Hemispheric secures $52m for AI brain diagnostics from Apple FaceID co-inventor
The startup has trained its frontier AI model on a quarter of a million hours of brain data from 100,000 volunteers, aiming to replace subjective clinical assessments with objective electrical activity analysis.
Hemispheric, an artificial intelligence startup founded by Gidi Littwin, co-inventor of Apple’s FaceID and Vision Pro technology, has secured $52 million in funding to advance its frontier AI model for diagnosing cognitive disorders. The company intends to use the capital to pursue regulatory approval, expand its data collection, and develop proprietary hardware that it argues offers superior inputs for machine learning compared to traditional electroencephalography (EEG) devices.
Littwin launched the venture after leaving Apple in 2020, responding to a LinkedIn approach from co-founder Hagai Lalazar, who had been developing AI to study the brain without invasive surgery. Lalazar had interviewed approximately 75 candidates before selecting Littwin, whose experience in managing massive data collection operations for Apple’s augmented reality products proved critical to the new venture’s architecture.
To train its deep learning models, Hemispheric gathered a quarter of a million hours of brain data from 100,000 paid volunteers across Asia, Tel Aviv, and Boston. Participants engaged in game-like activities designed to activate specific regions of the brain, allowing the model to infer function from electrical activity within the skull. The approach mirrors how large language models deduce meaning from text, relying on statistical analysis of vast datasets to identify patterns in individual brain health.
The team has reportedly tested the generalised model on subsets of individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and depression, citing accurate deductions regarding their brain health. A clinical study is currently underway to determine whether the model can also diagnose and predict Alzheimer’s disease. The diagnostic process involves patients wearing a lightweight EEG headset for approximately 15 minutes while interacting with a tablet application.
Hemispheric plans to submit its first product, designed specifically for PTSD diagnosis, to the US Food and Drug Administration early next year. A public rollout is targeted for 2027. The company’s investors include early Uber-backer Howard Morgan, alongside American and Israeli venture capital firms. The firm aims to eventually make the technology as accessible and inexpensive as a blood test, distributing it through mental health clinics, hospitals, and private practices.
