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Agate Sensors Raises $6.6M for Everyday Spectroscopy Tech





Agate Sensors, a spinout of Aalto University developing smart sensors for material analysis, has raised €5.6 million (~$6.6 million) to commercialize a research breakthrough that shrinks spectroscopy from suitcase-sized lab equipment to a single pixel smaller than a grain of sand — integrated into a chip compact enough to sit on the tip of a finger.

The startup’s technology allows devices to analyze the spectral signatures of materials in real time, bringing high-precision material sensing out of the lab and into everyday devices, from smartphones and wearables to medical equipment and defense systems.

“We’ve taken a spectrometer once confined to specialized labs and made it small and affordable enough to live inside everyday devices,” said Tommi Leino, CEO of Agate Sensors. “One sensor can shift between functions entirely through software — from diagnosing a health condition to detecting, identifying, and classifying objects and materials — changing how we interact with the physical world.”

Manufacturing of initial chips is expected by year-end, enabling proof-of-concept demonstrators throughout 2026 and first commercial smart wearable products targeted for late 2027. According to the company, one of the earliest market ready applications lies in defense, as the sensor enables the distinction between real foliage and synthetic camouflage, or the identification of specific vehicle types via paint signatures.

The platform also has applications in machine vision, including multi-biomarker health monitoring in wearables, detection of counterfeit goods in supply chains, identifying environmental hazards in industry, and early intervention in smart agriculture and forestry, among other potential uses.

“This technology is the result of over a decade of research in semiconductor physics and nanotechnology at Aalto University,” said Andreas Liapis, CTO of Agate Sensors. “For the first time, we are able to bring laboratory-grade spectroscopy to an integrated form factor suitable for mass market use.”

The round includes €4 million in seed funding led by Voima Ventures and LIFTT, plus €1.6 million in grants from Business Finland.

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