XPANCEO, a deep tech pioneer developing AI-powered smart contact lenses, has raised $250 million in Series A funding at a $1.35 billion valuation, officially joining the unicorn ranks. The round was led by Opportunity Venture (Asia), which also backed the company’s $40 million seed round.
The funding will accelerate XPANCEO’s mission to launch the world’s first all-in-one smart contact lens—combining extended reality (XR), real-time health monitoring, night vision, and zoom into a seamless, invisible interface designed to replace all personal devices.
“In just two years, we’ve built 15 working prototypes. Our lens technology puts us years ahead of the market,” said Roman Axelrod, Founder and Managing Partner at XPANCEO. “Becoming a unicorn confirms our vision—to merge every device into your eyes.”
Since 2023, XPANCEO has made major breakthroughs: from lenses for AR and glaucoma monitoring to biochemical sensors, night vision optics, and wireless charging. These innovations have garnered 24 international awards and contributed to over 110 scientific publications, thanks to a proprietary, AI-enhanced R&D workflow.
“Our team blends deep physics expertise with cutting-edge materials science,” said Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov, Co-founder and Scientific Partner. “We’re not just advancing wearables—we’re pushing the boundaries of science itself.”
Founded by Axelrod and Volkov, XPANCEO has doubled its team and lab capacity, now employing 100+ scientists, engineers, and business leaders. The company collaborates with leading institutions including University of Manchester, National University of Singapore, and University of Dubai, aiming to dominate a market projected to exceed $750 billion in the next decade.
“XPANCEO is not building just another product—it’s pioneering a new era of personal computing,” said Philip Ma, Managing Director at Opportunity Venture (Asia). “With this raise, they’re poised to lead the post-smartphone revolution.”
