Science Corporation announced a $230 million Series C to advance the PRIMA wireless retinal implant, backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, IQT, and Quiet Capital.

PRIMA is a tiny chip implanted in the eye, paired with camera-equipped glasses; the asset was refined after acquiring it from Pixium Vision in 2024 to restore vision for advanced AMD.

The broader neural interface field is seeing substantial venture activity, with competitors like Neuralink pursuing large rounds and other players advancing in implants and related tech.

Science expects European commercialization of PRIMA to begin later this year, contingent on regulatory clearance and ongoing data from trials.

PRIMA is awaiting FDA decision but has shown promising results, restoring central vision and improving visual acuity after 12 months in late-stage macular degeneration patients via a system that pairs glasses projecting near-infrared light with a retinal implant.

Germany is anticipated to be the first European market for PRIMA, with potential expansion to other retinal diseases as the program scales.

In trials across Europe and the U.S. with 47 patients, about 80% showed meaningful improvements in visual acuity, enabling reading of letters, numbers, and words.

PRIMA’s pathway includes a CE mark submission for the EU, with regulatory discussions in the U.S. ongoing and expected EU approval around mid-2026.

The round, which brings total funding to about $490 million and expands the headcount to roughly 150, includes both new and existing investors, signaling strong confidence in the company’s retinal prosthetics vision.

The funding will accelerate commercialization of PRIMA and expand the clinical trial program to include Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa.

PRIMA is based on foundational research from Stanford ophthalmology professor Daniel Palanker, Ph.D.

Company leadership says the capital raise will support commercialization and real-world impact, with the goal of Science becoming the first BCI company to scale and reach profitability.