Amazon backs programmable optics startup Lumotive

Lumotive, a pioneering startup specializing in programmable optics, has successfully attracted new strategic investors in its Series B funding round. The company, based in Redmond, Washington, welcomed Amazon through its Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund and ITHCA Group, the investment division of Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, to the fold. With these additions, Lumotive's Series B funding has surged to $59 million, a significant increase from the $45 million it initially raised in February. To date, Lumotive has secured over $100 million in venture capital, showcasing strong investor confidence in its innovative technology. CEO Sam Heidari expressed to TechCrunch that the interest in their funding round exceeded his initial expectations, prompting the decision to reopen the round for both ITHCA Group and Amazon. He emphasized the strategic importance of Amazon’s involvement, stating, "We do appreciate the relationship more than the money." Lumotive’s cutting-edge Light Control Metasurface chips utilize nano-scale pixels that can be electronically manipulated to control light. This technology presents diverse applications, including providing a compact and cost-effective alternative to Lidar for autonomous vehicles and enabling optical switching in data centers. Heidari remarked, "It is a paradigm shift of being able to manipulate the light electronically." Founded in 2018, Lumotive began selling its chips in 2024, focusing on a targeted customer base. With the new influx of capital, the company plans to enhance its sales and marketing efforts while investing more in research and development. Heidari concluded, "It is not a science project anymore. It’s a proven technology in the field. We knew that there is a big demand for it. Not only can it work, it can work in a deployable fashion."