Founded in 2017, Circle Optics designs and manufactures the Hydra line of 360-degree cameras that eliminate parallax through proprietary polygonal lenses, removing the need for post-production stitching or gimbals. The company’s current focus is the Hydra II system, which integrates GPU technology to stream high-definition panoramic video in real time over 5G networks. Circle Optics’ lens-based stitching approach frees computing resources for edge processing tasks such as image recognition, broadening use cases in aerospace, unmanned flight, defense, education, and immersive experiences. The team holds 16 patents granted and pending and draws engineering talent from IMAX, Kodak, and L3Harris. Located in Rochester, New York, the firm positions itself at the center of the region’s storied optics ecosystem. Recent non-dilutive funding from AFWERX is helping optimize the company’s software algorithms for massively parallel GPU operations, accelerating product development. No revenue or user figures were disclosed in the article, but the additional capital underscores continuing government interest in the technology.

Total raised

$0M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

May 2024