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XPANCEO raises $250M Series A for its AI-powered smart contact lens

July 9, 2025
XPANCEO raises $250M Series A for its AI-powered smart contact lens

XPANCEO, which is building a multifunctional smart contact lens, has raised $250 million in a Series A round at a $1.35 billion valuation. With this raise, the company becomes the UAE's 12th unicorn and aims to fast-track the commercialisation of an AI-powered lens that delivers AR vision, health monitoring, night vision, and more — all through a device thinner than a human hair.

The new capital will be used to finalise the development of its first-of-the-kind smart contact lens, expand XPANCEO's world-class team across R&D, product, design, and operations, and accelerate the company's path to market — with the ultimate goal of replacing all personal gadgets with a single, seamless wearable.

As it continues to scale, XPANCEO is not merely building a product — it's setting the stage for the next major paradigm in human-computer interaction.

Funding 💰

Round $250M
Series A
Lead investor(s) Opportunity Venture

Quotes 💬

“
There's broad consensus across Big Tech that AI-powered wearable XR is the future. Yet, major players have only recently begun building glasses and headsets, so our smart lens technology puts us at least five years ahead. Becoming a unicorn is a powerful signal that we're on the right path. In just 24 months, we've developed 15 working prototypes, each unlocking a new layer of possibility. Our vision remains the same: to merge all your devices into a single, invisible interface - your eyes.
— Roman Axelrod, Co-founder and Managing Partner at XPANCEO
“
To build something this ambitious, we had to push the boundaries of science itself. Our team possesses exceptional expertise at the forefront of physics, including on novel materials, nanoparticles development, nano-optics, and more. Our unique approach to research, which leverages AI to optimise our R&D workflows and patent analysis, allowed us to accelerate the development of an unprecedented number of prototypes in a short time and contribute to 110 scientific publications in leading journals, collaborating closely with world-renowned experts.
— Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov, Co-founder and Scientific Partner at XPANCEO
“
We see XPANCEO as a once-in-a-generation project. They're not just building a product, they're rewriting the rules of personal tech. We backed them early because we saw the boldness of their vision. Today, they've proven they can execute. With this funding, XPANCEO is poised to lead the post-smartphone era and redefine the personal computing landscape.
— Philip Ma, Managing Director of Opportunity Venture (Asia)

About 🏢

XPANCEO is a deep tech company developing the next generation of computing via an invisible and weightless smart contact lens that is as natural to the wearer as their own vision. The lens reinvents the whole concept of human-technology interaction and redefines the way we experience both real and digital worlds, including social media, content consumption, and gaming. Merging different gadgets into one, the lens transforms the everyday into an infinite eXtended Reality (XR) experience, replete with advanced real-time health monitoring and comprehensive practical recommendations, superpowers like night vision and zoom, and cutting-edge privacy and security measures. One of the applications of the smart lens will be related to the wearer's health, with the ability to track markers like stress, blood sugar, body temperature and dry eyes. more
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