- Optics11 has raised an additional €50 million in equity from its four existing investors.
- The company’s fibre-optic sensors can detect underwater threats and find faults in HV grids.
- Optics11 says it has raised over €100 million in the past 15 months.
Optics11, a Dutch startup, just closed €50 million in new equity funding from its four existing investors, SET Ventures, FORWARD.one, Value Creation Capital and JOIN Capital.
Based in Amsterdam, the company makes fibre optic sensing systems for underwater intelligence and energy grids. The funds will go towards manufacturing and international expansion.
“This investment is a significant milestone for Optics11 and reflects the growing international demand for technology that can help protect the critical infrastructure our societies depend upon. From ASWINABO to OptiFinder, we are seeing our technology move into real-world deployment, with increasing interest from governments, operators and partners around the world,” said Paul Heiden, CEO of Optics11.
Who uses these sensors, and how they work
Optics11’s sensors use light rather than powered electronics at the sensing point, so they are silent and immune to EMI.
Its primary products are OptiBarrier, a seabed system capable of detecting and classifying targets out to 100km from shore; OptiArray, a towed array for ASW; and OptiFinder, which can detect partial discharge, an early warning of problems in HV equipment, down to the cm and is used globally.
Utilities can use it to find failing transformers before they go out, and navies can tow the OptiArray behind a civilian ship.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence contracted Optics11 in July to develop and deliver containerised OptiArray systems under the ASWINABO programme. The contract also includes production, integration and validation capability. In May 2025, Optics11 announced that the Royal Netherlands Navy would deploy the OptiArray on its Orka-class submarines. On 21 October, they signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement with the Swedish defence company Saab.
Speaking about competition, Thales already has thin-line towed arrays for uncrewed vessels. Other players in the space include Andrenam, which raised $10 million in June 2025, and Triton Depth, which closed €1 million pre-seed in 2026.
Optics11 claims its passive fibre sensing provides earlier warnings and more accurate detection than traditional ‘active’ electrical sensing, though the announcement mentions no independent testing.
The market is growing: the distributed fibre optic sensor market is set to grow from $1.41 billion in 2024 to $2.63 billion by 2030. Defence funding remains fairly uneven, with Dealroom showing that mega rounds account for over 85% of the European defence tech funding this year.
Optics11 sits in the lower tier of that market, alongside Kraken Technology Group, which raised $175 million in its Series B in July, taking its valuation past $1 billion. In the energy space, NATO’s venture arm led a €6 million round in Laki Power in September.
The €100 million claim and investor comments
Optics11 says total investment has exceeded €100 million in 15 months. They raised €17 million in equity in May 2025, led by FORWARD.one and SET Ventures. The EIB provided a €25 million venture debt facility in January 2026, as part of the EU’s InvestEU programme.
Heiden said the new funding will help with manufacturing and expansion. The bigger challenge is still to come. Defence buyers tend to move slowly, and a navy contract or partnership does not always mean revenue. If Optics11 can turn its order book into deliveries as quickly as investors hope, it could become a top European sensor supplier.
