About Photonics sector in Asia
The Photonics sector in Asia comprises 605 companies, including 215 funded companies having collectively raised $3.76B in venture capital money and private equity. Out of these, 137 are Series A+ funded, and 1 has achieved unicorn status.
Photonics sector in Asia has seen 20 acquisitions and 53 IPOs. This represents almost 12.1% of all such companies - which is higher than the 5.0% exit rate of tech companies in general.
This sector includes companies making use of the particle properties of light (or photons) to develop applications in the field of electronics, semiconductors, life sciences, etc.
Photonics sector is also known as Optics Technology or Optoelectronic Technology.
Companies developing products in various applications of photonics such as optoelectronics, photonic integrated circuits, quantum optics, nanophotonics, and biophotonics; includes optical devices, enabling technologies and major applications in all the mentioned technologies. Products and enabling technologies of classical optics such as lenses, prisms, mirrors, etc.; consumer lighting and imaging solutions such as LED bulbs, contact lenses, cameras lenses, etc.; medical devices working in the non-visible electromagnetic spectrum; and companies providing consultancy and imaging services without a self-manufactured equipment are excluded.
Top Photonics Companies in Asia
There are 605 Photonics startups in Asia which include Innoviz, Hesai Technology, InnoLight, ThinkCyte, RoboSense. Out of these, 215 startups are funded, with 137 having secured Series A+ funding, and 1 achieving unicorn status.
Over the past 10 years, an average of 13 new companies have been launched annually. Notably, several of these startups have been founded by alumni of Stanford University, Technion Israel Institute Technology and Tel Aviv University.
Here is the list of top Photonics startups in Asia
1. Innoviz
Developer of lidar based perception technology. The platform focuses on developing and applying lidar sensing systems that help machines perceive their surroundings. It supports processing three dimensional environmental data to enable accurate detection and interpretation for intelligent systems through an integrated online framework.
Key facts about Innoviz
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Rosh Haayin (Israel)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $252M
- Investors: Magna, China Merchants Capital and 31 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jun 10, 2019, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 74/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 1 of 316 Competitors
Developer of LiDAR-based sensors for autonomous vehicles. It offers products like mechanical lidars, solid-state lidars, a sensing kit that integrates cameras, LiDAR, and data processing for synchronization and calibration. It has also developed a laser-based methane leak detector and a drone-mounted natural gas surveillance system for the energy sector. It has applications in logistics, robotics, automotive, and industrial sectors.
Key facts about Hesai Technology
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Shanghai (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $599M
- Investors: Xiaomi, Baidu Ventures and 20 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Nov 16, 2021, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 70/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 3 of 132 Competitors
3. InnoLight
Optical transceiver solutions. It develops different types of high-speed optical transceivers such as 10G, 25G, 40G, and 100G for cloud computing, wireless interconnect and next generation SDN networks. It claims that its solution has features like large capacity, small size, low power and low cost. Its solution enables bandwidth expansion for Web 2.0 companies and is aimed at cloud operators, tier-one equipment OEMs, and leading system integrators.
Key facts about InnoLight
- Founded Year: 2008
- Location: Suzhou (China)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $38M
- Investors: CapitalG, Yuanhe Holdings and 7 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Sep 29, 2014, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 63/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 36 of 1,170 Competitors
4. ThinkCyte
Developer of cell analysis and sorting technologies. It leverages advanced technologies such as VisionSort, which combines traditional fluorescence flow cytometry with high-dimensional morphological profiling and AI for label-free cell sorting and unbiased single cell profiling.
Key facts about ThinkCyte
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Bunkyo (Japan)
- Stage: Series C
- Total Funding till date: $83.2M
- Investors: SPARX Group, ITV and 19 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Aug 29, 2024, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 63/100 What is this?
5. RoboSense
Developer of AI-enabled LiDAR sensor systems for autonomous vehicles. The platform offers a hardware-enabled embedded AI perception algorithm and devices for perception. The products are used for various applications including robot environment perception, UAV mapping, surveillance and security, industrial robots, and HD mapping.
Key facts about RoboSense
- Founded Year: 2014
- Location: Shenzhen (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $45M
- Investors: SAIC Motor, Cainiao and 20 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Jun 14, 2022, $*****
- Tracxn Score: 62/100 What is this?
- Competitors Rank: 13 of 132 Competitors
Companies founded year-on-year in the Photonics sector in Asia
42 Photonics startups in Asia were founded in 2017 - this is the most number of startups founded in any year in the last 10 years.
- Total Number of Companies
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 8 |
2023 | 2 |
2022 | 9 |
2021 | 14 |
2020 | 13 |
2019 | 22 |
2018 | 24 |
2017 | 42 |
Stage-wise distribution of Photonics sector companies in Asia
Out of the total 605 Photonics companies in Asia, 215 have secured funding. Among them, 137 have reached Series A or higher, and 109 to Series B or beyond.
Founded - 605
Funded - 215
Series A+ - 137
Series B+ - 109
Series C+ - 87
Company Stage | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Founded | 605 |
Funded | 215 |
Series A+ | 137 |
Series B+ | 109 |
Series C+ | 87 |
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Funding Trends in the Photonics sector in Asia
Total funding year-on-year in the Photonics sector in Asia
The Photonics sector in Asia saw a total funding of more than $3.35B in the last 10 years. The most amount of funding was in 2019 at more than $1.09B.
- Total Funding
Year | Total Funding |
|---|---|
2025 | $232M |
2024 | $145M |
2023 | $174M |
2022 | $218M |
2021 | $558M |
2020 | $314M |
2019 | $1.09B |
2018 | $345M |
2017 | $159M |
Recent Funding Rounds in Photonics in Asia
In the year 2025, till November 2025, Photonics companies in Asia have raised $207M in equity funding across 9 rounds.
In the same period last year (i.e. till November 2024), Photonics companies in Asia had raised $104M across 16 rounds.
So, 2025 has seen a 100.01% rise in funding in Photonics companies in Asia as compared to 2024.
Here are some recent, important funding rounds in Photonics companies in Asia:
Company | Round Raised | Amount Raised | Funding Date | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Seed | 5669 | Nov 26, 2025 | and 4 more | |
Series A | 6573 | Nov 13, 2025 | ||
Series B | 1731 | Oct 22, 2025 | ||
Series D | 4551 | Oct 16, 2025 | ||
Series A | 1829 | Aug 05, 2025 | - |
Top Investors in Photonics in Asia
Bessemer Venture Partners is the top investor in Photonics companies in Asia based on number of companies invested.
Here are some top investors in Photonics companies in Asia:
Investor | Location | Top Portfolio Companies |
|---|---|---|
Redwood City (United States) | Oryx Vision and ColorChip | |
Seoul (South Korea) | ||
Herzliya (Israel) | BroadLight and OrSense | |
Seoul (South Korea) | ||
Menlo Park (United States) | - |
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M&A activity in Photonics sector in Asia
In the year 2024, till February 2024, 1 acquisition happened in Photonics sector in Asia. Last year, in 2023, a total of 2 acquisitions happened in Photonics sector in Asia.
Here are some recent, important acquisitions in Photonics sector in Asia:
Company | Acquisition Type | Acquisition Date | Acquirers |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Acquisition | Feb 07, 2024 | ||
Business Acquisition | Oct 30, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | Aug 29, 2023 | ||
Business Acquisition | May 10, 2022 | ||
Business Acquisition | Jan 06, 2021 |
Acquisition trends in Photonics sector in Asia
Here are the acquisition trends in Photonics sector in Asia:
- Total Number of Acquisitions
Year | No. of companies |
|---|---|
2026 | - |
2025 | - |
2024 | 1 |
2023 | 2 |
2022 | 1 |
2021 | 1 |
2020 | 1 |
2019 | 2 |
2018 | 2 |
2017 | - |
IPOs in Photonics in Asia
In the year 2025, till September 2025, 2 IPOs happened in Photonics sector in Asia.
Here are some recent, important IPOs in Photonics sector in Asia:
Company | IPO Date | Exchange Symbol |
|---|---|---|
Sep 16, 2025 | Hong Kong Exchanges (HKG) | |
Apr 15, 2025 | Taipei Stock Exchange (TT) | |
Jun 25, 2024 | Korea Exchange (KRX) | |
Jan 05, 2024 | Hong Kong Exchanges (HKG) | |
Aug 23, 2023 | Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) |
Colleges which produce the most Photonics companies in Asia
Companies founded by alumni from top colleges in the Photonics in Asia
Most number of Photonics startups in Asia have been founded by alumni from Stanford University, Technion Israel Institute Technology and Tel Aviv University.
College | No. of companies |
|---|---|
Stanford University | 6 |
Technion Israel Institute Technology | 5 |
Tel Aviv University | 4 |
Tsinghua University | 4 |
BITS Pilani | 3 |
IIT Bombay | 2 |
University of Delhi | 2 |
Australian National University (ANU) | 1 |
Booth School of Business | 1 |
Carnegie Mellon University | 1 |
Total funding in Photonics companies founded by alumni from top colleges in Asia
In the last 10 years, Tsinghua University graduates' Photonics companies in Asia have raised the most funding among top colleges. Stanford University alumni are second, and Tel Aviv University alumni are third.
College | Total Funding |
|---|---|
Tsinghua University | $648M |
Stanford University | $611M |
Tel Aviv University | $391M |
Technion Israel Institute Technology | $335M |
Booth School of Business | $252M |
University of Chicago | $252M |
INSEAD | $83.2M |
University of California (Berkeley) | $83.2M |
BITS Pilani | $12.2M |
University of Delhi | $7.33M |
Top News in Photonics in Asia
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Rigaku Launches ONYX 3200, a Metrology Instrument for Semiconductor ManufacturingKorea Newswire•Dec 19, 2025•Rigaku
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Gigaphoton Completes Installation of Excimer Laser for Advanced Packaging at Japanese CompanyKorea Newswire•Dec 09, 2025•Gigaphoton
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Rigaku Launches XTRAIA MF-3400, a Measuring Instrument for Next-generation SemiconductorsBusiness Wire•Dec 04, 2025•Rigaku
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Rigaku Establishes Technology Center in Taiwan for Engineering and CollaborationDataquest•Nov 07, 2025•Rigaku
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KraneShares Launches Humanoid & Embodied Intelligence Index UCITS ETF (KOID) on the London Stock ExchangeGlobeNewswire•Oct 09, 2025•Horizon, UBTECH, KraneShares, RoboSense and 4 others
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Rigaku announces STAvesta thermal analyzer for next-gen material developmentDataquest•Jul 31, 2025•Rigaku
