THC Ventures has led a $14.5m round that will fund Light Theto's R&D activities.

China-based 3D optical technology developer Light Theto Beijing Science and Technology Development has raised RMB100m ($14.5m) in a series B round led by THC Ventures, a VC affiliate of Tsinghua University’s Tsinghua Holding asset management unit, China Money Network reported on Wednesday. The round included private equity firm Cathay Capital, VC fund Shunwei Capital and TusStar Angel Invest, as well as internet group Baidu and electronics manufacturer Lenovo, which participated through corporate venturing subsidiaries Baidu Ventures and Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group respectively. Founded in 2016, Light Theto is developing technology that utilises sensors to analyse the size, shape and distance of physical objects in the immediate vicinity. The technology will be used for facial, gesture and motion recognition, 3D photography and augmented reality systems in devices such as mobile phones, tablets and smart vehicles. In addition to funding the production of its flagship micro-nano optical devices, the company also plans to invest in research and development for optical chips and light-based 3D sensing technology. Light Theto closed a $10m series A round in 2017 that included Baidu Ventures and Shunwei Capital, a year after the company received an undisclosed amount in an angel round co-led by Legend Star, a subsidiary of Lenovo’s majority investor Legend Capital, and ZhenFund. – A version of this article first appeared on our sister site, Global Corporate Venturing.

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