Munich-based LiDAR start-up Blickfeld has completed its Series A
financing round. The new financing was led by the venture capital
unit of Continental together with Wachstumsfonds Bayern, which is
managed by Bayern Kapital, with participation of the existing
investors Fluxunit – OSRAM Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds, TEV
(Tengelmann Ventures) and Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners.
Blickfeld will use the new financial resources to ramp up
production, qualify its LiDAR sensors for the automotive market and
strengthen the application development and sales teams for
industrial markets.
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Blickfeld Founders fltr: Florian Petit,
Mathias Mueller, Rolf Wojtech (Photo: Business Wire)
Blickfeld develops and produces LiDAR (Light Detection and
Ranging) sensors and software for environmental detection. The
solid-state sensor developed by Blickfeld delivers high-resolution,
three-dimensional environmental data and stands out due to its high
performance even in adverse environmental conditions and its small
size. Blickfeld’s patented technology is particularly advantageous
in terms of its industrialization capability and enables highly
automated production of the devices, allowing the company to meet
the needs of the automotive mass market. The sensors are used in
autonomous driving as well as in smart cities, industrial
applications and security solutions.
The series A funding enables Blickfeld to ramp up production.
"The safety of autonomous vehicles is based on LiDAR sensor
technology. We see Blickfeld in a unique position here, as our
technology stands out due to its mass market capability," says
Blickfeld co-founder Florian Petit. "But the mobility sector is not
the only area of application for our LiDAR sensors and recognition
software: Numerous other successful customer projects in logistics,
smart cities or the security sector confirm our approach, as does
the financial commitment of the venture capital unit of
Continental, Bayern Kapital and our previous investors. We are now
looking forward to taking the next steps into series
production."
Nils Berkemeyer, Venture Capital Manager at Continental, states:
“Blickfeld’s industry-agnostic value proposition, i.e. reliability,
performance and scalability, addresses various growth markets in
automotive and beyond. What truly sets the company apart is the
advanced technological maturity, which the team has achieved in an
extremely short amount of time. Supported by a strong syndicate of
VC investors and industry experts, Blickfeld now is in prime
position to establish itself as a key player in future sensing
technology.”
The start-up Blickfeld, founded by Dr. Mathias Müller, Dr. sc.
Florian Petit and Rolf Wojtech, has grown to a team of now over 100
people since it was founded three years ago. Over the next few
months, in particular the application development and sales teams
will be further expanded so that the company can increasingly
pursue potential in industrial applications in addition to the
automotive market. In the coming months, the Blickfeld team will
also concentrate on qualifying the LiDAR sensor’s core components
for the automotive market and further expanding production.
About Blickfeld
Founded in 2017 and based in Munich, Germany, Blickfeld provides
cutting-edge LiDAR sensors and perception software, enabling
countless mobility and IoT applications. The Blickfeld LiDAR
products meet extremely demanding technical specifications with
regard to the performance, cost and dimensions required for the
mass market. Blickfeld is backed by Continental, Bayern Kapital,
Fluxunit (the corporate venture arm of lighting company Osram), TEV
(Tengelmann Ventures), High-Tech Gründerfonds, and Unternehmertum
Venture Capital Partners.
www.blickfeld.com
About Bayern Kapital
Bayern Kapital GmbH, based in Landshut, was founded on the
initiative of the Bavarian government in 1995. It is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Bavarian LfA F�rderbank . As the venture capital
organisation of the Land of Bavaria, Bayern Kapital provides equity
capital financing for the founders of young innovative technology
companies in Bavaria.
Presently Bayern Kapital manages twelve investment funds with a
total volume of around €385m. So far, it has invested roughly €310m
in more than 270 innovative companies in the fields of technology
in various sectors including life science, software & IT,
medical technology, materials and new materials, nanotechnology and
environmental technology.
In this way, more than 7500 long-term jobs in sustainable
companies have been created in Bavaria.
www.bayernkapital.de
About Fluxunit – OSRAM Ventures
Fluxunit is the independent venture capital arm of OSRAM.
Building on OSRAM’s leading market position, Fluxunit invests in
deep-tech start-ups, which reach beyond OSRAM’s core business and
have the potential to disrupt and innovate existing technologies
and business models. Fluxunit’s goal is to offer start-ups not only
capital, but also access to OSRAM’s resources and global network as
a high-tech corporation in order to foster and accelerate their
development.
www.fluxunit.de
About High-Tech Gründerfonds
High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) is a seed investor that finances
high-potential, tech-driven start-ups. With around EUR 900 million
in total investment volume across three funds and an international
network of partners, HTGF has already helped forge almost 600
start-ups since 2005. Driven by their expertise, entrepreneurial
spirit and passion, its team of experienced investment managers and
startup experts help guide the development of young companies.
HTGF’s focus is on high-tech start-ups in the fields of digital
business models, industrial technology, life sciences, chemistry
and related business areas. To date, external investors have
injected over EUR 2.4 billion into the HTGF portfolio via more than
1,500 follow-on financing rounds. HTGF has also successfully sold
interests in more than 100 companies.
Investors in the public-private partnership include the Federal
Ministry of Economics and Energy, KfW Capital, the
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and 32 companies. Our Fund Investors
www.htgf.de/en
About Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners
Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners (UVC Partners) is a
Munich- and Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm that
invests in technology-based startups in the areas of industrial
technologies, enterprise software and mobility. The fund typically
invests between € 0.5 - 3m initially and up to € 12m in total per
company.
Portfolio companies benefit from the extensive investment and
exit experience of the management team as well as from the close
cooperation with UnternehmerTUM, Europe’s leading innovation and
business creation center. With over 240 employees and more than 100
industry partners, UnternehmerTUM can draw from many years of
experience in establishing young companies. This cooperation
enables UVC Partners to offer startups unique access to talent,
industry customers, and other financial partners. The portfolio
includes investments such as Blickfeld, Carjump (Free2Move),
FlixBus, KONUX, TWAICE and Vimcar.
www.uvcpartners.com
About TEV (Tengelmann Ventures)
TEV (Tengelmann Ventures) is one of Germany’s leading venture
capital investors and has invested in over 50 companies over the
past 10 years, many of which have become global players and market
leaders in their particular segment. TEV focuses on early-stage
investment in startups in the fields of Consumer Internet, Digital
Services and Emerging Technologies. Among the most well-known
investments of TEV are companies such as Zalando (IPO), Delivery
Hero (IPO), Klarna, Scalable Capital and data Artisans.
www.tev.de
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with participation of Continental and Wachstumsfonds Bayern
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Press Contact Ricarda Dietrich Marketing & Communications
+49 89 230 69 35-51 ricarda.dietrich@blickfeld.com