Edinburgh based Singular Photonics raises £1.6m led by ACF Investors and Wren Capital
This article covers Singular Photonics, an Edinburgh-based hardware startup that has raised £1.6m in a seed funding round to accelerate development of next-generation image sensors that detect and time single photons. The funding is intended to grow engineering capacity and speed product roadmaps for sensors aimed at machine vision, industrial automation, physical AI, scientific research and medical imaging.
Singular Photonics, an Edinburgh-based hardware startup, has raised £1.6 million in a seed funding round to speed development of next-generation image sensors that detect and time single photons. The funding will be used to grow engineering capacity and accelerate product roadmaps for applications in machine vision, industrial automation, physical AI, scientific discovery and medical imaging.
Why it matters
Most image sensors measure light intensity and are approaching practical limits on the information they can capture. Singular Photonics is building sensors based on single photon avalanche diodes, or SPADs, which detect individual photons and record timing information. That capability lets cameras and instruments extract different kinds of data at the point of capture, which can be useful for low-light imaging, depth sensing, high-speed inspection and on-device AI.
The commercial signal matters as much as the technology. The company says full-year 2025 sales have already doubled in 2026 to date, and its Andarta and Sirona product families are commercially available and generating revenue. A recent collaboration with instrumentation maker Renishaw underlines its traction with industrial customers.
Inside the product
Singular Photonics combines SPAD detectors with on-chip computation so that data is analysed where light is first detected. Processing at the sensor reduces latency and data bandwidth, which is important for edge computing and AI-driven workflows that cannot rely on cloud connectivity. The company positions the approach as enabling smaller, faster and more efficient imaging systems suited to machine vision, industrial automation and scientific instruments.
The new capital is earmarked to accelerate a next generation of sensors and to scale engineering capacity to shorten time-to-market for those product lines.
Who are the investors?
The £1.6 million seed round was led by ACF Investors and included participation from Wren Capital, Cambridge Angels, Scottish Enterprise, Quantum Exponential and Old College Capital. The round was oversubscribed, and existing shareholders reportedly met or exceeded their pre-emption rights, a sign of follow-on appetite from current backers.
In the announcement, Tim Mills, Managing Partner at ACF Investors, said:
Singular Photonics is an exciting addition to our portfolio, combining world-leading sensor science with genuine commercial promise. 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.
In the announcement, Derek Shaw, Director of Company Funding & Investment at Scottish Enterprise, said:
Scottish Enterprise has supported Singular Photonics ambition to develop SPAD-based image sensors over several years. 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.
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Founder perspective
The company has added former Arm CTO Dipesh Patel to its board. Patel spent 25 years at Arm in technical and management roles, finishing as CTO where he led research and digital IT functions. His appointment signals an emphasis on commercial and technical scaling.
In the announcement, Shahida Imani, CEO at Singular Photonics, said:
This has been a phenomenal year for Singular Photonics. 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.
In the announcement, Pete Hutton, Chairman at Singular Photonics, said:
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. 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.
The bigger picture
Singular Photonics sits at the intersection of photonics and semiconductors, a strategic area for UK and Scottish industrial policy and investment. SPAD-based sensors are attracting attention because they enable new sensing modalities that support edge AI and automation trends across manufacturing, life sciences and defence. Scottish Enterprise’s involvement highlights the regional push to build high-value hardware and photonics clusters that can compete internationally.
The deal is one to watch for investors tracking hardware and imaging technologies across the UK and Europe, where demand for smarter, low-latency sensors is growing alongside industrial automation and on-device AI.
They've invested in Singular Photonics
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 Scottish Enterprise( ) The firm focuses on supporting early-stage and growing companies in Scotland, of... Glasgow | ||||
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