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Europe’s power grids and subsea infrastructure are under real pressure. Ageing transformers, overstretched high-voltage cables, and seabed assets exposed to sabotage and accidents. Traditional sensors either can’t survive these environments or only react when it’s already too late.
Optics11 builds ultra-sensitive fiber-optic sensing systems that “listen with light”, detecting threats and failures on the seabed and inside critical grid assets long before they cause outages or damage.
Optics11 began as a spin-out from VU Amsterdam, founded by experimental physicist Davide Iannuzzi and serial entrepreneur Hans Brouwer. The vision was ambitious: build the world’s most sensitive fiber-optic sensors, capable of operating where other technologies fail. The technology was powerful but the company was spread across too many markets at once.
We invested with conviction and helped sharpen the strategy. Together with the founders, we split the business: Optics11 Life focuses on life sciences, while Optics11 focuses on defense and energy, squarely within our Industrial Tech and Climate Tech domains. In 2024, we supported the hiring of Paul Heiden as CEO, bringing in a product-driven, commercial leader to turn deeptech into scale.
When we see that level of potential, we double down. We led the Series A and the €17M Series B, and helped build a sales structure around two business units; Underwater Security and Energy, with support from our venture partner Coen Bos.
Paul Heiden
CEO, Optics11
Optics11 is turning fiber-optic sensing into critical infrastructure for Europe:
Europe needs European-built technology to protect its infrastructure. Optics11 is stepping into that role.
