The financing round led by Catalyst Romania Fund II and totalled EUR 5 million will be used to bring the Glasses for the Blind to market and advancing the Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) technology. In addition to Catalyst Romania, the round also included European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, Tigrim Capital, and SeedBlink.
dotLumen (www.dotlumen.com) is the research start-up which builds Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), first showcased in the Glasses for the Blind. Founded by Cornel Amariei, inspired by his family – all of them having disabilities, the Glasses replicate the main features of the Guide Dog, and more, in a scalable product. The same software coordinating the Glasses, called PAD AI, will allow humanoid robotics to navigate pedestrian environments.
Catalyst Romania (www.catalystromania.com) is a pioneer in private equity and venture capital investments in Romania by launching the country’s first dedicated fund in 2012, financed through the JEREMIE initiative and then, in the end of 2020, launching its second-generation fund, Catalyst Romania Fund II. The Catalyst Romania funds focus on providing early growth capital to young technology and tech-enabled companies from Romania and Eastern Europe, having potential to become leaders in the CEE region, or to reach a global presence and success.
Catalyst Romania Fund II is VC fund managed by Catalyst II GP, both companies being organized under Luxembourg laws and acting as an alternative investment fund and respectively as an alternative investment fund manager.
This complex matter was managed by an SAA team led by Managing Partner Silviu Stratulat, and which included Senior Associate Amanda Csaki.
For any other information on this, please feel free to contact Delia Bijnea (Head of Marketing and Communications) at [email protected].