Eyeware tracks $1.9m round

Eyeware Tech, a Switzerland-based eye tracking software spinout of Idiap Research Institute and École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, attracted Sfr1.9m ($1.9m) in a seed round led by public-private partnership High-Tech Gründerfonds yesterday.
Trumpf Venture, the corporate venturing arm of machine tools supplier Trumpf, took part in the round along with state-owned bank Zurich Kantonalbank and Swiss Startup Group, the investment subsidiary of Swiss Startup Factory.
Founded in 2016, Eyeware Tech develops 3D eye-tracking software for depth-sensing cameras that exploits computer vision technology to follow the user’s gaze in three dimensions without the need for glasses.
The spinout has collaborated with industrial firms to devise applications including a robotic arm and a technology which gauges the level of engagement from automobile drivers and viewers of infotainment programs.
The series B funding will be invested in completing Eyeware’s kit for software developers, which will initially facilitate consumer-focused applications of its technology.
Eyeware is also aiming to add to its corporate partnerships in the US and China. In addition to robotics, consumer and automotive, Eyeware is targeting business in the retail and healthcare industries.
Dieter Kraft, managing director of Trumpf Venture, has joined the board of directors.
Jean-Marc Odobez, a senior researcher at Idiap Research Institute who also has an appointment at EPFL as maître d’enseignement of research, acts as scientific adviser to Eyewear Tech.
The company is named in the portfolio of business incubator Startup Lisboa, however details of an investment could not be ascertained.
Dieter Kraft said: “Attention sensing by eye tracking is the missing link in a multimodal human-machine interaction. We are delighted to support the Eyeware team and help to bring the product to market.”