Dhe optics group Fielmann is investing in an Israeli start-up that is developing electro-optical lenses. Deep Optics has developed a technology based on liquid crystal lenses that can adjust the focus of the lenses to any distance and therefore to any situation. The Hamburg-based company did not give any financial details about the transaction, except that Fielmann Ventures was the leading investor in the start-up’s third round of financing and now holds 10 percent of the shares. This indicates that the developments could already be relatively ready for the market. The optics group Essilor-Luxottica and Samsung Ventures are also mentioned as strategic investors on the Deep Optics homepage.
The investment lays the foundation for a large number of exciting future applications, says Marc Fielmann, CEO of the Fielmann Group: “The possibility of dynamically adjusting the optical focus of spectacle lenses has disruptive potential, especially in the market for smart glasses”. Fielmann quoted in a company statement. The strategic partnership also includes applications in the field of progressive lenses.
A first application, dubbed 32°N, was introduced by Deep Optics last year, namely a pair of sunglasses that can be converted into reading glasses with a swipe of a finger. After completing the beta test phase, they want to “make these glasses available to customers next year,” Yariv Haddad, CEO and one of the founders of Deep Optics, is quoted in the statement. The company, based in Petah Tikva, is also striving to improve the user experience in the field of augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR) with the dynamic focal lenses.
Fielmann’s strategy is to develop an investment portfolio that provides disruptive technologies for both optics and hearing aids. The 33-year-old son of company founder Günther Fielmann sees great potential not least in the industrial application of smart glasses.
