Zero Point Motion raises £4m for motion sensor ramp with u-blox
UK sensor startup Zero Point Motion has raised £4m (€4.7m, $5m) to ramp production of its positioning technology that combines MEMS and photonics. Module maker u-blox in Switzerland is a key investor and customer.
The company in Bristol is backed by SCVC (the official funding arm of local venture fund Science Creates), Foresight Group and Verve Ventures. It previously raised £2.5m from the Foresight Williams fund in 2022. It has also secured UK and EU government funding with £1.3m from the UK’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) in 2023, followed by a €2.4m grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme.
The funding will be used to scale up volume production of positioning and navigation sensors in r applications such as drones, autonomous vehicles and wearables, having initially aimed for commercial products in 2024.
The company using cavity opto-mechanics, a technique used for gravitational wave detection and quantum mechanics experiments, for more accurate capacitive sensing and 1-, 2- and 3D accelerometers and gyroscopes.
“Our mission is to harness light to redefine the future of sensing,” says Dr Lia Li, founder and CEO of Zero Point Motion. “We’re working with two of the world’s leading foundries to push MEMS performance beyond its limits. With top-tier investors and partners behind us, we’re laser-focused on delivering our inertial sensors to customers who demand the highest precision and reliability.”
“We’ve also brought more integration and packaging R&D in-house, cutting iteration times from eight weeks to just one day,” she said. “This agility, combined with our expanding patent portfolio and multiple newly granted patents—ensures we stay ahead of the curve. Our next milestone: product qualification and customer deployment.”
u-blox cofounder and executive director, Andreas Thiel adds: “While satellite positioning technology delivers the highest accuracies in open environments, sensor-based dead reckoning is crucial for resilient performance in dense and obstructed urban scenarios. u-blox is known for its advanced positioning and wireless communication technologies, and we see significant potential in Zero Point Motion’s innovative sensor technology. By investing in Zero Point Motion, u-blox can integrate these cutting-edge sensors into our own product offerings, further strengthening our market position and expanding our technological capabilities.”
“Foresight initially invested in Zero Point Motion in 2021 to help Lia and the founding team bring this breakthrough sensing technology into the public domain,” said Chris Wiles, director of Foresight Ventures. “We are encouraged by the progress the team has made and the growing market need for accurate navigation and positioning in challenging environments. We are delighted to support the business in this recent funding round and welcome SCVC onboard.”
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