Morphotonics Raises €40M to Expand Display Tech to Data Centers
Dutch nanoimprint lithography startup Morphotonics secures €40 million in funding to scale production and enter the data center optical components market.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Morphotonics secures €40 million in an extended funding round
- The company plans to scale production and enter the data center market
- Headcount has grown to 60 employees, with plans to reach 70-75
- New machinery is expected to produce over 6 million waveguides annually
Dutch startup Morphotonics, a specialist in nanoimprint lithography (NIL) technology used for manufacturing displays in AR glasses and optics, has announced a €40 million funding round. The fresh capital aims to scale up its production capabilities and push the technology into a brand-new market: optical components for data centers.
The funding round received backing from 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, BOM, Invest-NL, the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Dutch family office Ernij Next, and the European Investment Bank (EIB). This financing is part of an extended funding round that originally kicked off in 2024.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Morphotonics' technology plays a critical role in creating waveguides—thin glass or plastic components that bend light along precise paths to project images in front of a wearer's eyes for smart glasses such as Meta Ray-Ban Display, Even Reality, and Magic Leap. Operating largely under the radar for 12 years, the company has leveraged ASML's supply chain network and shared several of the same vendors.
CEO Hugo Da Silva, who joined the company in September 2024, noted that the infusion of capital has helped more than double its workforce to over 60 employees, up from roughly 30. Morphotonics anticipates its headcount will eventually stabilize around 70 to 75 people as hiring continues.
"Our next machine, currently being built, will be capable of producing more than 6 million waveguides a year."
Hugo Da Silva
Da Silva mentioned that the upcoming machine is scheduled to begin shipping early next year. Morphotonics generates revenue by selling both hardware systems and licensing its manufacturing process. Currently, about 90% of revenue stems from hardware sales across 10 to 15 deployed systems globally, with the startup aiming to reach 50 deployments over the next two to three years to boost service-related revenue streams.
Morphotonics' expansion into data centers highlights how nanoimprint lithography (NIL) is transitioning beyond consumer AR hardware to address optical communication demands within modern server infrastructure. By capitalizing on the established Dutch lithography supply chain ecosystem anchored by industry giants like ASML, the startup is positioning itself to capture high-growth optical component manufacturing opportunities.
Source: TechCrunch
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