Can You Invest in Neuralink Pre-IPO? Details & Alternatives

Is Neuralink publicly traded?

Neuralink is not publicly traded. When businesses go public, they offer shares to retail investors on stock exchanges either through an initial public offering (IPO) or a direct listing. But Neuralink hasn't done either as of this writing.

To be clear, private companies like Neuralink can still have a share structure. Founders, insiders, and private investors can all own pieces of the business, and this is true of Neuralink.

Neuralink has done several funding rounds, most recently in June 2025 when it raised $650 million from investment firms in a Series E funding round. These private investors now own shares of Neuralink, although Musk, as the founder, is still believed to be the largest shareholder.

Occasionally, Neuralink shares trade hands in private transactions. However, only accredited investors can participate in these trades.

When will Neuralink IPO?

There hadn't been any formal announcements regarding the timing of a Neuralink IPO as of late 2025, so it's not on the IPO calendar. But it's fair to assume that it won't go public anytime soon.

Consider another private company owned by Musk: SpaceX. According to estimates, SpaceX is now reportedly valued at more than $400 billion, and Musk still has no plans to take it public. Neuralink is much smaller, reportedly valued closer to $9 billion as of its latest funding round. Since there aren't yet plans to take SpaceX public, its safe to assume the same with Neuralink.

When Neuralink finally decides to go public, it won't come as a total surprise. IPO stocks file paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before offering shares to the public, so investors will be aware of any Neuralink IPO before it happens.

Alternatives to consider

Here are some ideas for similar companies to Neuralink.

1. Alphabet

Buying shares of tech titan Alphabet (GOOG -0.04%)(GOOGL -0.04%) may be the best indirect way to invest in Neuralink. The company has its own venture capital arm called Google Ventures, which is an early investor in Neuralink.

Given its stake in the startup, Neuralink technically comprises a part of Alphabet. That said, it's a minuscule stake compared to the overall size of Alphabet's business.

2. Tesla

Getting a stake in Neuralink by investing in Tesla (TSLA -1.79%) stock is an immensely speculative long shot, at best. In 2022, an analyst asked Musk if he would ever consider lumping all of his companies, including Tesla and Neuralink, into one publicly traded entity. Musk said he was unsure and that he saw no reason to combine the companies soon.

It seems incredibly unlikely that Neuralink and Tesla would ever be housed under one parent company. But Musk didn't completely rule it out when directly asked.

Is Neuralink profitable?

Neuralink is a private company, and its financials aren't publicly available. That said, it's very safe to assume that the company is not profitable.

Losses are common among medical device start-up companies. These businesses have to build out a technology and demonstrate its effectiveness before commercialization can begin. It's a stage in which companies such as Neuralink spend tons of money on research and development, as well as on sales and marketing. And during this phase, the company has almost no revenue because it has few (if any) customers.

While trials are expected to accelerate in the coming years after starting in 2024, they will likely generate minimal revenue, at best, and will likely be unprofitable -- the early-stage goal is proof of concept. Only after years of successful trials would the business have an opportunity to be profitable.

ETFs with exposure to robotics and AI

For investors interested in Neuralink stock because they like the themes of robotic surgery and AI, The Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF (BOTZ +0.40%) may be one to consider. Top stocks in this ETF include Nvidia (NVDA -1.48%) and Intuitive Surgical (ISRG -2.68%).

This is just speculation, but if Neuralink really can restore mobility and vision, then other players in this field would likely emerge focusing on different problems. Consider that prominent billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates have both invested in Synchron, a Neuralink peer.

A company like Intuitive Surgical, for example, may eventually be in a position to benefit from new trends pushed forward by advances in brain-computer interface technology. But that's likely still years away.

The bottom line

Neuralink believes it can restore lost mobility and vision through its brain-computer interface technology. These are big issues that could potentially make Neuralink a big business in the future.

However, for now, the company isn't public, so investors can't buy stock. Even if it were public, it would still be a speculative investment opportunity, and shareholders would need a healthy appreciation of risk.

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