eyeo raises €15 million to give cameras perfect eyesight

Eyeo revolutionises the imaging market for consumer, industrial, XR, and security applications by drastically increasing the light sensitivity of image sensors. This breakthrough unlocks picture quality, colour accuracy, resolution, and cost efficiency, which was never before possible in smartphones and beyond.

The €15 million raised will drive evaluation kit development, prepare for scale manufacturing of a first sensor product, and expand commercial partnerships to bring this breakthrough imaging technology to market.

The problem

Decades-old colour filter technology throws away 70% of light, crippling sensor performance. For decades, image sensors have relied on the application of red, green, and blue colour filters on pixels to make your everyday colour picture or video. Colour filters, however, block a large portion of the incoming light, and thereby limit the sensitivity of the camera. Furthermore, they limit the scaling of the pixel size below ~0.5 micron. These longstanding issues have stalled advancements in camera technology, constraining both image quality and sensor efficiency. In smartphone cameras, manufacturers have compensated for this limitation by increasing the sensor and thus camera size, to capture more light.

While this improves low-light performance, it also leads to larger, bulkier cameras. Compact, high-sensitivity image sensors are essential for slimmer smartphones and emerging applications such as robotics and AR/VR devices, where size, power efficiency, and image quality are crucial.

The breakthrough

Colour-splitting via vertical waveguides. Eyeo introduces a novel image sensor architecture that eliminates the need for traditional colour filters, making it possible to maximise sensitivity without increasing sensor size. Leveraging breakthrough vertical waveguide-based technology that splits light into colours, eyeo develops sensors that efficiently capture and utilise all incoming light, tripling sensitivity compared to existing technologies. This is particularly valuable in low-light environments, where current sensors struggle to gather enough light for clear, reliable imaging.

Additionally, unlike traditional filters that block certain colours (information that is then interpolated through software processing), eyeo’s waveguide technology allows pixels to receive complete colour data. This approach instantly doubles resolution, delivering sharper, more detailed images for applications that demand precision, such as computational photography, machine vision, and spatial computing.

Jeroen Hoet, CEO of eyeo, said: “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.”

Market readiness and roadmap

eyeo has already established partnerships with leading image sensor manufacturers and foundries to ensure the successful commercialisation of its technology. The €15 million seed funding will be used to improve its current camera sensor designs further, optimising the waveguide technology for production scalability and accelerating the development of prototypes for evaluation. By working closely with industry leaders, eyeo aims to bring its advanced camera sensors to a wide range of applications, from smartphones and VR glasses to any compact device that uses colour cameras. The first evaluation kits are expected to be available for selected customers within the next two years.