Neuralink cofounder Elon Musk.
Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images
Demand for a piece of anything related to Elon Musk is booming.The near-trillionaire's brain chip startup, Neuralink, is being valued as high as $42 billion in recent secondary market transactions, according to correspondence seen by Business Insider and a person familiar with the matter.That's an almost five-time increase from Neuralink's last funding round last year, when the startup raised at a $9 billion valuation, Semafor reported at the time.According to private markets research provider, Caplight, transactions in recent months have ranged from $29 billion to $42 billion, with some current bidders even attempting to buy shares at an almost $60 billion valuation.Neuralink's soaring secondary-market valuation reflects investors' growing appetite for a piece of Elon Musk's AI and robotics empire. Following SpaceX's blockbuster IPO, private investors are increasingly willing to pay steep premiums for access to Musk's remaining startups.Because Neuralink is a private company, some investors buy shares via secondary markets, where stock is sold by employees or early investors. These valuations are estimates based on demand rather than continuous public-market prices.Neuralink didn't respond to a request for comment.
