Optics11 and Optics11 Life secure funding to accelerate growth

Optics11 and Optics11 Life have secured funding from Rabobank. The funding will be used to strongly accelerate growth across global markets, to further build the team for the future and to strategically expand the high-tech product portfolios of both business units.

“This is the right moment to pick up the pace. Rabobank’s funding helps us to further scale up the operations, and allow our sensing technology to really make a difference for our customers”, says Niek Rijnveld, CEO.

Both business units have developed unique technology and IP, and are addressing significant market opportunities that are emerging from today’s global societal challenges.

Optics11 Life provides measurement instrumentation that will drastically improve medical treatment in the near future, leading to faster and more effective drug development, better diagnostics and novel treatment methods. Optics11 product portfolio provides number of industries with systems that allow safe and remote measurements, control assets condition, and prevent equipment failures with an unmatched level of performance.

Optics11 Life addresses key instrumentation needs for the future of medical treatment. Developments based on 3D cell culture such as organoids and engineered tissues, will drastically improve drug development, regenerative medicine and diagnostics processes. Optics11 Life provides enabling technology to drive these developments forward, and to help understand, optimize and monitor these emerging processes so that they can improve medical treatment.

Optics11 is a photonics sensing technology powerhouse. Its unique fiber sensing systems address key needs in condition and structural health monitoring of the power grid, wind power, the manufacturing industry and underwater acoustics for defence and security. This powerful product portfolio will be further rolled-out in these key application areas, creating strong symbiotic partnerships with our customers.

From a successful start-up 10 years ago to a promising future

Optics11 Life and Optics11 are two business units of a spin-off of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, founded by Prof. Davide Iannuzzi and Hans Brouwer in 2011. Both business units have grown substantially over the past years, bringing unique fiber sensing technology to the life science and industrial markets. In 2016, Value Creation Capital’s investment helped both operations achieve global reach.

Optics11 Life’s current product portfolio is aimed at using mechanics as a powerful label-free biomarker, at quality control of biomaterials and to further research mechanobiology. New products will be announced later this year, targeting cardiovascular applications as well as organoids.

Optics11’s fiber sensing technology provides unmatched performance where and when it matters most. The fiber sensing system portfolio includes acoustic emission sensing, hydrophone arrays, and extremely reliable strain, temperature and acceleration sensing.

About Rabobank Amsterdam
Rabobank Amsterdam is a cooperative bank with a mission. Together with customers, members and partners, they are committed to a stronger living environment and to the major social and environmental challenges of today.

Rabobank attaches great value to strengthening the knowledge economy in the Amsterdam region and contributes to the innovative strength of entrepreneurs through the partnership. This is achieved with the support of the Rabobank Startup & Scale Up Team, which is specialised in helping out fast growing and innovative Startups & Scale Ups.

“Optics11 Life and Optics11 are, as spin-offs of the VU Amsterdam, very special scale ups for the Metropole Region Amsterdam. Rabobank is very proud it can support their growth worldwide as well as in further developing their unique product portfolio,” – Pieter Mullink, Rabobank