Starting on July 17 at 10 AM on SeedBlink, investors and business angels can participate in this financing round, with a minimum investment of EUR2,500. The target amount for this round is EUR1,000,000, with co-investors such as the European Innovation Council and Venture to Future Fund contributing EUR4 million.
“(…) I founded .lumen to help people, and on the way, I found that we can do so much more. We’re opening this round to everyone, not just institutional investors, because we want more people to be part of our story. Join us in this mission to make impact, not just money,” said Cornel Amariei, founder and CEO of .lumen.
Venture to Future Fund is making one of the few investments outside Slovakia, signaling strong confidence in .lumen’s technology and vision.
.lumen’s first product, the Glasses, replicates the main features of the guide dog using autonomous driving technology, the officials of the startup explained. By comparison, if a guide dog works by pulling one’s hand, the .lumen device does this with its proprietary haptic interface, which “pulls” the user’s head. This technology has been tested by over 300 blind individuals from almost 30 countries, the company said.
The underlying technology in the Glasses is Pedestrian Autonomous Driving AI (PAD AI), which is a general level self-driving software capable of revolutionizing delivery robotics, AR, or even dual use. In the future, this technology will enable humanoid robots to deliver parcels up to someone’s door and is patented internationally.
.lumen’s strategic roadmap includes a limited series launching in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the USA market entry in fourth quarter of 2025. The company aims to sell 10,000 units by the end of 2026. These efforts are supported by a robust team of 50 engineers, professors, disability experts, designers, and scientists, the company officials say.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)