With this new capital siOPTICA will expand its product portfolio of switchable privacy filters, develop new IP and file corresponding patents. siOPTICA will adapt existing solutions to fully meet new customer requirements. Furthermore, the investment will be used for the development of new generations of privacy filters and expanding worldwide sales and marketing efforts to strengthen the siOPTICA’s market presence.

siOPTICA offers switchable privacy solutions for displays applied in key markets such as automotive, ATMs and other payment devices, as well as mobile devices such as laptops.

The integrated privacy filters secure pin entry on ATMs and other payment terminals by preventing skimming.

The siOPTICA technology allows the passenger to use a second car information display for entertainment during driving without distracting the driver as is imposed by law.  Navigation data and other important information remain visible to the driver at any time. Industry studies underline that from 2022 onwards every second car will be equipped with at least two front displays.

Screen privacy also plays an important role in many other situations. Numerous companies impose or at least encourage their employees to use privacy filters on their mobile devices when outside the company premises. The current filters are attached to the screen surface and darken the display.  Compensating for the desired brightness increases the power consumption. Sometimes these filters are permanently attached to the screen, preventing screen sharing when needed or desired.  With the siOPTICA technology, these problems do not exist. Integrated switchable privacy filters allow flexible and secure working when needed.

With this investment, bm|t (beteiligungsmanagement thüringen GmbH), which also manages the funds “Private Equity Thüringen” and the growth fund “Stiftung Thüringer Beteiligungskapital” which both invested in siOPTICA, has become the majority shareholder in the company.

„With Capital-E we won a new investor that not only supports us financially, but also brings a vast experience in entrepreneurship and technology”, emphasizes Dr Markus Klippstein, CEO and co-founder of siOPTICA GmbH.

 „Capital-E mainly invests in companies dealing with Micro/Nano –electronics and new materials. The siOPTICA Team, the technology, the strong IP portfolio as well as the customer network have convinced us to invest in the company. We see large opportunities”, stated Dr Lou Hermans, partner at CAPITAL-E.  “We are looking forward to actively support the experienced siOPTICA Management team growing the company over the next years.”

“For us it is a great pleasure to see how siOPTICA continuously has developed over the years. The new investment provides the company with a solid basis for further growth”,  emphasizes Cornelia Böse, Investment Manager at bm|t.

About bm|t

The Erfurt-based bm|t beteiligungsmanagement thüringen gmbh – a subsidiary of the Thüringer Aufbaubank – is the first address for investment in Thuringia. bm|t currently manages eight investment funds with a total volume of 320 million €. bm|t invests in innovative companies of all high-yield sectors and in all stages of a company’s life cycle, from start-up to IPO or MBO.

More information about bm|t can be found under http://www.bm-t.com

About Capital-E

Capital-E is one of the few Venture Capital Funds in Europe with on focus early-stage investments in the area of micro/nano-electronics and new materials. Typically, the fund invests in companies in the prototyping phase or realising a turnover of 1 M€. Capital-E invests mainly in Western Europe. The team of Capital-E plays an active role as partner and often as board member from the moment of first investment until the exit.

More information about Capital-E can be found under http://www.capital-e.com.