AIRY3D raises US$10 million Series A funding led by Intel Capital

Accelerating the launch of its single sensor solution for 3D computer vision

AIRY3D Inc., a Montreal-based 3D computer vision start-up, today announced that it has raised US$10 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by Intel Capital, including all Seed round investors CRCM Ventures, Nautilus Venture Partners, R7 Partners, Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), and WI Harper Group along with several angel investors that are affiliates of TandemLaunch, the incubator that spun out AIRY3D. This financing will allow AIRY3D to advance its licensing roadmap for the first commercial adoptions of its DepthIQTM 3D sensor platform with top-tier mobile OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in 2019.

A simple, drop-in solution, DepthIQTM is an enabler for many burgeoning markets that span mobile, automotive, AR/VR, drones, robotics, smart homes and beyond.

“The simplicity and cost-efficiency of AIRY3D’s 3D sensor technology, which does not require multiple components, helps position AIRY3D’s technology as a potential enabler for many target markets”, said Dave Flanagan, vice president and group managing director at Intel Capital.

Beyond the mobile market: 3D sensors are enabling new applications such as life-saving technologies in the automotive industry.

“AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM platform is a cost-effective technology that can accelerate the adoption of several new applications such as facial, gesture and object recognition, portrait modes, professional ‘Bokeh’ effects, and image segmentation in mobile markets and beyond,” said Dr. Ingo Ramesohl, Managing Director at Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH. “We see tremendous opportunities in one of the largest business areas of Bosch – the automotive industry. The adoption of 3D cameras inside the cabin and outside with ADAS can drive significant improvements in safety and facilitate the industry’s shift towards autonomous vehicles.”

“After concluding our Seed round in March 2017, we fabricated DepthIQTM 3D sensors on state-of-the-art CMOS wafers in collaboration with a leading sensor OEM. AIRY3D has since demonstrated 3D camera prototypes and numerous use cases. With the support of Intel, Bosch and our other investors, we now are formalizing partnerships with camera sensor OEMs and design-in collaborations with industry leading end customers in our strategic markets,” said Dan Button, CEO of AIRY3D.

AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM platform can convert any single 2D imaging sensor into one that generates a 2D image and 3D depth data. It combines simple optical physics (our broadly patented, in situ Transmissive Diffraction Mask technology) with proprietary algorithms to deliver versatile 3D sensing solutions while preserving 2D performance. The simplicity of this solution, including its inherently compressed data set, translates to dramatic savings in hardware, size and computational load. In turn, this enables faster, cheaper, smaller 3D solutions that facilitate numerous human and machine vision applications, and machine learning.

Click here to view how AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM technology can render 3D point cloud images from a single image taken from a single camera (shown as a 2D image).

Accelerating the launch of its single sensor solution for 3D computer vision

AIRY3D Inc., a Montreal-based 3D computer vision start-up, today announced that it has raised US$10 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by Intel Capital, including all Seed round investors CRCM Ventures, Nautilus Venture Partners, R7 Partners, Robert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), and WI Harper Group along with several angel investors that are affiliates of TandemLaunch, the incubator that spun out AIRY3D. This financing will allow AIRY3D to advance its licensing roadmap for the first commercial adoptions of its DepthIQTM 3D sensor platform with top-tier mobile OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in 2019.

A simple, drop-in solution, DepthIQTM is an enabler for many burgeoning markets that span mobile, automotive, AR/VR, drones, robotics, smart homes and beyond.

“The simplicity and cost-efficiency of AIRY3D’s 3D sensor technology, which does not require multiple components, helps position AIRY3D’s technology as a potential enabler for many target markets”, said Dave Flanagan, vice president and group managing director at Intel Capital.

Beyond the mobile market: 3D sensors are enabling new applications such as life-saving technologies in the automotive industry.

“AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM platform is a cost-effective technology that can accelerate the adoption of several new applications such as facial, gesture and object recognition, portrait modes, professional ‘Bokeh’ effects, and image segmentation in mobile markets and beyond,” said Dr. Ingo Ramesohl, Managing Director at Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH. “We see tremendous opportunities in one of the largest business areas of Bosch – the automotive industry. The adoption of 3D cameras inside the cabin and outside with ADAS can drive significant improvements in safety and facilitate the industry’s shift towards autonomous vehicles.”

“After concluding our Seed round in March 2017, we fabricated DepthIQTM 3D sensors on state-of-the-art CMOS wafers in collaboration with a leading sensor OEM. AIRY3D has since demonstrated 3D camera prototypes and numerous use cases. With the support of Intel, Bosch and our other investors, we now are formalizing partnerships with camera sensor OEMs and design-in collaborations with industry leading end customers in our strategic markets,” said Dan Button, CEO of AIRY3D.

AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM platform can convert any single 2D imaging sensor into one that generates a 2D image and 3D depth data. It combines simple optical physics (our broadly patented, in situ Transmissive Diffraction Mask technology) with proprietary algorithms to deliver versatile 3D sensing solutions while preserving 2D performance. The simplicity of this solution, including its inherently compressed data set, translates to dramatic savings in hardware, size and computational load. In turn, this enables faster, cheaper, smaller 3D solutions that facilitate numerous human and machine vision applications, and machine learning.

Click here to view how AIRY3D’s DepthIQTM technology can render 3D point cloud images from a single image taken from a single camera (shown as a 2D image).