Dutch fiber-optic sensing company Optics11 has signed a €25 million venture debt financing agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate R&D and commercialization of its monitoring technologies for critical energy and underwater security infrastructure.
The financing, backed under the European Commission’s InvestEU program, is intended to support Optics11’s advanced fiber-optic sensing platforms used to detect ultra-sensitive vibration and acoustic signals in harsh environments. The company says the technology can provide early warning of developing issues or suspicious activity affecting subsea infrastructure—such as undersea cables and pipelines—as well as high-voltage grid assets on land.
Optics11’s systems are designed to identify subtle signatures before failures escalate into outages, enabling operators to assess risks, coordinate responses, and take action earlier in situations where threats can be ambiguous and time-sensitive. The company positions the deployment of these capabilities as increasingly important amid heightened concerns in Europe about disruptions to subsea infrastructure, maritime trade routes, and electricity networks.
The EIB said the loan reflects support for European companies developing technologies relevant to strategic autonomy, spanning both civilian and defense applications. Optics11 plans to use the facility to accelerate productization and broaden adoption across Europe, targeting infrastructure “at its most vulnerable”: underwater environments and within high-voltage grids.
Optics11 operates from the Netherlands and describes itself as a leader in fiber-optic sensing technology for early warning systems aimed at protecting sea lanes, offshore infrastructure, and energy supply chains.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our continent is working hard to make sure it can hold its own in many different fields, but we need to support the companies that can make that happen. From the energy sector to security and defense capabilities, we need to be able to have the best technology for known and unknown threats. In short, the solutions developed by Optics11 are providing Europe with critical solutions and competitive advantages for the world that is coming.”
Robert de Groot, Vice President, European Investment Bank
“Disruptions to subsea infrastructure, maritime trade or failures in high-voltage grids have immediate and far-reaching consequences on our society. With this EIB financing, Optics11 accelerates the deployment of unique fiber-optic sensing technologies that protect the infrastructure so essential to Europe’s security and energy resilience.”
“The EIB’s €25 million venture debt facility is more than financing, it’s a vote of confidence in Europe’s strategic autonomy and in protecting the infrastructure we all depend on.”
“At our core, we’re exceptionally good at listening and, uniquely, we listen with light.”
“Our fiber-optic sensing detects subtle signatures long before failures become outages, from high-voltage grid assets to subsea infrastructure.”
“That early warning creates something rare and valuable: time. Time to assess, coordinate, and respond proportionally, a critical advantage in today’s world where threats are often ambiguous and decisions must be both fast and considered.”
Paul Heiden, CEO, Optics11
