Seattle-area startup Lumotive has received $13 million to accelerate production of semiconductor chips tuned for 3D sensors used in delivery drones, self-driving cars and mobile home robots.
The round was led by Samsung Ventures, with participation from new investors USAA and Uniquest. The fresh cash brings his total funding to date to over $56 million.
The Redmond, Wash.-based startup uses metamaterials to “steer” laser light. The company’s flagship product is the Light Control Metasurface (LCM), a patented beam steering semiconductor.
Founded in 2017, Lumotive was spun out of Bellevue, Washington-based Intellectual Ventures. Kymeta, Echodyne, Evolv and Pivotal Commware are among the other startups using metamaterials. The company says it has more than 20 customers in the autonomy, automation and augmented reality (AR) markets.
“Our LCM (Light Control Metasurface) chips are uniquely positioned to address a wide range of sensory and safety requirements across these sectors,” said CEO Sam Heidari in a statement. “This additional funding will accelerate the deployment of his current generation of LCM chips and the development of next-generation products.”
Lumotive was founded by William Colleran, who retired in June 2021, and the company’s current Chief Technology Officer, Gleb Akselrod. Former CEO of Quantenna Communications, Hedari joined the company in October 2021. The company has about 31 employees, according to LinkedIn.
The sensor technology industry has been consolidating in recent years. Publicly traded lidar hardware company Luminar announced Wednesday that it has acquired San Francisco-based lidar data startup Civil Maps. Self-driving car startup Aurora acquired OURS Technology in February 2021. Aurora also acquired Montana-based lidar startup Blackmore in May 2019.
Lumotive is currently showcasing its technology at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas with MicroVision, based in Redmond, Washington, USA. It sells solutions for micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS)-based automotive lidar and advanced driver assistance systems.
