Say goodbye to grainy night shots and bulky camera bumps—Eindhoven’s eyeo wants to change how machines see the world. The imaging startup has raised €15 million in Seed funding to bring its nanophotonic sensor technology to market.
Their aim is to dramatically boost image quality, resolution, and low-light performance without increasing camera size.
The round was co-led by imec.xpand and Invest-NL, and also included participation from QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and Brabant Development Agency (BOM). The fresh capital will fuel the development of eyeo’s evaluation kits, scale-up plans for its first sensor product, and support commercial partnerships.
Jeroen Hoet, CEO of eyeo: “Eyeo is fundamentally redefining image sensing by eliminating decades-old limitations. Capturing all incoming light and drastically improving resolution is just the start—this technology paves the way for entirely new applications in imaging, from ultra-compact sensors to enhanced low-light performance, ultra-high resolution, and maximum image quality. We’re not just improving existing systems; we’re creating a new standard for the future of imaging.”
Founded in 2023, eyeo’s mission is to redefine image sensing by tackling the light-capturing limitations that, according to them, have constrained camera technology for decades.
Traditional sensors rely on red, green, and blue filters applied to pixels, a method that discards up to 70% of incoming light. Eyeo’s innovation lies in nanophotonic colour-splitting technology, which replaces these filters with vertical waveguides that guide light directly to the appropriate pixels.
This reportedly not only eliminates light loss but also improves image resolution and fidelity.
eyeo claims it can achieve sub-0.5-micron pixels, enabling ultra-compact sensors with top-tier performance. These could be especially useful in mobile devices, robotics, and XR gear, where power efficiency, size, and image quality are crucial.
Moreover, by providing full-colour information directly to pixels—rather than relying on software interpolation—eyeo’s sensors reportedly deliver double the resolution and three times the sensitivity of conventional alternatives. The technology is also compatible with existing CMOS platforms.
In smartphones, manufacturers have been compensating for poor low-light performance by simply increasing sensor sizes, which results in bulkier camera modules. Eyeo’s approach, which improves performance without increasing sensor size, offers a solution particularly attractive to OEMs aiming to keep devices slim and visually appealing.
Beyond smartphones, its potential extends to computational photography, machine vision, and spatial computing—industries where precision and image clarity are critical.
eyeo plans to release evaluation kits to selected customers within the next two years, using the funding to refine its sensor architecture and scale the manufacturing process.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/05/dutch-startup-eyeo-snaps-up-e15-million-to-sharpen-the-future-of-imaging/
