Milan, 19 November 2024 – EYE2DRIVE, the innovative SME aiming to transform the field of vision sensors, has closed a 1.5 million euro funding round to expand its technological solutions and establish a presence in new markets. The fresh capital will accelerate the development of a new advanced sensor – currently in the testing phase – and strengthen the company’s position in both the industrial and automotive sectors. Inspired by the human eye, EYE2DRIVE’s patented software solutions replicate visual behaviour, particularly in terms of sensitivity and the ability to adapt to varying lighting conditions.

The round was led by RoboIT, the National Technology Transfer Centre for Robotics and Industrial Automation, launched by CDP Venture Capital Sgr together with Pariter Partners, an Italian player active in tech-transfer investments in the deep-tech sector. Also participating in the transaction are Motor Valley Accelerator, Pariter Robotics – the holding company dedicated to supporting robotics startups – and the regional co-investment fund Toscana Next. The latter was established and is managed by CDP Venture Capital SGR and subscribed by the leading banking foundations in Tuscany (Fondazione CR Firenze, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, Fondazione Caript, Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena) with the aim of maximising innovation investments for the region.

The funds will mainly be used in three key areas: strengthening the team with new specialist profiles, advancing research and development to improve the vision sensor and expanding commercial operations with the goal of securing a strategic partner in the automotive sector and consolidating the company’s position in the industry.

EYE2DRIVE’s journey has deep roots: in fact it began as the evolution of a research project launched by Monica Vatteroni, an electronic engineer with a PhD in Physics and 20 years of experience in VLSI design of CMOS image sensors developed by a group of researchers from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, initially aimed at creating new sensors for endoscopy. However, the need to address issues related to changing light conditions led the company to focus on broader markets such as automotive and industrial sectors.

EYE2DRIVE is currently engaged in major collaborations and aims to develop a pre-production version of a new sensor within the next 18 months while seeking strategic partners in the autonomous driving and industrial logistics sectors, where its technology can make a real difference.

EYE2DRIVE’s mission is clear: to innovate the semiconductor field with solutions that tackle image quality challenges, including applications in the increasingly strategic field of autonomous navigation by leveraging its sensor’s ability to dynamically adapt to variable lighting conditions, from automotive to logistics.

“The challenge for EYE2DRIVE is to operate in a key area such as semiconductors – a field whose applications are set to transform the technological landscape of the near future – while remaining in Italy, helping to foster a more advanced entrepreneurial culture in a sector that, thanks to legislative and governmental initiatives at both the national and European levels linked to the Chip Act, is beginning to make progress. In pursuing this goal, we are also proud to have a strong female presence from STEM backgrounds, and we hope that our team can inspire even more young women to take an active role in innovation and progress”, said Monica Vatteroni, CEO and co-founder of EYE2DRIVE.