Apple FaceID Co-Inventor Raises $52M for Brain AI Diagnostics

A startup founded by Apple's FaceID co-inventor has secured $52 million to commercialize artificial intelligence models that could diagnose cognitive disorders by analyzing brain electrical activity through non-invasive headsets.

Gidi Littwin, who developed FaceID and hand-tracking technology for Apple's Vision Pro, co-founded Hemispheric in 2020 with neuroscientist Hagai Lalazar. The company has assembled what it calls a foundational dataset: 250,000 hours of brain activity recordings from 100,000 paid volunteers across Asia, Tel Aviv, and Boston, according to details first reported by WIRED.

The data collection challenge

Littwin applied lessons from Apple's consumer hardware development, where he oversaw data collection from hundreds of thousands of subjects to train deep learning models. At Hemispheric, volunteers performed game-like activities designed to activate different brain regions while wearing EEG sensors. Because individual brain activity patterns vary significantly, clinicians currently rely heavily on subjective questionnaires and behavioral observation to diagnose conditions like depression, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's.

The company trained what it describes as a frontier model that interprets brain function from electrical signals, using statistical analysis similar to how large language models process text. In validation tests on people diagnosed with PTSD, schizophrenia, and depression, the model produced accurate assessments of brain health, the founders said. Hemispheric is now conducting clinical studies to determine whether the system can diagnose and predict Alzheimer's disease.

Regulatory path and product timeline

The diagnostic process requires patients to wear a lightweight EEG headset for approximately 15 minutes while interacting with a tablet application. Hemispheric's AI then analyzes the signals to assist clinicians with diagnosis, treatment selection, and progress monitoring.

The company plans to submit its first product—focused on PTSD assessment—to the FDA for approval in early 2026, with a potential public rollout in 2027. Lalazar envisions the technology becoming as routine as blood tests, with inexpensive devices distributed to mental health clinics, hospitals, and private practices.

Hemispheric is also developing proprietary brain scanners that the founders believe will capture more useful data for machine learning than conventional EEG equipment, which Littwin noted was not designed for deep learning applications.

Why it matters

Objective diagnostic tools for cognitive disorders could address a persistent gap in mental health and neurology. Current assessment methods depend on patient self-reporting and clinician observation, which introduce variability and delay treatment. AI-assisted diagnostics are already accelerating cancer detection in European healthcare systems, while major AI labs including OpenAI and Anthropic are expanding into medical applications. Hemispheric's approach—combining massive-scale data collection with consumer-grade hardware—could make brain health assessment more accessible and standardized if it clears regulatory hurdles.

The funding round drew investment from American and Israeli venture capital firms and individual backers including Howard Morgan, an early Uber investor. The capital will support government and pharmaceutical partnerships, US hiring, regulatory approval efforts, and expansion of the brain data collection to millions of additional subjects.

These details were first reported by WIRED.