A Cambridge-based company developing smartphone camera technology has secured over $40m (£32m) in a funding round that attracted investment from the venture capital arm of Sony.
Cambridge Mechatronics develops shape memory alloy actuators that it says provide image stabilisation and autofocus in smartphone cameras using a “more compact and lightweight design”.
Its approach, the company says, is also free from electromagnetic interference and reduces power consumption.
Cambridge Mechatronics says its actuator technology, which is as thin as a human hair, has been shipped in over 70 million products, including smartphones made by Huawei.
It has built up a portfolio of around 700 issued and pending patents, which it licences to multinationals and supply chain partners.
The deeptech firm plans to use the funding boost to expand its portfolio of actuator and integrated circuits technologies.
The oversubscribed funding round was led by Atlantic Bridge, a global investment firm managing over €1.2bn of assets.
The round was co-led by Intel Capital and Supernova, while Sony Innovation Fund also provided investment.
“We led this investment as we believe Cambridge Mechatronics has a unique and proven deep technology platform for SMA, which will usher new imaging paradigms for smartphones and beyond,” said Osman Kent, partner at Atlantic Bridge.
While the smartphone camera is the Cambridge firm’s primary focus, its technology could have other applications.
Arun Chetty, managing director at Intel Capital, said that Cambridge Mechatronics’ technology “has the potential to revolutionise other markets such as precision drug delivery devices and haptics”.