Eyeo raises €15 million to make cameras razor sharp
New company claims breakthrough in color-splitting photonics: triple light sensitivity and higher resolutions for sensors.
Published on May 7, 2025
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Eyeo has raised €15 million in a financing round led by imec.xpand and Invest-NL, with participation from QBIC Fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM). Eyeo, which has been operating in stealth mode until today, aims to revolutionize the market for image sensors for consumer applications and industry. This breakthrough will enable improvements in image quality, color accuracy, resolution, and cost efficiency that were previously unattainable for smartphones and other applications.
The funds raised will be used to develop evaluation kits, prepare for large-scale production of the first sensor product, and expand commercial partnerships to bring this technology to market. Eyeo is based in Eindhoven and has an R&D office in Leuven.
Color filters
For decades, image sensors have used red, green, and blue as color filters on each pixel to capture color images. However, these filters block a large portion of the incoming light, reducing the camera's sensitivity. They also limit pixel size to above 0.5 micrometers. These limitations have slowed the development of camera technology and make it difficult to improve both image quality and efficiency.
In smartphones, manufacturers try to compensate for this by using larger sensors – and therefore larger cameras – to capture more light. This improves performance in low light, but makes devices thicker and heavier. For slimmer phones and emerging applications such as robots and AR/VR devices, compact, light-sensitive sensors are essential – with minimal dimensions, low energy consumption, and high image quality.
© Eyeo
Color splitting
Eyeo developed a new design for image sensors that eliminates the need for traditional color filters. Using vertical waveguides, incoming light is split into colors and directed to the correct pixels. This allows sensors to utilize almost all of the light, resulting in a threefold increase in light sensitivity compared to existing technologies. This is particularly valuable in low-light conditions, where current sensors struggle to deliver clear and reliable images.
Unlike traditional filters, which block parts of the color spectrum and then have to be supplemented by software, Eyeo's pixels receive full color information. This immediately doubles the resolution and delivers sharper, more detailed images. Ideal for applications where precision counts, such as computational photography, machine vision, and spatial computing.
Eyeo CEO Jeroen Hoet: “Eyeo is redefining image capture by ending technological limitations that have existed for decades. Utilizing all incoming light and dramatically improving resolution is just the beginning. This technology enables new applications, from ultra-compact sensors to better low-light performance, extremely high resolution, and maximum image quality. We're not just improving existing systems—we're raising the bar for the future of imaging technology.”
