Untapped Ventures Invests in EON Systems to Pioneer Whole-Brain Emulation
Building the foundational infrastructure for digital brains by mapping neural connectomes at unprecedented scale and precision
One of the greatest challenges faced by scientists has perplexed many for decades: understanding the fundamental mechanisms of intelligence and consciousness. Today, we’re excited to announce Untapped Ventures’ investment in EON Systems’ $3.5M seed funding round, led by Protocol Labs.
EON Systems is tackling what may be the most ambitious scientific challenge of our time: creating complete digital emulations of brains by mapping neural connectomes at unprecedented scale and precision. To appreciate the magnitude of this undertaking, consider that the human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons and over 100 trillion synaptic connections; vastly more complex than any current digital system.
Until recently, progress in connectomics has been painstakingly slow. Only one organism, the Caenorhabditis elegans worm, with just 302 neurons, has had its complete connectome mapped. And that effort took over a decade. The recent completion of a mouse brain map (approximately 75 million neurons) required a massive collaboration between the Allen Institute and Princeton, involving petabytes of data and millions of dollars in computational resources.
However, we’re now at a critical inflection point. Foundational AI models can automate the proofreading of connectomic datasets, taking humans out of the loop and reducing costs by 1000x. This technological breakthrough makes EON’s ambitious vision both technically and financially feasible for the first time.
EON Systems is led by CEO Michael Andregg, a 3x founder with deep experience in machine intelligence, artificial neural networks, and biotechnology. His background includes making DNA sequencing more accessible and building large-scale neural architectures. Working alongside him is CSO Aurelia Song, who studied under AI pioneer Marvin Minsky at MIT and currently leads Nectome, a company focused on understanding how brains physically create memories. Their team includes notable researchers like Philip Shiu, who achieved the first fruit fly brain upload and has been featured in Nature.
The company’s approach combines cutting-edge expansion microscopy to capture every neural connection with extensive functional imaging that reveals how these networks operate dynamically. EON has already demonstrated success with fruit fly experiments and is now progressing to mouse models, with the ambitious goal of achieving complete mouse brain emulation within two years.
Beyond the financial opportunity, the implications of success extend to some of humanity’s most pressing challenges. Brain emulation technology could unlock new approaches to neurological diseases, accelerate AI development by providing biological blueprints for intelligence, and advance our fundamental understanding of consciousness itself.
This investment aligns perfectly with our thesis at Untapped Ventures: backing transformative technologies that solve profound problems and create entirely new possibilities. EON represents the kind of long-term, moonshot thinking that drives breakthrough innovation; one that is not just solving today’s problems, but laying the groundwork for advances that will matter for decades.
We’re thrilled to support Michael, Aurelia, and the entire EON team as they work to unlock one of nature’s most complex and fascinating systems.
If you’re a technical founder building at the frontier of AI, we want to meet you.
Untapped Ventures backs category-defining AI-native startups at the pre-seed and seed stage, investing $500K-$2M+ in founders with deep technical conviction and urgency to move fast. Our focus spans Agentic AI, Vertical AI, AI Infrastructure, and frontier systems that unlock entirely new capabilities.
If you’re building something ambitious and non-obvious - and thinking years ahead, not quarter - pitch us through our submission form. We’re excited to partner early and help you turn conviction into momentum.