A Finnish startup, IXI, has announced it raised $36.5 million to pioneer autofocus technology in prescription eyewear, aiming to enhance vision correction through advanced liquid crystal lenses. Backed by a range of investors, notably including Amazon’s Alexa Fund, IXI leverages cutting-edge eye-tracking capabilities alongside innovative optical technology to produce low-power glasses designed specifically for people suffering from presbyopia, commonly known as age-related farsightedness.
Founded four years ago in Helsinki by former Nokia experts Niko Eiden and Ville Miettinen—who previously developed technology that later influenced Microsoft’s HoloLens—the company is exiting stealth mode to accelerate toward its commercial debut. The latest Series A funding round was led by London-based venture capital firm Plural, and featured participation from Tesi, byFounders, Heartcore, Eurazeo, FOV Ventures, Tiny Supercomputer, and several returning investors that had originally backed IXI under its earlier name, Pixieray.
The global market for eyewear surpasses $200 billion annually, growing at around 8% each year, significantly outpacing performance categories like smartphones and smartwatches. IXI positions itself strategically within this growing sector by focusing solely on vision correction, avoiding extraneous digital features such as apps or notifications commonly linked to augmented reality (AR) glasses. The underlying proprietary technology comprises miniature eye-tracking sensors discreetly built into the frame, enabling ultra-fast adjustments within the liquid crystal lenses to automatically maintain optimal focus as the wearer’s gaze shifts.
The glasses are designed to significantly improve everyday convenience for users who currently depend on multiple pairs of spectacles to alternate between close-range tasks and distance vision. Traditional bulky varifocal lenses or carrying separate pairs for reading and driving will no longer be necessary. Furthermore, IXI says battery life will be around two days per charge. Even if the battery fails unexpectedly, the built-in basic lens prescription ensures users can maintain clear distance vision, though near vision adjustments would temporarily cease.
IXI faces competition from other companies working on autofocus eyewear solutions, some already demonstrating prototypes. These include Japan-based Elcyo and France’s Laclarée, neither of which has successfully commercialized a product yet. Another Japanese competitor, Vixion, has released autofocus glasses but features conspicuous camera lenses, highlighting IXI’s potential advantage in developing truly discreet, aesthetically conventional eyewear.
The founders’ professional backgrounds have been a significant factor in attracting investor confidence—especially from Amazon, with whom Eiden had already established professional rapport through previous business discussions. Paul Bernard, head of Amazon’s Alexa Fund, described the IXI concept as “compelling” due to its sophisticated combination of low-power eye-tracking and high-speed lens adjustment, attributes that the IXI team perfected in previous roles at Varjo, a leading mixed-reality solutions firm servicing enterprise clients. Bernard noted Amazon’s keen interest in medical-grade eyewear solutions being part of a larger movement towards innovative personalization of vision correction.
IXI, having already filed multiple patents for its technology, anticipates unveiling the first public prototypes later this year. Although clear commercialization timelines remain undisclosed, regulatory approvals will be essential before sales commence. Sten Tamkivi, Partner at Plural, praised the technical expertise and leadership of the team, emphasizing IXI’s potential to reshape the eyewear industry through “beautiful, literally invisible technology,” ultimately bringing a fundamental improvement to human eyesight.
