PART I.
Preliminary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report contains
forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A
of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”),
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the “Exchange Act”), and is subject to the safe harbor
created by those sections. Such statements may include, but are not
limited to, projections of revenues, income or loss, capital
expenditures, plans for product development and cooperative
arrangements, acquisition activity and related integration efforts,
technology development by third parties, future operations,
financing needs or plans of MicroVision, Inc. (“we,” “our,” or
“us”), as well as assumptions relating to the foregoing. The words
“anticipate,” “could,” ”would,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“goal,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” and similar expressions
identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those projected in our
forward-looking statements include risk factors identified below in
Item 1A.
Overview
MicroVision is a global developer of lidar hardware and software
solutions focused primarily on automotive lidar and advanced
driver-assistance systems (ADAS) markets where we can deliver safe
mobility at the speed of life. We develop a suite of light
detection and ranging, or lidar, sensors and perception and
validation software to the automotive market for ADAS and
autonomous vehicle (AV) applications, as well as to complementary
markets for non-automotive
applications including industrial, robotics and smart
infrastructure. Our long history of developing and commercializing
the core components of our lidar hardware and related software,
combined with the experience of the team we recently acquired from
Ibeo Automotive Systems (Ibeo) with automotive-grade qualification,
provides a potentially compelling advantage over the
less-experienced recent entrants into this market.
Founded in 1993, MicroVision, Inc. is a pioneer in laser beam
scanning, or LBS, technology, which is based on our patented
expertise in micro-electromechanical systems, or MEMS, laser
diodes, opto-mechanics, electronics, algorithms and software and
how those elements are packaged into a small form factor.
Throughout our history, we have combined our proprietary technology
with our development expertise to create innovative solutions to
address existing and emerging market needs, such as augmented
reality microdisplay engines; interactive display modules; consumer
lidar components; and, most recently, automotive lidar sensors and
software solutions for the automotive market.
On January 31, 2023, we completed the acquisition of certain
assets of Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH, which was founded in 1998
as a lidar hardware and software provider. Ibeo developed and
launched the first lidar sensor to be automotive qualified for
serial production with a Tier 1 automotive supplier and that is
currently available in passenger cars by premium OEMs. Ibeo
developed software solutions, including perception and validation
software, which are also used by premium OEMs. In addition,
Ibeo sold its products for non-automotive uses such as industrial,
smart infrastructure and robotics applications.
For the automotive market, our integrated solution combines our
MEMS-based dynamic-range lidar sensor and perception software, to
be integrated on our custom ASIC, targeted for sale to premium
automotive OEMs and Tier 1 automotive suppliers. We believe that
our MEMS-based lidar sensor, or MAVIN sensor, and perception
software demonstrates best-in-class features and
performance that exceed market expectations and outperform
competitive products. Our ADAS solution is intended to leverage
edge computing and custom ASICs to enable our hardware and
perception software to be integrated into an OEM’s ADAS stack.
In addition to our dynamic-range and long-range MAVIN sensor and
perception software solution for the automotive market, our product
suite includes short- and mid-range lidar sensors, both
MEMS-based and flash-based, for automotive and industrial
applications, including smart infrastructure, robotics, and other
commercial segments. Also, our validation software tool is used by
OEMs and other customers including Tier 1s for validating vehicle
sensors for ADAS and AV applications. The tool includes software
that automates the manual data classification or annotation
process, significantly reducing the time and resources required by
OEMs to validate their ADAS and AV systems.
In the recent past, we developed micro-display concepts and designs
for use in head-mounted augmented reality, or AR, headsets and
developed a 1440i MEMS module supporting AR headsets. We also
developed an interactive display solution targeted at the smart
speakers market and a small consumer lidar sensor for use indoors
with smart home systems.
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