DEEP TECH
Singular Photonics Raises $2.15m to Expand SPAD Sensor Platform
The University of Edinburgh spin-out is expanding a commercially available sensor portfolio that combines single-photon detection with computation on the chip itself.
Singular Photonics, an Edinburgh-based fabless semiconductor company, has closed an oversubscribed funding round of $2.15 million (approximately €1.85 million). The round was led by ACF Investors with participation from Wren Capital, Cambridge Angels, Scottish Enterprise, Quantum Exponential and Old College Capital. Dipesh Patel, former chief technology officer of Arm, has joined the board of directors.
The company was founded in February 2024 by chief executive Shahida Imani, chief technology officer Dr Aravind Venugopalan, Professor Robert Henderson and Dr Neil Finlayson. It is a spin-out from Professor Henderson's laboratory at the University of Edinburgh and emerged from stealth in January 2025.
What the funding will support
Singular Photonics designs image sensors based on single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs). Where conventional sensors measure light intensity, SPAD devices detect and time individual photons. The company's differentiation is the integration of computation on the same chip, so that data is processed where the light is detected rather than downstream — an approach it argues suits edge computing and AI-driven systems that require smaller and more power-efficient hardware.
Its Andarta and Sirona product families are commercially available and generating revenue. The company reported that it has doubled its full-year 2025 sales during 2026 to date, is approaching break-even, and has entered a collaboration with instrumentation manufacturer Renishaw. Imani said the round allows the company to expand its sensor portfolio and bring new features to market on customer timelines.
The capital will be used to expand engineering capacity and shorten time to market for sensors aimed at machine vision, industrial automation, physical AI, scientific instrumentation and medical imaging. Tim Mills, managing partner at ACF Investors, said the industry is shifting from capturing images to generating usable insight directly from light.
Why it matters for private capital
University spin-outs in photonics and semiconductors have historically struggled to reach revenue before requiring substantial follow-on capital. Singular Photonics is unusual in reporting commercial sales two years from formation, which changes the financing profile: smaller rounds, less dilution and an earlier route to strategic interest. For allocators, the case sits within a broader theme of semiconductor infrastructure investment, where UK research output has been strong but domestic scale-up capital has been comparatively thin.