imec.xpand

Imec.xpand is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2017 and based in Leuven, Belgium, with an additional office in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The firm specializes in early-stage investments focused on nanoelectronics-based innovations across various sectors, including deep tech, health, and agtech. Imec.xpand aims to support projects that contribute to a sustainable society, encompassing areas such as smart health, smart mobility, smart cities, smart industries, and smart energy. By leveraging its connection to imec, a leading research and development hub for nanoelectronics and digital technology, imec.xpand seeks to foster groundbreaking ideas and technologies that can drive significant advancements in these fields.

Frank Bulens

Partner

Lien Callens

Principal

Benoit Devogelaere Ph.D

Partner

Tom Vanhoutte

Partner

38 past transactions

Zafrens

Series A in 2025
Zafrens is a drug discovery company founded in 2021 and headquartered in San Diego, California. It focuses on developing life sciences products that facilitate the detailed characterization of diverse cell populations. The company's innovative platform provides a resolution approach to studying interactions between cells and drugs, as well as between different cell types, by directly mapping the molecular states of individual cells. Zafrens leverages large volumes of curated experimental data to train artificial intelligence models for drug discovery, enhancing its capabilities in T cell immunotherapies and ribonucleic acid regulation. By integrating insights from biology, chemistry, and engineering, Zafrens aims to advance the medical industry with its proprietary data and experimental techniques.

Vertical Compute

Seed Round in 2025
Vertical Compute is a technology company specializing in semiconductor solutions. It develops chiplet-based technology that significantly reduces data movement, resulting in substantial energy savings of up to 80%. This innovative approach brings data closer to computation, enhancing the speed and efficiency of data processing. By doing so, Vertical Compute enables customers to improve the execution of large language models and other complex applications, while also promoting data privacy and energy efficiency.

Swave Photonics

Series A in 2025
Swave Photonics is a company that designs and markets advanced holographic chips utilizing proprietary diffractive photonics technology. Their innovative NanoPixel technology aims to deliver compact, lightweight, and high-resolution displays that enhance augmented reality experiences. By focusing on creating true holographic displays, Swave Photonics seeks to bridge the gap between digital content and the real world, empowering display manufacturers and content creators to visualize complex ideas and collaborate more effectively. The company's mission is to bring the metaverse to life, enabling immersive experiences that allow users to accomplish more in both personal and professional contexts.

Xavveo

Seed Round in 2024
Xavveo specializes in developing photonic radar sensor technology, with a focus on transforming manufacturing automation and autonomous driving. Their innovative system provides vehicles with a 360-degree view of their surroundings, enabling real-time decision-making and enhanced safety. Additionally, Xavveo offers services in factory automation and healthcare, aiming to improve patient monitoring.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics

Series B in 2024
INBRAIN Neuroelectronics is a medical device company based in Barcelona, Spain, founded in 2019. It specializes in developing graphene-based neural interfaces and intelligent neuromodulation systems aimed at treating brain disorders. The company has created the world's first graphene-based brain-computer interface (BCI) therapeutics platform, which integrates precise BCI decoding with micrometric modulation. This innovative technology allows for real-time monitoring and adaptive, personalized treatments for conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and stroke rehabilitation. By utilizing AI-driven solutions, INBRAIN maximizes therapeutic outcomes while minimizing side effects. The company is also expanding its capabilities through strategic partnerships, including collaborations with Merck KGaA and its subsidiary INNERVIA Bioelectronics, to explore applications in peripheral nerve and systemic diseases, advancing the field of neurotechnology and bioelectronics.

MICLEDI Microdisplays

Series A in 2024
MICLEDI Microdisplays BV is a Belgium-based company that specializes in the design and manufacture of micro light emitting diode (LED) display chips for augmented reality (AR) glasses. As a fabless developer, MICLEDI focuses on innovative technologies that combine III/V materials processing with 3D integration and 300mm silicon-based processing. The company aims to deliver high-quality, power-efficient AR displays by utilizing a proprietary ASIC, which allows for the creation of compact and self-contained display modules. Serving the semiconductor industry, MICLEDI is positioned at the forefront of microLED technology, contributing to the advancement of augmented reality applications.

Wise Integration

Series B in 2024
Developer of generative adversarial network integrated circuits and digital control specializing in power electronics based on gallium nitride technology designed to miniaturize power supplies and improve energy efficiency. The company's product can be used in chargers, power supplies for e-mobility, industrial applications, personal computer chargers, and data centers as well as offers efficiency and high-power-density alternating current and direct current converters and reliability for better usage, enabling clients to optimize system integration with reduced cost and size.

Onera Health

Series C in 2024
Onera Health, Inc. specializes in sleep diagnostic solutions and services aimed at identifying sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with a research and development office in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the company utilizes advanced sleep diagnostic patch systems that collect and analyze sleep data. These innovative solutions are designed to enhance patient care by providing comprehensive sleep test data to healthcare professionals across various settings, thereby improving the management of sleep-related ailments and potentially benefiting other medical fields through remote monitoring of chronic conditions. Onera Health's mission is to improve the health and quality of life for individuals struggling with sleep issues while also contributing to cost reductions in healthcare.

LUMA Vision

Series A in 2023
LUMA Vision is a company focused on developing connected intra-vascular medical devices to enhance the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Utilizing advanced four-dimensional imaging and artificial intelligence, LUMA Vision improves the efficacy of electrophysiology (EP) and structural heart interventions. The company's innovative approach enables healthcare professionals to conduct cardiac procedures that lead to better patient outcomes, increased procedural safety, and lower costs for the healthcare system. Through real-time tissue analysis, LUMA Vision is poised to transform how cardiac treatments are performed, ultimately benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.

SCIL Nanoimprint Solutions

Seed Round in 2023
SCIL Nanoimprint Solutions specializes in lithography technology designed for the patterning of nanostructures on large wafers. The company has developed a unique approach that merges the precision of rigid stamping with the adaptability of soft stamping techniques, effectively overcoming the limitations commonly associated with traditional rigid lithography. This innovative technology achieves nanometer resolution, making it suitable for applications in optics and various photonic products. By providing optimized equipment, consumable materials, and processes, SCIL Nanoimprint Solutions enables customers to enhance production efficiency, reduce end-product costs, and improve functionality, thereby supporting high-volume manufacturing in the nanotechnology sector.

Nagi Bioscience

Series A in 2023
Nagi Bioscience SA is a Swiss company based in Lausanne that specializes in developing and manufacturing an innovative automated testing device utilizing organism-on-chip technology. This device leverages the microscopic worm Caenorhabditis elegans for in vivo testing, enabling pharmaceutical, chemical, and cosmetic companies to assess the toxic and beneficial effects of various substances. By integrating fully automated in vitro handling, culture, and analysis, Nagi Bioscience's platform facilitates toxicity testing, drug discovery, and anthelmintic testing. This approach allows clients to evaluate comprehensive biological responses that can only be observed at the level of the whole organism, thereby transforming traditional testing methodologies.

Axithra

Seed Round in 2023
Axithra is a healthcare company that specializes in therapeutic medication monitoring, particularly focusing on beta-lactam antibiotics. It has developed a platform that leverages proprietary optical and photonics technology to enable rapid and accurate measurement of drug concentrations in the blood. This innovative approach facilitates the personalization of antibiotic treatments in intensive care settings, allowing healthcare providers to tailor therapies to meet the specific needs of individual patients. By providing precise measurements, Axithra aims to enhance patient care and optimize treatment outcomes for those receiving beta-lactam antibiotics.

Optalysys

Series A in 2023
Optalysys Inc. is a technology company specializing in the development and commercialization of optical coprocessors designed for artificial intelligence and deep learning applications. Founded in 2013 and based in Reno, Nevada, Optalysys leverages low-power laser light to perform processor-intensive tasks, such as convolution functions for image classification and recognition. Its optical systems are aimed at enhancing the performance of various applications, including autonomous vehicles, medical image analysis, and weather forecasting, all while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to traditional computing hardware. The company's innovative technology enables supercomputing capabilities on edge and mobile devices, enhances the efficiency of existing systems, and incorporates quantum secure encryption to protect sensitive data during processing.

Celestial AI

Series B in 2023
Celestial AI is a prominent artificial intelligence company that provides an advanced platform for users to efficiently create images, text, and presentations. Utilizing cutting-edge computer vision algorithms and natural language processing, the platform produces high-quality visual and textual content. Its intuitive design, combined with innovative features, facilitates easy content creation. Moreover, Celestial AI emphasizes intelligent data integration and prioritizes security, ensuring that users achieve impressive and reliable results.

Swave Photonics

Seed Round in 2023
Swave Photonics is a company that designs and markets advanced holographic chips utilizing proprietary diffractive photonics technology. Their innovative NanoPixel technology aims to deliver compact, lightweight, and high-resolution displays that enhance augmented reality experiences. By focusing on creating true holographic displays, Swave Photonics seeks to bridge the gap between digital content and the real world, empowering display manufacturers and content creators to visualize complex ideas and collaborate more effectively. The company's mission is to bring the metaverse to life, enabling immersive experiences that allow users to accomplish more in both personal and professional contexts.

Fabric8Labs

Series B in 2023
Fabric8Labs, Inc. is a technology company founded in 2015 and located in La Jolla, California, specializing in non-thermal metal 3D printing. The company has developed a proprietary process that combines stereo-lithography and electro-deposition, providing an innovative alternative to traditional powder bed fusion technologies. This method eliminates the reliance on metal powders, vacuum chambers, and lasers, which significantly reduces manufacturing costs while enhancing material quality. Fabric8Labs' technology allows clients to use cartridges that simplify the additive manufacturing process and facilitate the safe disposal of used salt cartridges, thereby promoting efficiency and sustainability in metal 3D printing.

Axelera AI

Series A in 2022
Axelera AI is a company focused on advancing artificial intelligence through its specialized hardware and software platforms, particularly for edge computing applications. Its flagship product, the Metis™ AI Platform, combines innovative hardware and software to offer high-performance and energy-efficient AI inference solutions. Recognized for its innovation, the platform was honored at the CES® 2024 Innovation Awards. Established in 2021, Axelera AI was incubated by Bitfury, a leader in emerging technologies, and partnered with imec, a prominent nano-technology group. The company is headquartered in the AI Innovation Center at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, with research and development offices located in Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. The team consists of experts in AI software and hardware, many of whom have backgrounds with leading AI firms and Fortune 500 companies. Axelera AI’s platform features a unique custom dataflow architecture with multicore in-memory computing, enabling clients to achieve optimal power efficiency while supporting various networks for sustainable edge applications.

Swave Photonics

Seed Round in 2022
Swave Photonics is a company that designs and markets advanced holographic chips utilizing proprietary diffractive photonics technology. Their innovative NanoPixel technology aims to deliver compact, lightweight, and high-resolution displays that enhance augmented reality experiences. By focusing on creating true holographic displays, Swave Photonics seeks to bridge the gap between digital content and the real world, empowering display manufacturers and content creators to visualize complex ideas and collaborate more effectively. The company's mission is to bring the metaverse to life, enabling immersive experiences that allow users to accomplish more in both personal and professional contexts.

SOLiTHOR

Seed Round in 2022
SOLiTHOR is a company focused on the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of solid-state battery technology. It aims to create high-energy storage solutions that promote a sustainable battery value chain. By utilizing various layering materials, SOLiTHOR enhances the energy density and charging capabilities of its batteries while improving manufacturability. The company's innovative approach provides clients with a unique combination of battery characteristics that support efficient and sustainable energy storage. Through its commitment to advancing solid-state lithium battery cell technology, SOLiTHOR is positioned to contribute significantly to the evolving landscape of energy solutions.

Pharrowtech

Series A in 2022
Pharrowtech is a technology company that specializes in developing next-generation solutions for fixed-wireless access, wireless virtual and augmented reality, and ultra-high-capacity wireless links. The company is built on over 12 years of research and development conducted at imec, a prominent Belgian research institute. By utilizing advanced technical expertise in algorithm, chip, and antenna design for millimeter-wave systems, Pharrowtech creates products that deliver superior performance while optimizing power consumption and cost. Its innovative platform simplifies and accelerates the adoption of millimeter-wave technology, enabling various sectors to enhance connectivity and achieve higher data transmission rates.

Celestial AI

Series A in 2022
Celestial AI is a prominent artificial intelligence company that provides an advanced platform for users to efficiently create images, text, and presentations. Utilizing cutting-edge computer vision algorithms and natural language processing, the platform produces high-quality visual and textual content. Its intuitive design, combined with innovative features, facilitates easy content creation. Moreover, Celestial AI emphasizes intelligent data integration and prioritizes security, ensuring that users achieve impressive and reliable results.

LUMA Vision

Series A in 2021
LUMA Vision is a company focused on developing connected intra-vascular medical devices to enhance the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Utilizing advanced four-dimensional imaging and artificial intelligence, LUMA Vision improves the efficacy of electrophysiology (EP) and structural heart interventions. The company's innovative approach enables healthcare professionals to conduct cardiac procedures that lead to better patient outcomes, increased procedural safety, and lower costs for the healthcare system. Through real-time tissue analysis, LUMA Vision is poised to transform how cardiac treatments are performed, ultimately benefiting both patients and healthcare providers.

Axelera AI

Seed Round in 2021
Axelera AI is a company focused on advancing artificial intelligence through its specialized hardware and software platforms, particularly for edge computing applications. Its flagship product, the Metis™ AI Platform, combines innovative hardware and software to offer high-performance and energy-efficient AI inference solutions. Recognized for its innovation, the platform was honored at the CES® 2024 Innovation Awards. Established in 2021, Axelera AI was incubated by Bitfury, a leader in emerging technologies, and partnered with imec, a prominent nano-technology group. The company is headquartered in the AI Innovation Center at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, with research and development offices located in Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. The team consists of experts in AI software and hardware, many of whom have backgrounds with leading AI firms and Fortune 500 companies. Axelera AI’s platform features a unique custom dataflow architecture with multicore in-memory computing, enabling clients to achieve optimal power efficiency while supporting various networks for sustainable edge applications.

Spectricity

Series B in 2021
Spectricity is a fabless semiconductor company that specializes in developing spectral sensing solutions tailored for high-volume mobile and consumer devices. Utilizing low-cost CMOS technologies, the company creates patented spectral sensing technology that enhances existing camera sensors by integrating data from various image and 3D sensors. This integration allows for augmented real-time data processing, improved user-environment interaction, and sophisticated big data analysis. Spectricity's product offerings include miniaturized and integrated spectral sensing devices designed for applications in precision agriculture, food analysis, health, and mobile technology, all while maintaining a focus on affordability and efficiency.

Onera Health

Series B in 2021
Onera Health, Inc. specializes in sleep diagnostic solutions and services aimed at identifying sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with a research and development office in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the company utilizes advanced sleep diagnostic patch systems that collect and analyze sleep data. These innovative solutions are designed to enhance patient care by providing comprehensive sleep test data to healthcare professionals across various settings, thereby improving the management of sleep-related ailments and potentially benefiting other medical fields through remote monitoring of chronic conditions. Onera Health's mission is to improve the health and quality of life for individuals struggling with sleep issues while also contributing to cost reductions in healthcare.

Fabric8Labs

Series A in 2021
Fabric8Labs, Inc. is a technology company founded in 2015 and located in La Jolla, California, specializing in non-thermal metal 3D printing. The company has developed a proprietary process that combines stereo-lithography and electro-deposition, providing an innovative alternative to traditional powder bed fusion technologies. This method eliminates the reliance on metal powders, vacuum chambers, and lasers, which significantly reduces manufacturing costs while enhancing material quality. Fabric8Labs' technology allows clients to use cartridges that simplify the additive manufacturing process and facilitate the safe disposal of used salt cartridges, thereby promoting efficiency and sustainability in metal 3D printing.

Azalea Vision

Seed Round in 2021
Developer of optical care technology designed to focus on smart contact lens solutions for clinical needs. The company develops a fully encapsulated platform with an artificial iris embedded in an off-the-shelf contact lens, thereby helping patients who suffer from iris deficiencies, aberrations, and light sensitivity or photophobia to benefit from the smart contact lenses.

The Ferroelectric Memory Company

Series B in 2020
The Ferroelectric Memory Company (FMC), based in Dresden, Germany, specializes in providing embedded nonvolatile memory solutions to the semiconductor industry. FMC's core technology is based on ferroelectric hafnium oxide (FE-HfO2), enabling ultra-low-power, high-performance, and dense non-volatile storage. This technology, known as FeFET, transforms classical high-k metal-gate transistors into nonvolatile ferroelectric field effect transistors, allowing for easy scaling of microcontrollers from 65nm down to 5nm and beyond. FMC's solutions offer significant advantages, including a 80% reduction in system-on-chip (SoC) cost, a 1000x reduction in write energy per bit, and a 70% overall performance gain. The company's technology is designed to be compatible with cutting-edge technology nodes, making it a future-proof solution for the semiconductor industry.

Indigo Diabetes

Series B in 2020
Indigo Diabetes, established in 2016 and headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, specializes in developing innovative, non-invasive glucose monitoring solutions. The company's flagship product is an invisible, photonics-based sensor that is inserted under the skin, continuously measuring blood sugar levels, thereby eliminating the need for traditional finger pricks. Indigo Diabetes aims to enhance the lives of people with diabetes by providing accurate glucose monitoring with an improved user experience.

MICLEDI Microdisplays

Seed Round in 2020
MICLEDI Microdisplays BV is a Belgium-based company that specializes in the design and manufacture of micro light emitting diode (LED) display chips for augmented reality (AR) glasses. As a fabless developer, MICLEDI focuses on innovative technologies that combine III/V materials processing with 3D integration and 300mm silicon-based processing. The company aims to deliver high-quality, power-efficient AR displays by utilizing a proprietary ASIC, which allows for the creation of compact and self-contained display modules. Serving the semiconductor industry, MICLEDI is positioned at the forefront of microLED technology, contributing to the advancement of augmented reality applications.

Pharrowtech

Seed Round in 2019
Pharrowtech is a technology company that specializes in developing next-generation solutions for fixed-wireless access, wireless virtual and augmented reality, and ultra-high-capacity wireless links. The company is built on over 12 years of research and development conducted at imec, a prominent Belgian research institute. By utilizing advanced technical expertise in algorithm, chip, and antenna design for millimeter-wave systems, Pharrowtech creates products that deliver superior performance while optimizing power consumption and cost. Its innovative platform simplifies and accelerates the adoption of millimeter-wave technology, enabling various sectors to enhance connectivity and achieve higher data transmission rates.

Onera Health

Series A in 2019
Onera Health, Inc. specializes in sleep diagnostic solutions and services aimed at identifying sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with a research and development office in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the company utilizes advanced sleep diagnostic patch systems that collect and analyze sleep data. These innovative solutions are designed to enhance patient care by providing comprehensive sleep test data to healthcare professionals across various settings, thereby improving the management of sleep-related ailments and potentially benefiting other medical fields through remote monitoring of chronic conditions. Onera Health's mission is to improve the health and quality of life for individuals struggling with sleep issues while also contributing to cost reductions in healthcare.

MouSensor

Seed Round in 2018
MouSensor, Inc. is a biotechnology company founded in 2016 and based in New York, New York. The company focuses on developing a platform to digitize the sense of smell by engineering super sniffer mice. This innovative approach aims to create a live nose-on-a-chip capable of detecting and analyzing a wide range of odors, from fragrances used in perfumery to specific smells linked to medical conditions such as Parkinson's disease. Through its unique technology, MouSensor seeks to advance the understanding of olfaction and its applications in various fields.

Onera Health

Venture Round in 2018
Onera Health, Inc. specializes in sleep diagnostic solutions and services aimed at identifying sleep disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea, and narcolepsy. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California, with a research and development office in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, the company utilizes advanced sleep diagnostic patch systems that collect and analyze sleep data. These innovative solutions are designed to enhance patient care by providing comprehensive sleep test data to healthcare professionals across various settings, thereby improving the management of sleep-related ailments and potentially benefiting other medical fields through remote monitoring of chronic conditions. Onera Health's mission is to improve the health and quality of life for individuals struggling with sleep issues while also contributing to cost reductions in healthcare.

Fabric8Labs

Seed Round in 2018
Fabric8Labs, Inc. is a technology company founded in 2015 and located in La Jolla, California, specializing in non-thermal metal 3D printing. The company has developed a proprietary process that combines stereo-lithography and electro-deposition, providing an innovative alternative to traditional powder bed fusion technologies. This method eliminates the reliance on metal powders, vacuum chambers, and lasers, which significantly reduces manufacturing costs while enhancing material quality. Fabric8Labs' technology allows clients to use cartridges that simplify the additive manufacturing process and facilitate the safe disposal of used salt cartridges, thereby promoting efficiency and sustainability in metal 3D printing.

Eyeo

Eyeo is fundamentally redefining image sensing by eliminating decades-old limitations, Capturing all incoming light and drastically improving resolution.
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