LiDAR company Blickfeld raises €7.5 million of initial growth financing
- Investors are increasing their financing of the LiDAR company Blickfeld to bolster the market penetration of its smart LiDAR products
- These products are disrupting supply chain and security applications by providing real-time 3D information easily
Munich, December 18th, 2023 – Blickfeld, an innovative LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) solutions manufacturer, has secured 7€,5 million of Initial Growth Financing. Led by private equity firm New Future Capital (NFC) and UVC Partners, all existing capital providers are participating: Bayern Kapital, Continental, Fluxunit - ams OSRAM Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Tengelmann Ventures.
Blickfeld’s high growth rates in recent months and the achievement of sales milestones have convinced investors to provide additional funding. This is intended to fuel sales dynamics further, double revenue in the upcoming year and beyond, and enhance Blickfeld’s market presence mainly in Europe, North America, and China. Among the measures to achieve this are intensified marketing and sales activities and investments in further developing the company’s proprietary LiDAR technology and solutions tailored for specific industries.
Disruptive technology that convinces
Blickfeld’s LiDAR sensors capture real-time 3D data, while the company’s proprietary software “Percept” transforms this data into actionable insights with great benefit for users. Blickfeld’s most groundbreaking innovation is the LiDAR sensor model Qb2 which has been in mass production since the middle of this year. Qb2 is the first industrial smart LiDAR sensor featuring fully integrated perception software within its ultra-compact design, presenting a unique proposition in the market. The combination of hardware and software in one small device unlocks a spectrum of pioneering applications. Currently, Blickfeld is experiencing the most growth in the areas of volume monitoring of bulk goods, where major companies in sectors like agriculture and waste management, such as Levenseat and EEW Energy from Waste GmbH are opting for the Blickfeld solution, and in security applications, where an increasing number of operators in critical infrastructure like airports or power stations are adopting Blickfeld LiDAR technology for exceptionally reliable detection of unauthorized intrusion.
Mathias Müller, founder and CEO of Blickfeld, states: “Our investors’ recurrent commitment is a sign of trust in our unique solutions and our ability to develop and fulfill an international demand. We are confident that our cutting-edge LiDAR technology will establish itself soon as an indispensable standard in numerous industries and applications. It's good to know that we have our investors as strong partners by our side!”
Tiffany Luo, CEO at New Future Capital, asserts: “We are excited to see how Blickfeld has created a unique position for itself successfully in various industries with huge market potential. Blickfeld’s new and highly value-adding technology has the potential to conquer numerous markets rapidly. Thus, we are delighted to continue supporting the company’s path alongside the other investors.”
Andreas Unseld, General Partner of UVC Partners, says: “LiDAR has been very challenging – in terms of technology but also of market fit. Most companies founded in the LiDAR space have not been able to face both of these aspects. Blickfeld has solved these challenges perfectly and is looking into a bright future because they can now address a wide variety of applications with a fully industrialized, high-performance, and low-cost full-stack solution, including hardware and software in a device not much bigger than the palm of a hand.”
Dr. Daniel Reese, Investment Manager at UVC Partners, says: “Blickfeld has established itself successfully with several industrial applications use cases with exact detection applications (such as security and volume measurement). However, we believe that there is a lot more potential in the industry and especially for Blickfeld. We believe that Blickfeld’s disruptive LiDAR technology has the potential to bring significant enhancements across numerous domains, and we are thrilled to further back the company’s success story.”
Images are available for download in the Blickfeld Cloud.
About Blickfeld
Capturing the real world for a smarter, safer and more efficient future.
Blickfeld is a leading innovator in LiDAR technology, providing cutting-edge solutions for analyzing, optimizing, and automating the world. The advanced LiDAR sensors capture 3D data in real-time and the user-friendly perception software converts this data into actionable insights.
This combination of hardware and software enables a wide range of trailblazing applications from volume sensing to privacy-compliant people counting to improving security systems and autonomous functions in smart mobility solutions. Based on numerous patent families, Blickfeld’s LiDAR solutions are designed to meet the highest standards for performance, cost-effectiveness, compactness, and scalability. The Qb2 is the first industrial Smart LiDAR sensor, which features fully integrated perception software in its compact design, making it a unique offering in the market.
Blickfeld GmbH was founded in Munich in 2017, employs over 160 people and operates subsidiaries in the USA (Blickfeld North America) and China (Blickfeld Optoelectronics Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.). Blickfeld is backed by Bayern Kapital, Continental, Fluxunit - ams OSRAM Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds, New Future Capital (NFC), Tengelmann Ventures and UVC Partners.
For more information on how Blickfeld's LiDAR technology can help your business or organization, please visit our website at www.blickfeld.com.
About UVC Partners
UVC Partners is a leading Munich- and Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in European B2B tech start-ups from pre-seed to series A. With about €400 million in assets under management, UVC Partners typically invests between €500,000 and €10 million initially and up to €30 million per company. The portfolio includes category leaders in deep tech, climate tech, hard- and software, and mobility with various technologies and business models. As an independent partner of UnternehmerTUM, Europe's most extensive innovation and startup center, UVC Partners has access to proprietary deal flow, an industrial network of more than 1,000 corporates, and access to talent from the leading European technical university. The investments include Flix, Vimcar, planqc, Tanso, Isar Aerospace, TWAICE, DeepDrive, STABL, and many more. They all benefit from the team's extensive investment and exit experience, their ability to build sustainable category leaders with a competitive advantage, and their passion for growing the game changers of tomorrow.
Learn more at www.uvcpartners.com
