Venture capital fund Imec.xpand has launched a new 300-million-euro fund aimed at semiconductor and nanotechnology innovations in AI, machine learning, photonics, AR/VR as well as life sciences. The fund will invest in “in startups that have the potential to be globally disruptive within their target domains,” a press release reads. “Imec.xpand is about building companies that can lead the next wave of technological transformation,” said Tom Vanhoutte, partner at Imec.xpand.
Imec.xpand was launched in 2017 with support from Imec and is looking to leverage the Leuven-based research institute’s expertise. Noteworthy companies in the fund’s portfolio companies include Celestial AI (working on optical compute and memory fabric solutions for AI infrastructure), Psiquantum (optical quantum computer, Swave Photonics (holographic extended reality). Dutch investments include Axelera AI (edge AI) and Onera (sleep diagnostics).