BMW i Ventures led the lidar sensor developer's series B round, which also featured another corporate venturing unit, Toyota AI Ventures.

Automotive manufacturer BMW led an $18m series B round for US-based light detection technology developer Blackmore Sensors and Analytics on Tuesday through its strategic investment subsidiary, BMW i Ventures.

Another carmaker, Toyota, took part in the round through its Toyota AI Ventures unit, and the corporates were joined by investment firm Millennium Technology Value Partners and venture capital firm Next Frontier Capital.

Founded in 2016, Blackmore Sensors is working on lidar technology, an object detection system which transmits light to…