Imec, a leading research and innovation hub in digital technologies, has announced that its spin off, eyeo, has raised €15 million in seed funding to propel its breakthrough sensors that will give cameras perfect eyesight.

Accordingly, 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.

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

Decades-Old Color Filter Technology

For many decades, image sensors have relied on the application of red, green, and blue color filters on pixels to make everyday color picture or video.  However, color filters block a large portion of the incoming light. Thus, limiting the sensitivity of the camera.

For the longest time, the decades-old filter technology throws away 70 percent of light, which cripples sensor performance. 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.

Specifically, in smartphone cameras, manufacturers have compensated for this limitation by increasing the sensor 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.

Color-Splitting via Vertical Waveguides

For that reason, eyeo introduces a novel image sensor architecture that eliminates the need for traditional color filters. Therefore, making it possible to maximize sensitivity without increasing sensor size.

Leveraging breakthrough vertical waveguide-based technology that splits light into colors, eyeo develops sensors that efficiently capture and utilize 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 colors (information that is then interpolated through software processing), eyeo’s waveguide technology allows pixels to receive complete color 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: “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 commercialization of its technology.

The €15 million seed funding will be used to improve its current camera sensor designs further. Thus, optimizing 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 color cameras.

The first evaluation kits are to be available for selected customers within the next two years.

Eyeo is headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, with an R&D office in Leuven, Belgium.

08 May 2025