AlphaLum raises CHF 3.4 million to scale optics and sensing technologies for smart glasses

AlphaLum, a photonics start-up based at EPFL Innovation Park, has closed a CHF 3.4 million seed financing round to accelerate the industrialization of its optics and sensing platform for smart glasses and spatial computing devices. The round was led by Vsquared Ventures.

Founded as a spin-out from ams OSRAM’s corporate incubator, AlphaLum combines industrial optics heritage with experience in scaling advanced photonic technologies. The company aims to position itself as a core European technology supplier for upcoming generations of smart glasses, addressing key manufacturability constraints that have so far limited large-scale deployment.

While recent smart glasses launches have demonstrated strong market demand, inefficient optical architectures and power-intensive sensing systems remain major barriers to mass production. AlphaLum is targeting these bottlenecks through a tightly integrated platform combining holographic optical combiners with ultra-low-power interferometric laser sensors. According to the company, its transparent optical layer significantly reduces light loss between display and eye, delivering more than ten times higher optical efficiency than conventional waveguide-based solutions while lowering overall system costs.

The platform is complemented by AI-powered motion sensing, enabling hands-free interaction and high-resolution, distortion-free visual output. Together, these technologies are designed to support scalable manufacturing rather than limited pilot production.

Led by CEO Markus Rossi, the AlphaLum team brings experience across optics, electronics, and edge AI, as well as industrial process transfer. With the new funding, the company plans to advance industrialization and strengthen partnerships with smart glasses and spatial computing platform developers.