Illumion raises £1.7m from Foresight Group and ZEISS Ventures
This article covers Illumion, a university spinout and greentech startup, which has raised £1.7m in a series A funding round to commercialise an imaging method that lets battery researchers observe how individual particles charge and discharge inside working cells. The development aims to support battery researchers, materials scientists and cell developers by funding rollout of the illumionONE lab platform and the illumionX industrial offering to accelerate particle-level diagnostics across the battery supply chain.
Illumion, a university spinout and greentech startup, has raised £1.7m in a series A funding round to commercialise an imaging method that lets battery researchers observe how individual particles charge and discharge inside working cells. The funding will be used to develop its lab platform illumionONE, build an industrial offering called illumionX and accelerate commercial engagement across the battery supply chain.
Why it matters
Battery developers typically judge new chemistries and cell designs using whole-cell metrics such as capacity, voltage and cycle life. Those measurements show that something is wrong, but not why. Illumion’s approach aims to fill that visibility gap by revealing particle-level behaviour in real time, which can shorten development cycles and sharpen failure analysis for materials scientists and cell engineers.
Greater visibility into how particles store and release charge can influence material selection, improve quality control and reduce the time and cost of moving new formulations from lab to pilot production. For a sector under pressure to deliver faster, cheaper and safer batteries, more precise diagnostics are a practical step rather than a theoretical one.
Inside the product
Illumion commercialises charge photometry, an optical microscopy technique that provides a window into a running battery by showing where energy is being stored at the particle level. illumionONE is described as a laboratory platform for researchers to observe how individual battery particles behave during charge and discharge. The company says those particle-level observations allow scientists to spot effects that would otherwise be inferred only from slower and more expensive testing.
The firm is also developing illumionX, intended for industrial battery teams. That product aims to translate the particle-level insights into workflows and quality-control decisions that are applicable on development lines and in industrial settings, not just in academic labs.
Who are the investors?
The round brought in existing backers and a strategic imaging investor. Illumion raised £1.7m with participation from Foresight Group, and new participation from ZEISS Ventures. Other investors named in the round include Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Parkwalk, Cambridge Angels and YourVC. Foresight initially invested in 2024 via its Technology EIS and VCT funds and has supported the company with board engagement, investor introductions and help with non-dilutive funding applications, including a successful Innovate UK Growth Catalyst grant.
The new funds are earmarked for continued commercial development, delivery of the product roadmaps for illumionONE and illumionX, and engagement with battery researchers, cell developers and industrial partners across the battery value chain. Mills & Reeve advised Illumion on the round, led by corporate partner and Head of VC Investments Zickie Lim.
In the announcement, Christoph Schnedermann, Co-founder & CEO at Illumion, said:
This funding marks an important next step for Illumion as we translate world-class research into practical tools that accelerate battery innovation and development. Charge photometry gives researchers and engineers a new way to understand how battery materials behave in real time, and we are excited to continue developing our technology with the support of Foresight, ZEISS Ventures and our existing investors.
In the announcement, Andrew Bloxam, Partner at Foresight Group, said:
Illumion has developed a differentiated technology platform addressing an important challenge within battery research and industrial development. Since Foresight's initial investment, the team has made encouraging technical and commercial progress, and the involvement of ZEISS Ventures underlines the strategic relevance of the Company's imaging technology. We are pleased to continue supporting Christoph and the wider team through this next phase of development.
In the announcement, Julian Schroth, Investment Manager at ZEISS Ventures, said:
Battery technology is a key area of innovation, and advanced imaging tools can help researchers and manufacturers gain deeper insights into battery behaviour during development and testing. Illumion's has developed a differentiated approach to battery imaging, and we look forward to supporting the company as it advances its platform and engages with customers across the battery value chain.
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Founder perspective
Christoph Schnedermann, who co-founded Illumion and serves as CEO, is leading the company’s effort to move charge photometry from academic research into routine tools for laboratory and industrial use. The strategy combines hardware and software to turn imaging data into actionable signals for materials screening and production checks, aiming to reduce the number of iteration cycles required to validate new cells.
The bigger picture
The raise sits at the intersection of two wider trends: increased investment into greentech solutions for decarbonisation and a growing emphasis on advanced diagnostics in battery development. Optical and microscopy capabilities are becoming more relevant as manufacturers push to understand degradation mechanisms earlier and at smaller scales.
For the UK and Europe, progress in imaging-driven battery diagnostics could help domestic researchers and manufacturers close development loops faster and make local supply chains more competitive. The involvement of both a dedicated greentech investor and an optics-focused corporate venturing arm signals the kinds of cross-disciplinary partnerships that battery innovation increasingly requires.
The funding round therefore matters not just for Illumion but for the broader push to industrialise battery research in Europe, where faster, cheaper validation tools can accelerate commercialization of next-generation chemistries.
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