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07 Jan 2026
Spin-out from famed University of Vienna quantum lab closes oversubscribed series A venture round.
Vitrealab, a startup company spun out of Nobel laureate Anton Zeilinger’s quantum research group at the University of Vienna, says it has raised $11 million in venture financing.
The series A round, described by the firm as "significantly oversubscribed”, will support its efforts to develop and industrialize laser-based light engines aimed at display applications in augmented reality (AR) devices.
“The strong investor interest was driven by an industry-wide inflection in AR, and Vitrealab’s technology’s strong fit with the performance, efficiency, and form-factor demands of next-generation AR devices,” announced the startup.
‘Quantum Light Chip’
The funding will be used to accelerate the development and industrialization of Vitrealab’s “Quantum Light Chip” (QLC). Unlike other AR display options based on LEDs, this approach delivers highly collimated light, enabling what Vitrealab says is an “exceptionally efficient” design of the optical path within the light engine.
Its core technology utilizes photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to precisely guide and shape coherent laser light for liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display engines.
Each chip contains hundreds of precisely fabricated low-loss optical waveguides interfaced with nano-imprinted micro-optics and multiple RGB laser diodes to create a uniform and collimated light source, explains the firm on its web site.
Another advantage is the polarized nature of the light emitted from the QLC, whereas the brightness of light produced from LED displays is compromised by the need for polarization.
One key feature of the QLC is that it is divided into distinct zones by what is termed “local illumination technology”. Each of those zones is powered by a dedicated set of RGB laser diodes, ensuring that only the LCoS surface necessary for the image is illuminated - thus improving the overall efficiency of the light engine.
Vitrealab says that the new funding will enable it to strengthen collaborations with customers and partners, demonstrate next-generation light-engine architectures, and continue building the technical foundation required to bring AR displays into everyday use.
“The company’s approach significantly reduces system complexity, optical losses, and size, while preserving polarization and beam quality,” claims the firm. “This enables higher brightness, wider fields of view, and lower power consumption in form factors suitable for lightweight AR smart glasses.”
Industrial-grade solutions
Company CTO and co-founder Jonas Zeuner added: “The successful closing of our series A is a strong validation of our technology and our vision for scalable AR display systems.
“This funding allows us to move from advanced prototypes to industrial-grade solutions, while continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible with PICs in display applications.”
The funding round was led by LIFTT Italian Venture Capital and LIFTT EuroInvest, and included support from Constructor Capital, aws Gründungsfonds, Gateway Ventures, PhotonVentures, xista Science Ventures, Moveon Technologies, and Hermann Hauser Investment.
That investor group is said to bring together deep expertise in photonics, semiconductors, hardware commercialization and photonics mass manufacturing, with the support expected to help Vitrealab strengthen its position as a key technology supplier within the still-emerging AR ecosystem.
Marco Cravetto, a business analyst at LIFTT, commented: “AR has reached a point where the market is ready but the hardware is not, and in particular the display.
“Vitrealab addresses this challenge at its core with a proprietary laser-based technology that combines performance, industrial scalability and a strong European IP foundation.”
• Founded in 2018, the startup went on to win the SPIE Startup Challenge, part of the Photonics West event, in 2022, and this year it is nominated for a Prism Award in the category of XR Technology.
Vitrealab will also be exhibiting at the forthcoming SPIE AR/VR/MR conference, which is co-located with Photonics West in San Francisco, while company CEO Ronny Timmreck is taking part in a panel session entitled “The Battle for AR Display Supremacy”.
Moderated by Yole Group display analyst Eric Virey, that panel session is scheduled to take place at 11.10am on January 21.
Company presentation from Display Week 2024:
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