Category: Press Releases

Omnitron Sensors Secures $13M+ Series A Funding, Fueling Next Generation of MEMS Sensors

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—- Omnitron MEMS fabrication IP advances sensors for AI data centers, LiDAR, XR devices

LOS ANGELES — January 30, 2025 — Omnitron Sensors, the pioneer in MEMS fabrication IP for a new world of sensors, has secured $13M+ in Series A funding led by Corriente Advisors, LLC, with participation from longtime investor L’ATTITUDE Ventures. The investment will fuel the expansion of Omnitron’s engineering and operations teams, accelerating the mass production of the company’s first product, a reliable, affordable microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) step-scanning mirror for multiple markets.

Streamlining the production of MEMS sensors — which have been limited by expensive, laborious manufacturing methods for decades — Omnitron’s fabrication IP is the critical enabler for optical cross-connects (OXCs) in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, optical subsystems in long-range LiDAR for autonomous navigation, see-through displays in extended reality (XR) headsets and eyewear, and precision laser spectrometry for methane gas detection.

“Omnitron Sensors has achieved the quantum leap in MEMS fabrication technology for which the industry has been waiting,” said Mark Hart III, CEO, Corriente Advisors, LLC. “By inventing a process of fabricating mass-market MEMS sensors that are higher-performance, more affordable and more durable than existing sensors, Omnitron is uniquely able to satisfy unmet needs in long-stifled markets with enormous potential, such as optical cross-connects for AI data centers, affordable LiDAR sensors for ADAS, and other markets which have hit a wall due to the longstanding limitations in sensor technology and the inability of legacy MEMS manufacturing techniques to address those constraints.”

“As a longtime investor in Omnitron Sensors, we believe in the vision to proliferate industry-changing MEMS sensors for applications on which modern society depends,” said Sol Trujillo, co-founder and managing partner, L’ATTITUDE Ventures. “Omnitron has differentiated technology in multiple market segments, which will have a significant positive impact. Furthering our investment in this revolutionary technology has the potential to unlock new markets on a global scale.”

Meeting demand in sensor-driven markets

Omnitron is targeting major markets with its MEMS sensor technology:

  • Improving throughput and energy efficiency in AI data centers: Omnitron’s MEMS-based photonics OXC for Tensor architectures boosts transmission speed and reliability in a low-power device, enhancing AI workflow in data centers. According to New Street Research, this market will approach $30B in 2027.
  • Advancing affordability and reliability of LiDAR in autonomous vehicles: Omnitron’s MEMS step-scanning mirror targets an overall LiDAR subsystems market predicted to reach $6.3B by 2027, according to Yole Intelligence.
  • Enhancing display quality in resource-constrained XR headsets/eyewear: Omnitron’s MEMS mirror satisfies growing demand for XR optics, a market that IDTechEx expects will exceed $5B by 2034.

“MEMS sensors are the intelligent microscale devices that allow us to touch the world through silicon,” said Eric Aguilar, co-founder & CEO, Omnitron Sensors. “Yet old and inefficient manufacturing methods have prevented the kind of growth in MEMS that is typical in semiconductors. That’s about to change. Our MEMS fabrication IP offers a new paradigm for mass-producing affordable, precise sensors at scale. With major investment from Corriente Capital and with additional funding from L’ATTITUDE Ventures, our company can now deliver on the promise of our technology.”

About Omnitron Sensors

Founded in 2019 by a core group of MEMS industry innovators, Omnitron Sensors has invented new MEMS fabrication IP that improves device performance and reliability, and that streamlines assembly to produce MEMS sensors for price-sensitive, high-volume markets, such as OXCs for AI data centers, and optical subsystems for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), drones, XR headsets, toxic gas-detection systems, and other connected electronics that are integral to our daily lives. For more information, email info@omnitronsensors.com or visit https://omnitronsensors.com/contact-us/.

The Omnitron Sensors logo is a registered trademark of Omnitron Sensors. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Press Contacts

Curtis Ray, Omnitron Sensors

Email: curt[at]omnitronsensors.com

Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications

Email: maria[at]vetrano.com

Omnitron Sensors Unlocks $6.3B LiDAR Market for Autonomous Navigation in Cars and Robotics

Press Releases

—Secures foundry partner, forms keystone partnerships, builds proof-of-concept — all on only $11M in venture capital to date

LOS ANGELES — December 14, 2023 — The market for light detection and ranging (LiDAR) subsystems is surging toward $6.3B by 2027[1], in part driven by the automotive industry’s thirst for a precise optical technology that provides real-time 3D vision in all weather and lighting conditions. Omnitron Sensors, a semiconductor startup co-founded by a team with roots at Tesla and Google, today announced a series of milestone achievements in targeting this massive market with the first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) step-scanning mirror that meets the rigors of LiDAR in automotive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), robotic cars and aerial drones.

Fueled by its lead investor L’ATTITUDE Ventures, an investor in early-stage US Latina(o)-owned startups with high-growth potential, Omnitron has raised a total of $11M in venture capital since its founding in 2019.

Oscar Munoz, former CEO and chairman of United Airlines and a general partner at L’ATTITUDE Ventures, cited the unique attributes of Omnitron Sensors Co-founder & CEO Eric Aguilar in expanding his firm’s investment in the company.

“Eric’s technical experience in developing sensors, combined with his leadership experience in building autonomous systems for companies such as Tesla — where he led a team of 300 engineers building the firmware for Model 3 — and X, where he helped to develop the autonomous-delivery drone service, Google project Wing, make Omnitron a company to watch,” said Munoz.

In late Q3 2023, Omnitron revealed Silex Microsystems — the world’s largest pure-play MEMS foundry — as its foundry partner, signifying market-readiness to deliver the first MEMS scanner that meets the accuracy, reliability, size, cost and volume requirements of LiDAR in diverse applications. See press release: Omnitron Sensors Selects Silex Microsystems for Reliable MEMS Scanner for LiDAR (September 12, 2023).

Omnitron has also forged partnerships with key players in the LiDAR ecosystem — established suppliers that are eager to use Omnitron’s MEMS mirror in their systems.

“As the first MEMS mirror that aligns to a LiDAR system’s sub-micron-level tolerances without constant recalibration — and which is priced for cars instead of billion-dollar satellites — Omnitron’s sensor has attracted the attention of tier 1 automotive suppliers,” said Aguilar. “With the capital in hand to manufacture our MEMS mirror and with Silex as our proven high-volume foundry partner, we’ve cleared the way to satisfy future demand from LiDAR suppliers.”

As a tech entrepreneur increasingly recognized on the global stage, Aguilar presented at two prestigious innovation conferences during the past year. He engaged with an international community of business leaders at the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce (BCC) and the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) conference in Bogotá, Colombia on March 1, 2023. On November 2, 2023, he addressed an audience of innovators from global corporations and fast-growth businesses at Dubai Business Forum 2023 in Dubai, UAE.

About Omnitron Sensors

Founded in 2019 by a core group of MEMS industry innovators, Omnitron Sensors has invented a new topology for MEMS — IP that improves device performance and reliability, and that streamlines assembly to produce MEMS sensors for price-sensitive, high-volume markets, such as ADAS, drones, robotics, smartphones, and other intelligent connected electronics that are part of our daily lives. For more information, email info@omnitronsensors.com or visit https://omnitronsensors.com/contact-us/.

The Omnitron Sensors logo is a registered trademark of Omnitron Sensors. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Press Contacts

Eric Aguilar, Omnitron Sensors

Email: eric[at]omnitronsensors.com

Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications

Email: maria[at]vetrano.com

[1] Source: Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group (2022). LiDAR 2022 – Focus on Automotive and Industrial.

Omnitron Sensors Selects Silex Microsystems for Reliable MEMS Scanner for LiDAR

Press Releases

MEMS IP company works with premier MEMS foundry to commercialize first product

LOS ANGELES—September 12, 2023 — Omnitron Sensors, the pioneer in MEMS sensing technology for high-volume, low-cost markets, today announced that it will work with Silex Microsystems on the manufacture of its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner for LiDAR.

“We’re seeing massive demand for low-cost and reliable LiDAR from manufacturers of automotive ADAS, drones and other robotic systems,´ said Eric Aguilar, co-founder and CEO, Omnitron Sensors. “Our selection of Silex Microsystems—the world’s largest pure-play MEMS foundry—signifies our market-readiness to deliver the first MEMS scanner that meets the accuracy, reliability, size, cost and volume requirements of LiDAR in diverse applications.” 

Solving MEMS manufacturing challenges

Manufacturing MEMS devices is notoriously difficult. Problems with size, reliability, durability and repeatability—and the fact that process technology is unique for each new MEMS device—make MEMS manufacturing expensive and slow design-to-delivery cycles. Omnitron’s core IP solves these challenges. As a new topology for MEMS, Omnitron’s IP rearranges manufacturing processes and supports them with new packaging techniques. This speeds volume production of a wide range of small, low-cost, precise MEMS sensors—from scanning mirrors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to microphones, pressure sensors, and telecom switches. 

“Omnitron’s new topology for MEMS—which features the clever rearrangement of silicon process steps and a new packaging method—is a major step forward for the microelectronics industry because it mitigates the manufacturing complexity that has limited the growth of MEMS to date,” said Aguilar. “By leveraging the standard tools and processes already found in the Silex fab, Omnitron clears the way for robust, reliable and affordable MEMS devices that are delivered to market quickly and at high volume.”

For more information

To learn more about Omnitron Sensors, please contact us by email: info@omnitronsensors.com or via the Omnitron website.

About Omnitron Sensors

Founded in 2019 by a core group of MEMS industry innovators, Omnitron Sensors has invented a new topology for MEMS—IP that improves device performance and reliability, and that streamlines assembly to produce MEMS sensors for price-sensitive, high-volume markets. Learn more at https://omnitronsensors.com. 

The Omnitron Sensors logo is a registered trademark of Omnitron Sensors. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Press Contacts

Eric Aguilar, Omnitron Sensors
Email: eric[at]omnitronsensors.com

Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications
Email: maria[at]vetrano.com

Omnitron Sensors Selects Silex Microsystems for Reliable MEMS Scanner for LiDAR

Press ReleasesTagged , , , , , , , , , ,

MEMS IP company works with premier MEMS foundry to commercialize first product

LOS ANGELES—September 7, 2023 — Omnitron Sensors, the pioneer in MEMS sensing technology for high-volume, low-cost markets, today announced that it will work with Silex Microsystems on the manufacture of its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) scanner for LiDAR.

“We’re seeing massive demand for low-cost and reliable LiDAR from manufacturers of automotive ADAS, drones and other robotic systems,´ said Eric Aguilar, co-founder and CEO, Omnitron Sensors. “Our selection of Silex Microsystems—which is the world’s largest pure-play MEMS foundry—signifies our market-readiness to deliver the first MEMS scanner that meets the accuracy, reliability, size, cost and volume requirements of LiDAR in diverse applications.”

Solving MEMS manufacturing challenges

Manufacturing MEMS devices is notoriously difficult. Problems with size, reliability, durability and repeatability—and the fact that process technology is unique for each new MEMS device—make MEMS manufacturing expensive and slow design-to-delivery cycles. Omnitron’s core IP solves these challenges. As a new topology for MEMS, Omnitron’s IP rearranges manufacturing processes and supports them with new packaging techniques. This speeds volume production of a wide range of small, low-cost, precise MEMS sensors—from scanning mirrors and inertial measurement units (IMUs) to microphones, pressure sensors, and telecom switches.

“Omnitron’s new topology for MEMS—which features the clever rearrangement of silicon process steps and a new packaging method—is a major step forward for the microelectronics industry because it mitigates the manufacturing complexity that has limited the growth of MEMS to date,” said Aguilar. “By leveraging the standard tools and processes already found in the Silex fab, Omnitron clears the way for robust, reliable and affordable MEMS devices that are delivered to market quickly and at high volume.

For more information

To learn more about Omnitron Sensors, please contact us by email: info@omnitronsensors.com or via the Omnitron website.

About Omnitron Sensors

Founded in 2019 by a core group of MEMS industry innovators, Omnitron Sensors has invented a new topology for MEMS—IP that improves device performance and reliability, and that streamlines assembly to produce MEMS sensors for price-sensitive, high-volume markets. Learn more at https://omnitronsensors.com.

The Omnitron Sensors logo is a registered trademark of Omnitron Sensors. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Press Contacts

Eric Aguilar, Omnitron Sensors

Email: eric[at]omnitronsensors.com

Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications

Email: maria[at]vetrano.com