Further investment expands global presence of German tech company
siOPTICA has secured a €4m growth financing by bm|t and Capital-E II ARKIV (Capital-E), Antwerp.
With this new capital siOPTICA will expand its product portfolio of switchable privacy filters, develop new IP and file corresponding patents. siOPTICA will adapt existing solutions to fully meet new customer requirements.
Furthermore, the investment will be used for the development of new generations of privacy filters and expand worldwide sales and marketing efforts to strengthen the siOPTICA’s market presence.
siOPTICA offers switchable privacy solutions for displays applied in key markets such as automotive, ATMs and other payment devices, as well as mobile devices such as laptops.
The integrated privacy filters secure pin entry on ATMs and other payment terminals by preventing skimming.
The siOPTICA technology allows the passenger to use a second car information display for entertainment during driving without distracting the driver as is imposed by law. Navigation data and other important information remain visible to the driver at any time. Industry studies underline that from 2022 onwards every second car will be equipped with at least two front displays.
Screen privacy also plays an important role in many other situations. Numerous companies impose or at least encourage their employees to use privacy filters on their mobile devices when outside the company premises.
The current filters are attached to the screen surface and darken the display. Compensating for the desired brightness increases the power consumption. Sometimes these filters are permanently attached to the screen, preventing screen sharing when needed or desired. With the siOPTICA technology, these problems do not exist. Integrated switchable privacy filters allow flexible and secure working when needed.
With this investment, bm|t has become the majority shareholder in the company. “With Capital-E we won a new investor that not only supports us financially, but also brings a vast experience in entrepreneurship and technology,” emphasized Dr Markus Klippstein, CEO and co-founder of siOPTICA.
“Capital-E mainly invests in companies dealing with Micro/Nano –electronics and new materials. The siOPTICA Team, the technology, the strong IP portfolio as well as the customer network have convinced us to invest in the company. We see large opportunities,” stated Dr Lou Hermans, partner at CAPITAL-E. “We are looking forward to actively support the experienced siOPTICA Management team growing the company over the next years.”
“For us it is a great pleasure to see how siOPTICA continuously has developed over the years. The new investment provides the company with a solid basis for further growth,” emphasized Cornelia Böse, Investment Manager at bm|t.
