The Prime Unicorn Index benchmark, the standard bearer for private markets benchmarking, tracks post-money valuations for U.S-based, VC-backed private companies. Reflecting the broader private market, the Index is down 6.72% year to date.
On August 1st, Neuralink, one of the hottest companies in the Prime Unicorn Index, authorized a Series D preferred round at $19.03 per share. Neuralink is a developer of a brain-machine interface that is implanted to assist individuals with paralysis. The company’s device aims to diagnose and address neurological disorders in humans and can potentially enhance cognitive abilities. This enables physicians to address severe brain-related conditions promptly. Yesterday, on August 7th, Neuralink announced that it had raised $280M in the Series D round led by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. This values the company at $3.4B, up 55.7% from its previous valuation of roughly $2.2B.
The Series D round marks the fourth raise by Neuralink. The company raised $27M in a Series A round on August 15, 2017, at $1.00 a share, $39.31M in a Series B round on April 26, 2019, at $3.82 a share, and $205.9M in a Series C round on July 23, 2021, at $13.74 a share. Its Series C round was led by Vy Capital, with participation from Google Ventures, GigaFund, Craft Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, and others, which valued the company at roughly $2.2B, as mentioned earlier.
Although the investment was not announced until yesterday, the Prime Unicorn Index obtained the filing disclosing the authorization of the Series D round and share price last week. This data was made available to our subscribers Thursday, four days before any public announcement or press release.
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