We are proud to announce a major strategic transformation: the iPEPS incubator is changing its name and officially becoming NeurAL, the NeurAL startup studio of the Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau).

This evolution goes far beyond a rebrand. It marks a shift in our operating model and our level of engagement, designed to meet the specific demands of deeptech venture creation in neuroscience and psychiatry—with one clear goal: turning academic breakthroughs into solutions that reach patients.

Why deeptech needs a different path

From the beginning, our mission has been to accelerate the emergence of high-potential scientific innovations. But deeptech projects born from fundamental research often face recurring barriers when moving from lab to market:

  • Limited early-stage funding before a company is even created
  • Lack of entrepreneurial structure to turn research into a venture
  • Technology risk that must be reduced through solid preclinical evidence

To address these obstacles, we built a more proactive approach—now formalized under the name NeurAL. The identity comes from our successful pilot program, the Neuroscience Acceleration Launchpad, which has become the foundation of our new strategy.

NeurAL startup studio: from incubation to venture building

By adopting the NeurAL identity, we are formalizing our role as an active partner and venture builder—a startup studio model tailored to deeptech in neurology, neuroscience, and psychiatry.

This transition is not a rupture. Scientific excellence and technological rigor remain central to our DNA, rooted in the research ecosystem and standards of the Paris Brain Institute.

What changes is the depth of our involvement and the tools we deploy to maximize the probability of success for early projects.

Two levers powering the new model

1) Pre-creation funding to de-risk in the lab

Thanks to our philanthropic fund, we go beyond traditional incubation by deploying dedicated pre-seed funding before company creation. This enables teams to generate the data needed to reduce technical risk where it matters most: in the lab, at the earliest stage.

2) Equity partnership aligned with founders

We are replacing a classic “space and support” model with an equity-based approach, taking stakes in future companies. This ensures strong alignment of interests and allows us to co-build ventures—strategy, milestones, fundraising readiness, and long-term execution.

With this approach, the NeurAL startup studio is designed to help deeptech teams move faster, build stronger foundations, and become investable earlier.

Scientific excellence in the service of patient impact

Our mission is to bring forth startups in neuroscience and psychiatry based on deeptech innovations, structure them, make them attractive for fundraising, and create long-term value for the Paris Brain Institute.

We are guided by unwavering values: scientific rigor and high standards, prioritizing patient benefit, pursuing maximal medical, social, and societal impact, and maintaining uncompromising ethics.

“This name change marks the acceleration of our commitment. By becoming NeurAL, we are positioning ourselves as a key player—investor and active partner—in transforming cutting-edge academic research into concrete solutions for patients. We enter this new era with tremendous enthusiasm.” said Géraldine Farjot, Director of Innovation at the Paris Brain Institute.