Deeptech Optikan raises 830,000 euros to finance the development of its terahertz wave industrial quality control scanner

Optikan, a player in industrial non-destructive testing, has just closed an 830,000 euro round of financing led by Techno'Start (an investment fund backed by the Bordeaux Technowest technology park), the Arts & Métiers Business Angels network and the Synergence Invest fund, alongside Bpifrance on behalf of the French State and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region.

Optikan, an industrial deeptech company
Optikan, founded in 2021 in Blanquefort following seven years of research at the Laboratoire d'Intégration du Matériau au Système (IMS) in Bordeaux, is developing an innovative non-destructive testing scanner based on terahertz radiation for industrial use.

Terahertz waves have the advantage of penetrating non-conductive materials such as elastomers, composites, textiles, wood or ceramics. Unlike existing non-destructive testing techniques using X-rays, ultrasound or infrared, terahertz waves enable non-contact, safe inspection at the heart of the material. These unique properties enable product or process control on the production line for many manufacturers looking for solutions to reduce the environmental and economic impact associated with non-quality (notably wastage of materials and energy).

The company was founded by four partners: Dr Jean-Bapstiste Perraud, Dr Matthieu Maures, Dr Quentin Cassar and Yoann Cudonnec, combining technical and commercial skills.

Financing the development of an industrial scanner
In 2023, the company developed a laboratory system that validated the technical feasibility of inspection for a number of industrial applications. At the same time, Optikan produced a demonstrator of its breakthrough innovation enabling very high-speed terahertz inspection, paving the way for the development of an industrial scanner to equip conveyor lines.

The innovation enables internal inspection of industrial products to detect defects, foreign bodies or check their physical properties.

This first stage was supported by various organizations, including the chrysa-link incubator and then Bordeaux Technowest, as well as Airbus Développement, Bpifrance with the French Tech Emergence grant, and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region with a Nouvelle-Aquitaine Amorçage honor loan managed by Aquiti Gestion, as well as R&D aid.

The fund-raising is aimed at financing the development of an industrial scanner that will enable real-time inspection of manufactured products on production lines.