Hemispheric Raises $52M to Launch AI Model Decoding Human Brain Activity for Mental Health Diagnosis

Hemispheric, an Israeli company developing a platform for objective measurement and interpretation of human brain activity, has raised $52 million to launch its AI model named Descartes. After six years of development, Descartes incorporates six billion parameters to non-invasively decode brain activity and convert it into quantitative metrics and actionable insights for doctors and researchers. The company was founded by neuroscientist Dr. Hagai Lalazar and AI expert Gidi Litwin, a co-founder of RealFace, which Apple acquired for its Face ID technology. The funding round was led by prominent investors including Hanaco Ventures, OneMind/Awareness Capital, Protocol Labs, L Catterton, Arkin Capital, OurCrowd, and notable individuals such as Howard Morgan, Naomi Azrieli, Yasmin Lukatz, and Scott Belsky.

Hemispheric’s platform addresses a critical gap in brain health diagnostics, where conditions like depression, PTSD, Parkinson’s, and early cognitive decline are currently diagnosed mainly through subjective questionnaires and behavioral assessments. Descartes translates the brain’s electrical "language" into quantitative data, enabling early disease detection, differentiation of disorder subtypes, and personalized treatment recommendations. The model was trained on over 250,000 hours of EEG and multimodal data from more than 100,000 participants collected via Hemispheric’s global research network.

The company operates with 113 employees across three countries, with development and clinical research centers in Tel Aviv, data collection hubs in Boston and Asia, and a vast network of laboratories gathering proprietary brain activity data. The non-invasive diagnostic process involves a 15-minute EEG session using a lightweight dry-electrode headset while the patient interacts with a tablet or smartphone app. Hemispheric is currently commercializing the technology in Israel and the United States, collaborating with healthcare and life sciences organizations, and advancing regulatory strategies with the U.S. FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Hemispheric’s initial applications focus on personalized brain health for PTSD, mild traumatic brain injury, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. The founders emphasize that their AI infrastructure model for brain decoding represents a global breakthrough, aiming to provide objective, quantitative tools to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes in neuropsychiatric disorders, which currently affect one in three people worldwide and cost over $5.3 trillion annually.