Optics11’s industrial fiber-optic sensing tech raises €5M

Amsterdam-based fiber-optic sensing outfit Optics11 has completed a 5 million venture capital round led by new investor Forward.one and returning investor Value Creation Capital. Following the capital injection, Juha van Riet will replace Niek Rijnveld as CEO. Van Riet previously served at Optics11 as managing director; Rijnveld will take the helm at Optics11 Life, Optics11’s sibling life science unit.

Vrije Universiteit spinoff Optics11 markets fiber optics-based sensors optimized to perform in extreme conditions where electrical sensors typically fail, including deep sea, high-voltage, corrosive, radioactive, and very hot or cold environments. These sensors are utilized by government and commercial organizations to monitor subsea activity, electric grids, fuel plants, aircraft, civil infrastructure, and more.

“I strongly believe in the scale-up potential of Optics11 industrial sensing technology. Our solutions fundamentally increase accuracy and reproducibility of critical measurements; we remove blind spots and add previously unmeasurable data to our customers’ asset management systems. This is highly relevant for today’s energy, infrastructure and security market needs,” commented Van Riet.