AR/VR lens manufacturer Imagia raised USD 4.5 million in a seed financing round led by Gates Frontier, with participation from MetaVC Partners and other strategic investors.

The company noted that funding received will speed up the progress and early commercial release of the initial version of its flat, silicon-based optical lenses.

Imagia develops and manufactures optical lenses using metamaterial principles that are scalable and compatible with standard light sources like LEDs. Further, the use of metalens technology condenses optical assembly into flat devices for AR glasses and holographic displays, with prototype testing showcasing over a 90% optical system volume reduction.

Analyst QuickTake: Recently, there has been growing funding interest in the AR/VR lens manufacturing sector, with Imagia's funding round following the Series A funding rounds of Mojo Vision and OQMented in April 2023. Mojo Vision raised funding to bring its micro-LED displays to commercial usage, while OQMented secured funding to enhance the laser beam scanning technology (LBS) used in its AR glasses.