The Neurofounders Startup Map is a curated overview of the global neurotechnology ecosystem. It focuses on companies developing technologies that directly interface with, measure, or modulate the nervous system, with an emphasis on technical relevance, innovation, and ecosystem significance. The map is intentionally selective. Its purpose is not to catalogue every organization that references neuroscience, but to present a structured view of the technologies shaping the field today.

Companies included in the Startup Map must fall primarily within one or more of six defined categories: brain-computer interfaces, neuroimaging and brain sensing, neuromodulation, consumer neurotechnology, tools and infrastructure for neurotechnology, and mental and cognitive health technologies with a direct neuro link. Classification is based on the company’s core product rather than secondary applications or future roadmaps.

All included companies are required to demonstrate a direct and essential connection to the nervous system. This connection typically involves the measurement of neural activity or neurophysiology, the modulation of neural function through electrical, magnetic, optical, or bioelectronic means, or the provision of specialized hardware, software, or data infrastructure designed specifically to enable neurotechnology. Technologies where neuroscience is incidental, metaphorical, or used primarily as a branding device are not included.

The Startup Map primarily focuses on startups and scaleups, generally founded after approximately 2010 and typically employing fewer than one hundred people. Exceptions are made for category-defining or ecosystem-critical companies whose inclusion materially improves the completeness and usefulness of the map. In such cases, relevance to neurotechnology takes precedence over company size or age.

Early-stage companies are included selectively. Inclusion generally requires evidence of technical or organizational credibility, such as meaningful funding or grant support, a founding team with relevant scientific, clinical, or industry experience, or demonstrable product progress through prototypes, pilots, clinical studies, regulatory pathways, or early deployments. Projects that exist primarily as concepts or marketing artifacts, without substantive technical development, are typically excluded.

The map prioritizes non-trivial, state-of-the-art neurotechnology. Incremental solutions, generic digital products, or assistive technologies that do not incorporate a meaningful neurotechnological component are generally outside the scope of inclusion.

Certain categories of organizations are explicitly excluded in order to maintain focus and clarity. Pharmaceutical and therapeutics companies, including drug discovery, drug development, and AI-for-drug-discovery platforms, are excluded for now, even when neuroscience-related. Adjacent organizations such as venture capital firms, investors, accelerators, consultancies, service providers, neuromarketing firms, and community organizations are not included. Wellness and mental health applications that do not directly measure or modulate neural or physiological signals are excluded, as are general AI, robotics, or neuro-inspired technologies that do not directly interface with the nervous system.

The Neurofounders Startup Map is a living resource and is updated continuously as the field evolves. Inclusion criteria may be refined over time as new modalities emerge and the neurotechnology ecosystem matures. Companies that strongly align with the scope but are not yet included may be reviewed as additional technical validation or product maturity becomes available.