Singular Photonics raises US$2.15mn for next-gen SPADs

Singular Photonics Lands Funding to Launch Next-Generation Image Sensors as Commercial Traction Grows

Fabless semiconductor startup appoints former Arm CTO to Board as demand for SPAD-based image sensors accelerates.

Edinburgh, UK – August 19, 2026 – Singular Photonics, a developer of SPAD-based image sensors, today announced it has closed an oversubscribed $2.15 million funding round, led by ACF Investors, with participation from Wren Capital, Cambridge Angels, Scottish Enterprise, Quantum Exponential and Old College Capital. The new capital will accelerate development of a new generation of sensors, expanding the company's product roadmap in response to demand from its growing customer base.
Singular has already doubled its full-year 2025 sales in 2026 to date, driven by customer engagements spanning multiple sectors, including a recent collaboration with instrumentation leader Renishaw. The investment will be used to scale engineering capacity and speed time-to-market for new image sensors capable of advancing new applications in markets ranging from machine vision, industrial automation and physical AI to scientific discovery and medical imaging.
 
“This has been a phenomenal year for Singular Photonics,” said CEO Shahida Imani. “We've already doubled our 2025 sales, we're approaching break-even, and our customers are telling us exactly what they want from future products. This oversubscribed round means we can respond faster – expanding our sensor portfolio and bringing new features to market on our customers’ timelines, not just our own.”
 
“Singular Photonics is an exciting addition to our portfolio, combining world-leading sensor science with genuine commercial promise,” said Tim Mills, Managing Partner at ACF Investors. “The industry is moving from capturing images to generating actionable insights directly from light itself, and Singular has both the technology and the team to lead that shift. We're delighted to back them into their next phase of growth.”
 
“Scottish Enterprise has supported Singular Photonics ambition to develop SPAD-based image sensors over several years,” said Derek Shaw, Director of Company Funding & Investment at Scottish Enterprise. “The Photonics, Quantum, Sensing and Connectivity and Semi-conductors Sector is a key opportunity area for growth for Scotland. Companies such as Singular Photonics can play a vital role in transforming our economy by scaling-up, creating high value jobs and competing internationally.” 
 
“In a strong signal of confidence in Singular’s trajectory, existing shareholders followed the new investors into the round, meeting or exceeding their pre-emption rights,” said Singular Photonics Chairman Pete Hutton. “Combined with the appetite shown by new investors, the round was met with robust demand – a clear vote of confidence in the team, the technology and the commercial momentum the company has built.”

Dipesh Patel joins Board
Singular also announced that Dipesh Patel, the former CTO of global semiconductor giant Arm, has joined the company’s board of directors. During his 25 years at Arm, Dr. Patel held a number of general and technical management positions culminating in his role as CTO where he was responsible for the Research and Digital IT functions.
 
“Singular Photonics is transforming image sensors from passive imaging devices into intelligent sensing platforms,” said Dr. Patel. “SPADs have long been viewed as highly sensitive photon-counting devices, but Singular is showing the world that a far greater opportunity is now emerging, and I’m looking forward to helping the company capitalise on that opportunity.”
 
Powering the SPAD revolution
Every digital camera, industrial vision system and scientific imaging instrument depends on image sensors to capture light and convert it into useful information. Over the decades, these sensors have improved, but they are now approaching the limits of how much information can be captured. The arrival of sensors based on single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) is changing that.
Unlike conventional image sensors, which essentially measure the intensity of light, SPAD sensors can precisely detect and time individual photons (the smallest units of light). This opens the door to an entirely new generation of imaging systems that can capture information that conventional cameras simply cannot see.
 
Singular Photonics is pioneering the development of SPAD-based image sensors that also integrate advanced on-chip computation. This allows information to be analysed at the point where light is first detected, making the company’s sensors capable of extracting meaningful information in real time. As sensors become increasingly capable of understanding the information they capture, they can enable smaller, faster and more efficient systems that meet the growing demands of edge computing and AI-driven applications.