BCI Atlas

Paradromics is building an implantable, high data‑rate brain–computer interface (BCI) designed to record activity at (or near) the single‑neuron level and translate it into speech/text and computer control. Their flagship clinical product is the Connexus® BCI, aimed first at restoring communication for people with severe motor impairment (e.g., ALS, spinal cord injury, stroke).

This brief focuses on the technology, clinical path, and company facts we can support with public sources.

At a glance

• Website: https://www.paradromics.com/
• Headquarters: Austin, Texas (company press release + multiple public sources).
  • Paradromics press release (Series A / FDA breakthrough designation): https://www.paradromics.com/news/paradromics-raises-33-million-in-funding-achieves-breakthrough-medical-device-designation-from-fda
• Company type: privately held.
• Revenue: not publicly disclosed (private company).

Funding (publicly stated / reported)

• Paradromics announced a $33M Series A led by Prime Movers Lab (with additional named investors) and tied the raise to launching first‑in‑human clinical trials.
  • Company announcement: https://www.paradromics.com/news/paradromics-raises-33-million-in-funding-achieves-breakthrough-medical-device-designation-from-fda
  • Coverage: https://www.massdevice.com/paradromics-fda-breakthrough-brain-computer-interface/

The technology (Connexus BCI)

Paradromics describes Connexus as a fully implantable system intended for long‑term use, using materials common in medical implants (e.g., titanium alloy housing, platinum‑iridium electrodes) and miniaturized microelectrodes.

• Connexus product page (materials, form factor, high‑level system description):
  • https://www.paradromics.com/product

1) Implant architecture (as publicly described)

Paradromics describes three main implanted components:

• Cortical module (implanted under the skin; microelectrodes extend just below the brain surface)
• Internal transceiver (implanted in the chest)
• Extension lead (connects cortical module to chest transceiver)

They describe the chest transceiver as handling wireless optical data transmission to an external transceiver worn by the user, and inductive power transfer (wireless charging style) to power the implant.

• Company description of “How it works” steps: https://www.paradromics.com/product

2) Channel counts + scaling strategy

Paradromics claims:

• 421 microelectrodes per cortical module

• the ability to link up to 4 implants for 1600+ intracortical channels

• Company platform description: https://www.paradromics.com/

• Product page details: https://www.paradromics.com/product

3) Decoding stack (software)

Paradromics describes sending data to a small computer running AI / machine learning / language models to translate neural signals into:

• text

• synthesized speech

• cursor control / device commands

• Product page: https://www.paradromics.com/product

Clinical path (what they say is happening)

IDE approval + early feasibility study (Connect‑One)

Paradromics states the U.S. FDA granted Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval to begin the Connect‑One Early Feasibility Study (EFS) with Connexus.

• Company announcement: https://www.paradromics.com/news/paradromics-receives-fda-approval-for-the-connect-one-clinical-study-with-the-connexus-brain-computer-interface

They state initial enrollment begins with two participants near three clinical sites:

• UC Davis
• Massachusetts General Hospital
• University of Michigan

(Details and eligibility criteria are on their clinical study page.)

• https://www.paradromics.com/clinical-study

What they’re doing recently (publicly visible milestones)

From Paradromics’ own announcements:

• IDE approval to start the Connect‑One EFS (first human clinical study with Connexus):
  • https://www.paradromics.com/news/paradromics-receives-fda-approval-for-the-connect-one-clinical-study-with-the-connexus-brain-computer-interface
• Earlier: Breakthrough Device Designation for Connexus and a $33M raise to support first‑in‑human trials:
  • https://www.paradromics.com/news/paradromics-raises-33-million-in-funding-achieves-breakthrough-medical-device-designation-from-fda

How Paradromics fits in the BCI landscape (my framing)

Paradromics looks like a classic “high‑bandwidth intracortical” bet:

• maximize information throughput by recording as close to neurons as possible,
• keep the device fully implantable and durable,
• focus first on a clinically defensible indication: assistive communication.

Key questions to watch

1. Signal stability over time

• Chronic single‑unit / high‑density interfaces face long‑term encapsulation and stability issues.

2. Surgical workflow + explant/upgrade path

• How invasive is implantation, and what happens when parts fail or need replacement?

3. True communication performance

• The meaningful metric is real‑world, daily use: words per minute, error rates, retraining burden, latency.

4. System bottlenecks

• Power budget, heat, data link reliability, and robust decoding under realistic conditions.

Notes on sourcing

• I prioritized Paradromics’ own pages for claims about device architecture and study plans.
• For funding/BD designation, I included both the company announcement and third‑party coverage.
• If you want employee count / headcount estimates, we can add LinkedIn data when it’s reliably accessible in our tooling.