AlphaLum, a Lausanne-based augmented reality optics and sensing company spun out of ams OSRAM’s corporate incubator, has raised CHF 3.4 million in seed financing to accelerate its push from advanced engineering into a supplier role for next-generation smart glasses and spatial-computing hardware. The round was led by Vsquared Ventures.
AlphaLum said the funding will support the next phase of industrialization as it positions itself as a European source of high-efficiency optical technologies to unlock mass production of wearable AR devices.
The company is targeting two constraints that continue to slow broader smart-glasses rollouts: inefficient transparent-display architectures and the power demands of always-on, vision-based sensing. AlphaLum’s platform combines holographic optical combiners with ultra-low-power interferometric laser sensors, pairing display optics with a motion-sensing layer designed to enable hands-free interaction.
AlphaLum said its thin optical layer reduces light loss between the display and the human eye and can deliver more than 10 times higher optical efficiency than conventional waveguides, while also lowering system cost. The sensing stack is complemented by an AI-powered motion-sensing platform intended to support high-resolution, distortion-free imagery and intuitive control without relying on power-hungry camera-based approaches.
The company is led by CEO and co-founder Markus Rossi, a serial entrepreneur who previously helped build and exit Heptagon to ams AG in 2017. AlphaLum said its team brings experience across optics and laser physics, ASIC and electronics development, edge AI, and the practical work of standing up pilot lines and transferring processes to contract manufacturers under a fabless model focused on IP, product engineering, and outsourced production.
Vsquared said it backed AlphaLum as a foundational deep-tech play for what it views as an upcoming platform shift toward smart glasses and spatial computing, arguing that the next inflection point will depend on breakthroughs that make devices manufacturable at scale.
KEY QUOTES:
“At AlphaLum, our goal is to make the next generation of smart glasses truly wearable – not as prototypes, but as scalable products. By solving the low efficiency of transparent display technologies and always-on constraints of vision-based sensing, we enable our partners to bring interactive, everyday AR to market at scale. With this round, we are preparing the next phase of industrialization and strengthening our role as a core technology supplier for future smart glasses platforms.”
Markus Rossi, CEO and Co-founder of AlphaLum
“AlphaLum is building foundational technology for one of the most important computing transitions ahead. Smart glasses are already a reality – the next step is to make them available at scale. AlphaLum is the player targeting the technological bottlenecks to enable this, and we are looking forward to partnering on this journey.”
Benedikt von Schoeler, General Partner at Vsquared Ventures
