.lumen raises €5M to bring Glasses for the Blind and PAD AI technology to market

Romanian startup .lumen (DOTLUMEN) has announced the closure of a €5 million investment round led by Catalyst Romania. The round is aimed at bringing its Glasses for the Blind solution to market and advancing the Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) technology. The company shared the announcement on their website.

About .lumen

.lumen is a Romanian research startup founded by Cornel Amariei which builds Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), first showcased in the Glasses for the Blind solution.
The Glasses replicate the main features of the Guide Dog, and more, in a scalable product. The same software coordinating the Glasses, called PAD AI, will allow humanoid robotics to navigate pedestrian environments.
The first generation of .lumen Glasses is currently undergoing regulatory testing and expected to launch in Europe within a few months, and the second generation is already in development.

“Their pioneering Pedestrian Autonomous Driving technology not only empowers the visually impaired, but also has the potential to reshape urban navigation for everyone. This aligns perfectly with our commitment to invest in breakthrough innovations that drive positive global impact. We look forward to supporting .lumen as they scale their vision across Europe and beyond,” says Johan Törnqvist, CEO at Tigrim, who also invested in the company.

Investment details

The round was led by Catalyst Romania and backed by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Tigrim Capital, and a €1 million crowdfunding component facilitated by SeedBlink, raised in a record-breaking seven hours.

The Catalyst Romania funds focus on providing early growth capital to young technology and tech-enabled companies from Romania and Eastern Europe, having potential to become leaders in the CEE region, or to reach a global presence and success.
The European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, established by the European Commission, is the venture investment arm of the EIC. It invests across all technologies and industry sectors, supporting start-ups, SMEs, and small mid-caps from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
Tigrim is a private investment firm dedicated to fuelling the growth of unlisted companies. Focusing on the Nordics and northern Europe, it believes in staying close to the businesses the company invests in, offering not just capital but active support to help them thrive.

This investment round will support .lumen’s market entry activities across Europe while paving the way for expansion into the USA and other international markets.