Dutch startup Eyeo has secured €15M in an oversubscribed seed round to commercialise a new approach to image sensor design that promises to boost light sensitivity, color accuracy, and resolution.
The round was co-led by imec.xpand and Dutch impact investor Invest-NL, with additional backing from QBIC Fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and returning investor Brabant Development Agency (BOM).
Eyeo is building on technology originally developed at imec, the world-renowned nanoelectronics R&D center, to bring a photonics breakthrough to the €20B image sensor market. Its core innovation replaces traditional colour filters with a color-splitting architecture using vertical waveguides.
The startup has formed partnerships with leading image sensor manufacturers and semiconductor foundries to prepare its technology for scale. The newly raised capital will be used to develop evaluation kits, advance sensor design toward mass production, and expand its commercial reach. The first prototypes are expected to reach selected customers within two years.
At the heart of the problem Eyeo is tackling is the Bayer filter – the red-green-blue grid overlaid on most image sensors – which blocks the majority of light from reaching the pixel. Not only does this reduce sensitivity, but it also limits the ability to shrink pixel sizes further, constraining innovation in compact devices like smartphones, AR/VR headsets, and robotics systems where image quality, power efficiency, and miniaturization are increasingly critical.
Eyeo’s waveguide-based solution splits incoming photons by wavelength and directs them to specific pixels, enabling sensors to capture full-spectrum color data natively. This obviates the need for software interpolation, effectively doubling image resolution and unlocking clearer detail, especially in low-light conditions. The approach is compatible with existing sensor fabrication methods, making it more feasible for integration into mainstream supply chains.
The global image sensor market is rapidly evolving, fueled by the proliferation of cameras in smartphones, autonomous systems, smart cities, and immersive computing. As consumer demand increasingly favors devices with slimmer form factors and higher image fidelity, manufacturers are under pressure to deliver better performance without increasing component size.
“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,” said Jeroen Hoet, CEO of Eyeo.
“We believe Eyeo’s solution is a genuine leap in imaging performance, addressing a core bottleneck in sensor design that has limited innovation for decades,” said representatives from imec.xpand, the deep-tech investment fund affiliated with Eyeo’s research origin. Their involvement, along with public-private backers like Invest-NL and HTGF, positions Eyeo to bridge the gap from lab innovation to industrial deployment.
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