eyeo, a Dutch company specializing in nanophotonic imaging technology, announced today that it has raised €40 million in Series A funding, bringing its total funding to €55 million. The round is led by Innovation Industries, with participation from existing investors imec.xpand, Invest-NL Deep Tech Fund, QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and Brabant Development Agency (BOM). The funding will accelerate the commercialization of eyeo's color-splitting sensor technology, which the company claims can triple the light sensitivity of image sensors.
The core of eyeo's innovation lies in its nanophotonic color-splitting approach, which replaces the conventional color filter array (CFA) used in most image sensors. Traditional CFAs absorb roughly 70% of incoming light, a limitation that has persisted for decades. Instead of filtering photons, eyeo's technology uses nanostructures to guide photons directly to the appropriate pixels based on their wavelength. This enables sensors to capture all incoming light, resulting in higher sensitivity, improved low-light performance, and native color fidelity without the need for demosaicing algorithms.
According to the company, eyeo's technology is compatible with any CMOS sensor platform and can enable sub-0.5-micron pixels, paving the way for ultra-compact, high-performance imaging in smartphones, extended reality (XR) devices, smart cities, and other applications. The global imaging market is valued at approximately $30 billion, and eyeo aims to capture a significant share by addressing the fundamental inefficiency of current sensors.
“This investment validates seven years of R&D and positions us to bring our nanophotonic sensors to production,” said a company representative. “Our technology can dramatically improve camera performance, especially in challenging lighting conditions, and open up new possibilities for compact imaging systems.”
The funding round is led by Innovation Industries, a deep tech investor. “eyeo’s nanophotonic approach represents a paradigm shift in imaging,” said a partner at Innovation Industries. “We believe their technology can become the new standard for image sensors, unlocking superior performance across a wide range of devices.”
eyeo was founded as a spin-off from imec and the Eindhoven University of Technology. The company is headquartered at High Tech Campus Eindhoven and has a sensor design center in Antwerp, Belgium. For more information, visit the company’s website at eyeo.tech. The full announcement, including images and biographies, is available here.
The imaging industry has long sought ways to overcome the light loss inherent in color filters. eyeo's solution, which has been in development for over seven years, promises to triple the light captured by sensors, which could significantly enhance camera performance in smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and medical imaging devices. With the new funding, eyeo plans to ramp up production and begin shipping samples to potential customers in the coming months.
