China Digest: XR glasses maker VITURE bags $10m; Metalenz raises $30mBaidu Ventures participated in Metalenz’s fundraising.

XR glasses maker VITURE has raised $10 million in a Series A round, while metasurface optics maker Metalenz has bagged $30 million in a Series B funding round led by Neotribe Ventures.

XR glasses maker VITURE bags $10m Series A

Extended reality (XR) firm VITURE has raised over $10 million in a Series A funding round led by BAI Capital and Verity Ventures, according to a press release.

The funding will be used to mass-produce XR glasses, the company said in the statement. The firm’s flagship XR glasses, which are set to retail in early 2023, have raised over $3 million on the crowdfunding site Kickstarter, the firm claims.

Founded by Google and Apple veterans in August 2021, the San Francisco-based startup makes XR glasses that access virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. It can stream Playstation, and Xbox games, and connect to Apple TV as well as other streaming platforms. So far, the firm has raised a total of $15 million within a year since its inception, besides the capital raised in the crowdfunding campaign.

Shanghai-based venture capital firm BAI Capital raised $700 million earlier this year to invest in Chinese companies, including those in Web 3 and metaverse. Verity Ventures is a San Francisco-based, early-stage investment firm founded last year with a focus on beauty, food & beverages, e-commerce and enabling technology.

Metalenz raises $30m Series B round

Metalenz, which produces metasurface optics for high-performance 3D sensing solutions, has raised $30 million in a Series B round led by Neotribe Ventures.

Baidu Ventures, the investment arm of Chinese search engine giant Baidu, as well as a slew of US-based investors such as Foothill Ventures, Intel Capital, Osage University Partners, 3M Ventures, Hegemon Capital, and Braemar Energy Ventures have participated in the round, alongside Global Brain, and SG Innovate. 

Founded in 2016, Boston-based Metalenz claims to be the first to commercialise meta-optics, which refers to advanced flat optical devices that can manipulate light or electromagnetic waves. The firm produces metasurface optics that can be used in 3D sensing among consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial robotics markets. 

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