eyeo, a nanophotonic imaging company, has raised €40 million in a Series A round led by Innovation Industries, with participation from imec.xpand, Invest-NL, Qbic, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Brabant Development Agency, and support via the EU-backed InvestEU Fund.
The funding brings the company’s total capital raised to €55 million as it moves toward commercial deployment of its imaging technology across consumer electronics, industrial systems, XR devices, and autonomous applications.
What The Company Does
eyeo develops nanophotonic colour-splitting technology designed to improve the performance of modern image sensors. The company originated from research at imec and focuses on replacing conventional colour filter systems used in CMOS sensors.
Its core product, the NCOS® platform, removes traditional colour filters that typically block a portion of incoming light. Instead, it splits and directs light more efficiently to individual pixels, improving how sensors capture and process visual information.
This approach increases light sensitivity, improves colour accuracy, and enables higher-resolution imaging in compact sensor architectures. The technology is compatible with existing CMOS manufacturing processes and supports ultra-small pixel designs, which are increasingly important for modern devices such as smartphones and embedded vision systems.
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Market Context / Industry Background
Imaging systems are a foundational component across multiple fast-growing sectors, including mobile devices, autonomous systems, industrial automation, and extended reality. Despite major advances in processing power and AI, sensor technology itself has seen slower structural change, with many systems still relying on long-established colour filtering methods.
Demand for higher-quality imaging is increasing as applications require more precise visual data in constrained environments. Autonomous systems, for example, depend heavily on accurate real-time perception, while XR devices require compact sensors capable of high fidelity imaging under variable lighting conditions.
At the same time, semiconductor-level innovation is becoming more specialised, with nanophotonics emerging as a key field for improving how light is manipulated at the pixel level. Companies like eyeo are positioning themselves at this intersection of optics and advanced semiconductor design, where incremental gains in sensor efficiency can have system-wide impacts.
Founder / Investor Commentary
eyeo co-founder and CEO Jeroen Hoet described the company’s technology as addressing a long-standing structural limitation in imaging systems. He noted that many modern devices remain constrained by legacy optical design choices that have persisted for decades, limiting performance improvements even as downstream computing capabilities have advanced.
According to Hoet, the company’s approach has already reached technical validation milestones, including fabrication in commercial environments and early engagement with tier-one customers. This signals a transition from research-driven development toward industrial adoption, where integration into established hardware supply chains becomes critical.
Growth Plans / Use Of Funds
The €40 million investment will be used to scale eyeo’s engineering and product development teams, with a focus on accelerating commercial deployment of its NCOS® platform. A key priority is deepening collaboration with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across consumer electronics and industrial imaging markets.
The company also plans to expand work on next-generation 3D-stacked CMOS image sensors, an area increasingly relevant for high-performance compact devices. Additional investment will go into strengthening integrated circuit design and system architecture capabilities to support larger-scale manufacturing and integration.
Overall, the funding marks a shift from early-stage technology validation toward broader industrial rollout and ecosystem integration.
About eyeo
eyeo is a Dutch nanophotonic imaging technology company developing advanced sensor solutions for applications in smartphones, industrial systems, extended reality (XR), smart cities, and autonomous technologies. Founded to commercialise research from imec, the company specializes in nanophotonic colour-splitting systems that improve image sensor efficiency and performance. Its NCOS® platform replaces traditional colour filters by directing light more efficiently to individual pixels, resulting in improved sensitivity, higher resolution, and enhanced colour accuracy.
