Vayyar develops radar-imaging "radar-on-chip" sensor technology that uses MIMO antennas to deliver high-resolution mapping of surroundings. The company began by pursuing alternative breast-cancer screening and later expanded its technology into automotive, senior care, retail, smart home, commercial property and construction, offering products such as Vayyar Care (fall detection) and the Walabot handheld sensor. It has secured partnerships and customer relationships including Amazon (Alexa Together integration), Piaggio Group deployments, supply contracts with automakers in Japan and Vietnam, and a joint venture with Haier subsidiary HCH Ventures in China. Founded in 2011 by Miri Ratner, Naftali Chayat and Raviv Melamed, Vayyar plans to introduce a family of machine-learning-powered sensor solutions targeting robotics, retail, public safety and smart buildings. The company raised $108 million in a Series E, bringing total capital raised to over $300 million, and says the latest funding values it at over $1 billion. Vayyar engaged China International Capital Corporation as lead financial adviser to support investor outreach in China and has opened a new office there. Vayyar develops 4D radar-imaging chips, sensors and the software that interprets radar-generated images to detect and track people and objects while preserving privacy. Its technology is applied across automotive and IoT use cases; the company also produces a consumer product, the Walabot handheld sensor. Customers include automotive supplier Valeo and an unnamed "major Silicon Valley company" that is integrating Vayyar tech into smart-home products. The company primarily supplies technology to partners who productize it rather than focusing on direct-to-consumer sales. Vayyar says its software and algorithms differentiate it from other radar-imaging competitors. Management expects regulatory trends (for example, automotive safety requirements around detecting children left in cars) and growing privacy concerns to accelerate demand for its solutions. Vayyar Imaging develops 3D imaging sensors that create realtime, camera-free images capable of seeing through solid objects and mapping large areas. Its technology uses an embedded chip and advanced imaging algorithms to enable sensing in privacy-sensitive locations where optics cannot be used. The sensors are being applied across sectors including smart home, automotive, retail, robotics, medical, construction and agriculture. Vayyar says its mission is to improve health, safety and quality of life worldwide, and that demand from diverse industries requires rapid scaling. Following a $45 million Series C, total capital raised to date is $79 million; the company will use proceeds to expand into new industries, grow its global team and diversify its sensing product offerings. Vayyar also markets a consumer handheld device (Walabot DIY) and planned demonstrations of its latest automotive and smart home sensors at CES 2018. Vayyar builds compact sensors that use radio waves to create 3D images of obstructed objects — from root systems and piping to tissue behind skin. The company works with chip manufacturers to deliver a reference design, tailored antennae and an API so customers can plug the sensor into phones, devices or ground‑installed instruments. Vayyar launched a board for external tinkering to accelerate use‑case discovery and is starting to roll out products more broadly as augmented reality interest grows. Targeted applications mentioned include low‑cost breast‑cancer detection, milk fat measurement during production, irrigation profiling and infrastructure inspection. The startup faces competition from ultrasound, MRI and other chip/sensor makers but positions its tech as lower‑cost and already in use by a number of companies. Financially, the company has raised $22M in the latest venture financing and has raised $34M to date.

Total raised

$284M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Series E

Latest activity

Jun 2022