# Lumotive

> Lumotive is a Redmond, Washington optical-semiconductor company that turns beam steering into a chip. Its patented Light Control Metasurface (LCM) technology uses thousands of tunable liquid-crystal optical resonators etched into a CMOS die to steer light electronically - no moving parts - powering solid-state LiDAR, 3D sensing, and, soon, optical switching for AI data centers. Spun out of Intellectual Ventures and Bill Gates-backed metamaterials research, the company sells programmable beamforming chips like the LM10 to sensor and systems makers rather than building full LiDAR units itself.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** Redmond, Washington, United States
- **Founders:** William Colleran (Co-founder & former CEO / Chairman), Gleb Akselrod (Co-founder & CTO)
- **Team size:** ~81 employees (grew ~50% in 2025)
- **Products:** Light Control Metasurface (LCM) Platform, LM10 Chip, M30 Reference Design & Dev Kit, NM120 & TX10, Optical Circuit Switching (upcoming)
- **Notable:** GSA 2025 Startup to Watch (Global Semiconductor Alliance), CES 2024 Innovation Award honoree for the LM10 chip, Launched what it calls the world's first commercially available optical beamforming semiconductor

## Products & services

- **Light Control Metasurface (LCM) Platform** — Patented core technology: a CMOS chip with thousands of tunable liquid-crystal optical resonators that steer light in two dimensions electronically, with no moving parts and microsecond-level control.
- **LM10 Chip** — Billed as the world's first commercially available optical beamforming semiconductor. Up to 160 degrees native field of view (180+ with optics), 905/940 nm, VCSEL/EEL compatible, supports iToF and dToF. CES 2024 Innovation Award honoree.
- **M30 Reference Design & Dev Kit** — Solid-state LiDAR reference design and development kit built around the LCM chip for evaluation and integration.
- **NM120 & TX10** — 3D-sensing development kits and transmit reference designs that help partners bring LCM-based sensors to market faster.
- **Optical Circuit Switching (upcoming)** — Purpose-built optical switches for AI data-center interconnect that route light between processors, avoiding the heat and latency of electrical switching. Planned launch by end of 2026.

## Achievements

- GSA 2025 Startup to Watch (Global Semiconductor Alliance)
- CES 2024 Innovation Award honoree for the LM10 chip
- Launched what it calls the world's first commercially available optical beamforming semiconductor
- Enabled the first solid-state 180-degree dToF LiDAR at 30 FPS via the LCM platform
- Raised ~$103M+ total funding, backed by Bill Gates' Gates Frontier
- Grew workforce ~50% and opened offices in Oman and Taiwan in 2025

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Named GSA 2025 Startup to Watch; expanded global footprint and added key leaders amid growing demand for programmable optical semiconductors.
- **2025-07** — Raised an additional ~$14M for its liquid-crystal beamforming chips (SiliconANGLE).
- **2025-05** — Namuga debuted the Stella-2 solid-state LiDAR powered by Lumotive; E-Photonics launched software-defined LiDAR for ITS applications in Spain.
- **2025-02** — Closed a $45M (oversubscribed to ~$59M) Series B at ~$200M valuation to expand sales of programmable optical semiconductors.
- **2025-05** — Oman's ITHCA invested to boost the country's tech ambitions; Lumotive opened offices in Oman and Taiwan.

## Links

- Website: https://lumotive.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/lumotive
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/lumotivelidar
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR48u08Qcy_3M31vEPPaeJg

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lumotive
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-11