If there is an eventual IPO, learn how to position yourself to buy Neuralink stock. Get access to select IPOs with Tradestation, which offers free IPO access to all customers.
Table of Contents
Neuralink — Recent News
07/30/2021: Series C funding round announcement
05/01/2021: Neuralink Co-Found Leaves Company for Unknown Reasons
04/08/2021: Musk Tweets: “First @Neuralink product will enable someone with paralysis to use a smartphone with their mind faster than someone using thumbs”
02/01/2021: Elon Musk says his start-up Neuralink has wired up a monkey to play video games
01/31/2021: Neuralink is Hiring (Elon Musk Tweets Robot Video – see below)
12/24/2020: Elon Musk said that combining SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, and Boring under a megacorporation called ‘X’ would be a ‘good idea’
09/27/2020: The State of Brain-Computer Interface and Neuralink
09/09/2020: Why Is Elon Musk Testing His Brain Implant on Pigs?
09/03/2020: Neuralink Is Impressive Tech, Wrapped in Musk Hype
09/03/2020: Elon Musk’s Neuralink Looks to Expand Beyond Silicon Valley to Texas
08/29/2020: Neuralink: Elon Musk unveils pig with a chip in its brain
What is Neuralink?
Neuralink is a medical device company aiming to build a fully integrated brain-machine interface (BMI), also known as a brain-computer interface (BCI).
The technology has the potential to treat people with disabilities of the brain and spine, including paralysis, blindness, deafness, memory loss, stroke, and more.
Developing treatments for these disorders could dramatically improve millions of people’s lives and lead to considerable profits for the company.
Fans of Elon Musk realize that he will likely end up being one of the most consequential technologists and entrepreneurs of our lifetimes.
He’s started several companies, cashing out of earlier ventures to build companies that tackle humanity’s biggest challenges, including transportation, climate change, and becoming a multi-planet species.
Neuralink is his next ‘crazy idea’, to link the power of artificial intelligence with nature’s most complex and intelligent organ, the human brain.
Science fiction fans might hear implantable brain devices and think it’s the first step toward human/AI symbiosis, as seen in fiction such as The 100 and Altered Carbon.
Musk’s ultimate goal could be to empower humans to stay equal to or ahead of artificial intelligence. However, that’s a long way off. And Musk needs to create a profitable business first.
As of today, Neuralink is in startup mode, having assembled a team of neuroscientists and medical experts to pursue this challenging endeavor.
To date (September 2020), the company has raised more than $360 million, primarily from Elon Musk, and a Series C round on in July 2021.
Neuralink is based in San Francisco and has about 100 employees.
Neuralink Videos
On January 31st, 2021, Elon Musk tweeted to encourage people to apply to work at Neuralink, sharing a video about brain surgery robots.
Here’s the video:
Here is the latest progress update hosted by Elon Musk on August 28th, 2020.
Is Neuralink Stock Publicly Traded?
No, the company is not publicly traded. It’s primarily funded by Musk and venture capital investors.
High-profile people involved in the company who may also retain some equity include Flip Sabes, Ben Rapoport, DJ Seo, Paul Merolla, Vanessa Tolosa, Max Hodak, Tim Hanson, Tim Gardner.
Prominent venture capital investors include Vy Capital, Google Ventures, DFJ Growth, Valor Equity Partners, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, and Gigafund.
Musk’s extraordinary growth in wealth, thanks to the rise of Tesla stock, means he could easily continue to fund Neuralink operations without venture capital.
When the time comes to scale, Musk has proven he is willing to take on venture capital funds or take companies public to spread risk and add value to his equity holdings.
However, it’s unlikely he would take Neuralink public without a product or near-term means to generate revenue.
Neuralink is also developing a robotic implant device and procedure, which could become a marketable product itself. Other potential revenue sources may include intellectual property and data.
For an updated look at Neuralink’s investors and funding rounds, go to Crunchbase.
When is the Neuralink IPO date?
The Neuralink IPO date is currently unknown. The company is still in the very early phases of technology development.
Private funding from Musk has covered its employee and development costs so far. Considering Musk’s reputation as a business builder, additional private funding rounds would be possible before an IPO.
However, since Musk is the primary equity holder and lacks the need for liquidity, a Neuralink IPO is unlikely within the next few years.
If the company becomes viable and eventually profitable, we’ll likely hear about a potential filing well before it is submitted.
Even when the company and SEC publicly release the S-1 filing, we still won’t know a firm date. However, the IPO date typically occurs a month or two after the S-1 releases to the public.
Because Musk’s name is synonymous with Neuralink, you can be sure that any rumblings of a Neuralink IPO will be widely publicized among financial news and medical technology news outlets.
What is the Neuralink Stock Price?
Since Neuralink is not publicly traded on a stock exchange, there is no Neuralink stock price yet.
What is the Neuralink Stock Symbol?
Neuralink has not yet submitted public filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, it is not yet known what the Neuralink stock symbol will be. We can only speculate about the Neuralink ticker.
Here are some suggestions, all of which appear to be available in the U.S.:
- LINK
- NLNK
- LNK
Will Neuralink be a Motley Fool Stock Advisor Recommendation?
We won’t know until after the IPO if Neuralink will be a Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation.
Considering the Fool’s early Tesla buy recommendation, I wouldn’t be surprised if Neuralink stock becomes a top pick after the IPO because the Fool often chooses stock in which the founder maintains a high equity stake.
Read this Motley Fool Stock Advisor review to learn about their stock selection methodologies and how you can participate in excellent returns.
Stock Advisor is currently half-off at just $99 for an annual subscription if you use the button below. There’s a 30-day full refund period if you don’t like it.
Can you Buy Neuralink Stock? Three Potential Ways
It is a challenge to buy shares of a stock that doesn’t trade on the public markets. Even if it’s possible, you may not be eligible, and it may not be worth the hassle.
In Neuralink’s case, it’s likely even more difficult to acquire pre-IPO shares because Musk maintains the majority of the equity holdings. Liquidity is the main reason to sell shares to an investing public, and Musk doesn’t need it.
With that in mind, aspiring investors need to be extraordinarily patient and may not be eligible to invest for many years, or possibly ever.
Here are three ways investors can attempt to acquire shares of a pre-IPO stock.
- Wait to buy Neuralink stock after it begins trading
- Wait to buy Neuralink stock in the Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- Hope that some shares for Neuralink Stock become available in Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplaces
1. Buy After the IPO
Since acquiring pre-IPO shares is delicate and usually reserved for wealthy investors, the most likely way you’ll ever own the stock is to wait patiently for the IPO to complete.
In many cases, investors can get in at a price at or below the IPO price. This is not always true. The Beyond Meat IPO, for example, soared and never looked back. But Uber, which many predicted to rise steeply, actually fell on the IPO date.
The moral here is that spending significant effort to own a company before the IPO may not be worth it in the end.
You may also spend time and effort to obtain shares, but only receive a small allocation. Even if the stock soars, your upside gain may be limited.
Your best chance to own the stock is by waiting for the IPO and making a purchase of Neuralink stock through a no-fee online brokerage account. You can open the account well before the IPO, then place your first trade to learn how to buy shares.
I recommend starting with a company you know well. If you like Target, for example, buy Target stock.
So what is the best online brokerage for buying Neuralink stock?
As an individual investor, you’ll want to open an account with a commission-free online broker. That way, you’ll invest most of your money instead of waste it on fees.
I’ll go over one of my favorites below. It has very reasonable fees and will make it easy to buy Neuralink stock once it begins trading on open stock markets.
What is the Best Online Broker to Buy Neuralink Stock after the IPO?
For investors looking to participate in IPOs, TradeStation and Webull offer IPO investing to customers (more below). However, you’re never guaranteed a share allocation and most high-demand IPO will not be available.
Long-term investors may prefer an online broker that’s better for dollar cost averaging and dividend reinvestment.
I’m a big fan of the online brokerage M1 Finance.
The platform is more intuitive than other brokers because it’s built on a modern technology platform. You create portfolio “pies” that contains all the stocks and ETFs you want to own and in what percentages.
M1 Finance does not offer IPO access. But it’s my favorite for every day investing.
2. Buy Stock in the Neuralink Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Ambitious investors may attempt to position themselves to invest in the Neuralink IPO if it arrives. Most retail investors will not get access.
The wealthiest clients at the top investment banks will get IPO shares in the hottest deals.
Your chances of getting IPO shares depends on four factors:
- IPO demand
- Your broker and eligibility
- Your assets under management at the broker
- Propensity to flip shares
As IPO demand increases, the chances of receiving IPO shares decreases. Therefore, the IPOs that are most interesting to the masses are the hardest to access.
Lower-demand IPOs may be available to retail investors who are customers at participating brokers.
What are the Best Online Brokers for IPO Investing?
For an extensive list of IPO-friendly online brokers and their eligibility, check out this page.
Wealthy customers ($1 million+ accounts) at Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, and Schwab may have a shot at some IPOs, depending on demand.
TradeStation and Webull are the best options for investors with less than $250,000. Both give limited access to lower-demand IPOs and secondary offerings through a partnership with ClickIPO, an IPO investing app.
Joining a broker that offers access to IPOs does not guarantee a share allocation, especially in high-demand IPOs. You are probably better off waiting for the company to start trading after the IPO.
Click here to download the free 15-page eBook, How to Invest in IPOs – A Fundamental Guide for Ordinary Investors.
3. Buy Shares in Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplaces
In the case of Neuralink, Elon Musk is the primary equity holder. Since the company is still in the startup phase, and Musk doesn’t need liquidity, it’s highly unlikely any individual investors will be able to become owners.
However, founders, early employees, and investors often find themselves in a difficult predicament. They own valuable shares of a company that doesn’t trade publicly.
These shareholders might have multi-million dollar net worth’s because of their stock holdings, but the stock is not liquid because it doesn’t trade on an exchange.
Two platforms have evolved to gives these individuals a way to liquidate their holding before the IPO. The two sites are EquityZen and Sharespost.
Both sites bring liquidity to an otherwise illiquid asset. Accredited investors may join these sites and attempt to buy shares of these companies when they become available.
The shares are only offered to accredited investors because their financials are not publicly filed with regulators yet, increasing the investors’ risk.
For high-profile companies, demand is high, lowering your chances of acquiring shares, even if you’re accredited.
If the company grows and begins taking investments from venture capital, and offers equity shares to employees, it’s possible shares of Neuralink stock would appear on a secondary market. I don’t expect this to happen in the next five years.
Conclusion
It will be difficult for ordinary investors to acquire shares of Neuralink before or during the IPO. It’s a private company with no products or revenue.
That doesn’t stop people from wanting to invest with arguably the greatest business builder of our time.
If you’re determined, follow the pre-IPO marketplaces and pay attention to any offerings. Investor accreditation is required.
Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the IPO date to buy shares. An IPO is not imminent.
Waiting is OK. Neuralink has a very high chance of failure. If the science pans out, expect to see lookalikes aiming to compete.
When the Neuralink IPO is near, please perform due diligence on the SEC S-1 filing and don’t buy Neuralink stock with money you can’t afford to lose.
Disclosure: This web page contains affiliate links from our partners. If a reader opens an account or buys a service from a link in this article, we may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. Opening an account with a broker that provides access to IPOs does not guarantee the customer will receive share allocations of specific IPOs. The author is long TSLA, TGT
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