Featured in WomenINvestEU’s Matchmaking on Digital Technologies, Brighter Signals has developed a new class of flexible, fabric-based tactile sensors that combine occupancy detection, classification and monitoring in a single device.
Capable of greater physical insight than traditional systems, Brighter Signal’s patented technology can have several different applications. In the automotive industry, it can improve applied to safety and comfort systems, helping vehicles better understand occupant presence to improve airbag deployment and comfort. In the field of industrial and humanoid robotics, it can allow machines to efficiently sense and respond to physical interaction.
The company’s latest €1.6 million funding round was raised from venture capital funds, public innovation programs and strategic lenders. It includes equity investment from Wake Up Capital, an impact-focused early-stage venture capital fund backed by the European Union through the InvestEU Fund, and ELOKON Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Germany-based safety systems provider ELOKON Group, with additional support from Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland and a Eurostars grant co-funded by the Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO.).
What’s next for Brighter Signals?
The capital will be used to advance product development, with a particular focus on enhancing the company's proprietary data interpretation algorithms, as well as to support the continued expansion of active pilot programs across automotive, robotics, and industrial sectors.
In the meantime, the company is also engaged in more than a dozen proof-of-concept programs with leading global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Several current pilots are expected to progress toward large-scale commercial deployment over the coming 12 to 24 months.
"Our sensors produce a level of physical insight that traditional systems simply can't capture. This funding allows us to scale both the hardware and the algorithms needed to turn that data into safer vehicles and more capable machines", said Andrew Klein, CEO and Co-Founder.
Learn more about this funding round.
About the WomenINvestEU Matchmaking Events
As a part of its effort to expand the gender-focused investment ecosystem across Europe, WomenINvestEU organizes matchmaking events to connect women-led startups with members of its European Network of Gender-Conscious Investors.
Representatives of women-led startups, as well as startups with women in C-level positions, can apply for the chance to participate in these events through regular open calls. The selected startups also receive pitching support on strategic topics, in order to prepare for their interactions with the gender-conscious investors in attendance.
Read our interview with Christine Fraser, Co-founder & COO of Brighter Signals
Find out which previously matchmaking-featured companies closed rounds earlier this year
- Publication date
- 28 May 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs