Redmond-based Lumotive has raised fresh capital from Amazon’s Industrial Innovation Fund and Oman’s sovereign-backed ITHCA Group, closing its Series B round at $59 million. The startup is building programmable optical chips that promise to reshape intelligent sensing in automation, robotics, and infrastructure systems.
This marks a key step for GCC-linked investors entering the deep-tech semiconductor race, and positions Lumotive as a strategic partner for both global industry and regional digitisation agendas.
Strategic Capital with Global and Regional Ambitions
Amazon’s investment signals a strong bet on next-gen perception systems. The company’s Industrial Innovation Fund focuses on tech that improves logistics, factory automation, and intelligent machines.
With their programmable optical beamforming chips, Lumotive is building a critical foundation for the next generation of intelligent machines,” said Franziska Bossart, Head of Amazon’s Fund.
For ITHCA, this deal advances Oman’s Vision 2040 goals of digital infrastructure, AI, and strategic technology investment.
Lumotive’s presence in Oman strengthens our innovation ecosystem and advances our national goals in telecommunications and AI,” said ITHCA CEO Said Al Mandhari.
Chips That Replace Mirrors and Motors
At the core of Lumotive’s offering is its Light Control Metasurface (LCM) platform. The tech replaces bulky LiDAR mirrors with software-defined, beam-steering chips. These deliver compact, energy-efficient 3D sensing with minimal moving parts, ideal for robots, smart cities, and next-gen mobility.
The company has already launched development kits and is moving into commercial deployment across logistics, automation, and infrastructure verticals. Customers are using the chips in warehouse robotics, autonomous vehicles, and smart traffic systems.
Oman as a Deployment and Innovation Hub
The partnership with ITHCA brings Lumotive closer to the GCC’s industrial modernisation strategy. Oman has been increasing its exposure to AI, cleantech, and infrastructure automation. Lumotive’s technology, now backed by both American and Gulf investors, may soon enter live deployments across ports, roads, and manufacturing zones in the region.
Amazon’s stake also positions Lumotive within the automation stack of the world’s largest e-commerce company, further validating the tech’s long-term industrial potential.
Founder and Tech Credentials
Lumotive spun out of Intellectual Ventures in 2018 and is led by CEO Dr Sam Heidari, a veteran in optical networks. The firm’s cap table already includes Gates Frontier, MetaVC, Swisscom Ventures, East Bridge Capital, and Stifel Bank.
Heidari believes the world is shifting toward software-defined hardware stacks.
As industries move towards AI-native automation, Lumotive enables smarter, smaller, more reliable sensing for the physical world,” he said.
What This Means for the Middle East
With sovereign capital now shaping frontier chips and optics, this signals a widening scope for MENA tech investment beyond fintech and marketplaces. Lumotive is not just a deep-tech bet; it is a move toward physical-world intelligence infrastructure, a space where GCC logistics and smart cities can lead globally.
For founders and regulators watching the space, this deal offers a template for how strategic capital can bring commercial-grade deep tech closer to deployment.
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