The threat of war in Europe, escalating hybrid attacks and growing demand for energy grid resilience drive global interest in Optics11’s fibre optic sensing technology.
PRESS RELEASE
AMSTERDAM, November 9, 2026 | Optics11, the Dutch deep-tech company pioneering fibre optic sensing for underwater intelligence and energy grids, today announces it has secured €50 million in follow-on equity investment to accelerate its capacity to meet global customer demand. As European governments and defence organisations scramble to rebuild effective security infrastructure, this equity round takes total investment in the Company to more than €100 million in just 15 months.
The latest €50 million round is backed by existing institutional investors FORWARD.one, Value Creation Capital, SET Ventures and JOIN Capital, with all four reinvesting as Optics11 enters its next phase of international growth. The new capital will support increased manufacturing and international expansion, enabling the Company to respond to growing global demand, expand its operational capabilities and deliver its technology to an increasing number of customers and partners.
The investment represents a major scale-up milestone for Optics11, reflecting both the growing commercial opportunity for its technology and the speed at which the security environment surrounding critical infrastructure has changed. Governments across the globe are reassessing their ability to protect national infrastructure as hybrid warfare increasingly extends beyond traditional military domains and into the seas, while global electricity networks face growing pressure from electrification, rising energy demand and the need for greater grid resilience. Together, these challenges are creating significant international demand for advanced sensing technologies capable of protecting the infrastructure upon which modern economies depend.
This growing demand is reflected in Optics11’s expanding international pipeline and order book, as governments, infrastructure operators and industrial partners increasingly recognise the advantages of fibre optic sensing, including earlier warning and more precise subsea detection compared with traditional ‘active’ electrical sensing methods. With interest growing across both underwater intelligence and energy grids, the investment will enable Optics11 to scale its operations and manufacturing capabilities to meet customer demand and support the wider deployment of its technology internationally.
Earlier this year, the Dutch Ministry of Defence selected Optics11’s containerised OptiArray technology for its ASWINABO, or Anti-Submarine Warfare In A Box, programme, enabling advanced underwater sensing capability to be deployed from a much broader range of crewed and uncrewed surface vessels, including civilian ships. The programme is intended to strengthen the readiness and self-sufficiency of the Royal Netherlands Navy and represents a significant validation of Optics11’s technology as nations across the globe look to rapidly increase maritime surveillance capabilities.
At the heart of Optics11 is the same fibre optic sensing technology first developed from research at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, from which the Company was founded in 2011. By using light to capture minute acoustic signals, rather than powered electronics at the sensing point, the technology remains silent and immune to electromagnetic interference while delivering exceptionally sensitive, high-quality data. This technological advantage underpins Optics11’s solutions across underwater intelligence and energy grids, offering a distinctive approach to early detection and monitoring in environments where conventional sensing technologies struggle.
Underwater, OptiBarrier provides persistent seabed sensing capable of detecting and classifying targets at distances of up to 100 kilometres from the shoreline, while OptiArray brings the same fibre optic sensing capability to a mobile towed array for anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance. Across energy grids, OptiFinder applies fibre optic acoustic sensing to detect and precisely localise partial discharge within high-voltage assets and is now in live deployment globally.
From activity around subsea infrastructure to the earliest signs of deterioration inside a transformer, each application is built around the principle of providing highly sensitive detection, richer information and more time to act. As the threats facing critical infrastructure continue to evolve, the €100 million investment in 15 months represents a clear commitment to advancing this technology and expanding its availability internationally, ensuring Optics11 can continue innovating while meeting the growing security and infrastructure needs of the modern world.
Paul Heiden, CEO of Optics11, said: “This investment is a significant milestone for Optics11 and reflects the growing international demand for technology that can help protect the critical infrastructure our societies depend upon. From ASWINABO to OptiFinder, we are seeing our technology move into real-world deployment, with increasing interest from governments, operators and partners around the world. We have spent years developing the most sophisticated sensing technology capable of operating in the world’s most hostile environments. This investment gives us the ability to scale our manufacturing and international capabilities, deliver on that growing demand and continue working with partners to bring advanced sensing technology to the markets where it is needed most.”
END OF RELEASE
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About Optics11
Founded in 2011 as a spin-out from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Optics11 is a Dutch deep technology company developing fibre optic sensing systems for underwater intelligence and energy grids. The Company has transformed pioneering research in photonics and acoustics into commercially deployed products that help governments, navies, utilities and infrastructure operators detect threats and developing faults earlier, strengthen resilience and make better-informed decisions.
Its underwater portfolio includes OptiBarrier, a static passive fibre optic seabed sensing system providing persistent, long-range awareness around ports, offshore energy infrastructure, subsea cables and other critical maritime assets, capable of detecting and classifying underwater targets at distances of up to 100 kilometres from the shoreline; and OptiArray, a next-generation fibre optic towed array delivering advanced underwater awareness for anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance, including through its selection by the Dutch Ministry of Defence for the ASWINABO programme.
Its Energy Grids portfolio includes OptiFinder, a fibre optic monitoring platform for detecting and localising partial discharge within high-voltage electrical assets. Immune to electromagnetic interference and capable of supporting up to 32 passive sensors from a single unit, OptiFinder provides utilities, transmission system operators and equipment manufacturers with earlier insight into developing faults and centimetre-level localisation of partial-discharge sources.
By using light to detect minute acoustic signals, Optics11 provides earlier and deeper understanding in environments where conventional sensing has failed. As critical infrastructure becomes increasingly contested and difficult to protect, the Company is scaling internationally to help governments and operators protect the systems modern society depends upon.
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Ryan Forecast | +44 7388935091 |ryan@yellowjerseypr.com
