2013, Kernel comprises a team of neuroscientists, physicists, engineers, programmers and experiment and operations experts who are tasked with exploring and quantifying the human mind. Through its NaaS platform, clients or customers can access brain imaging devices and perform experiments remotely, using artificial intelligence for tasks such as attention tracking, translation and natural language processing.

New funding has been led by General Catalyst, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Eldridge, Manta Ray Ventures, Tiny Blue Dotm and Kernel founder Johnson (pictured). In a statement, Johnson said: 'If we can quantify thoughts and emotions, conscious and subconscious, a new era of understanding, wellness and human improvement will emerge'.

Web site: www.kernel.co .