LiDAR sensor and detection software maker Blickfeld raises $31 million

Munich’s Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor maker Blickfeld has announced an extension of their Series A round (first announced in March of this year), now at $31 million. With the new funding, the company plans the continued development of its autonomous mobility and IoT applications-focused sensors and software solutions alongside international expansion efforts with the opening of offices in the US and Asia. Including this extension, the Bavarian company has netted a total of $41 million.

Founded in 2017 by Dr. Mathias Müller, Dr. sc. Florian Petit, and Rolf Wojtech, Blickfeld, which translates to 'field of view', specialises in producing one of, if not the, key components in autonomous transportation; high-resolution 3D sensors (and the associated software to make sense of the gathered data) that essentially act as the ‘eyes’ of the vehicle.

However, the applications of LiDAR technology don’t simply stop and start with mobility, as the sensing technology has found use in smart city management, industrial applications in the areas of warehousing, construction, and mining areas, and naturally, the security sector with its ability to detect, tally, and track just about anything that passes through its field of vision.

The startup is gearing up for the series production launch of its Cube1 and Cube Range 1 products and has already deployed its technology in several larger-scale projects including passenger flow detection at airports and volume measurement of bulk material in product warehouses.

Likewise, 2022 will see Blickfeld add a new product to the catalogue, an intelligent perception software package that will offer object recognition, classification and counting, motion tracking, localisation, volume measurement, background subtraction, and recognition of drivable areas.

Although the amount was not disclosed, the additional investment in Blickfeld’s Series A raise was provided by New Future Capital. The initial portion of the Series A round was led by Continental and Wachstumsfonds Bayern and saw participation from High-Tech Grunderfonds, TEV Ventures, UVC Partners, and Fluxunit – ams OSRAM Ventures.