Project name: .lumen (dotLumen)
Total Budget: €9.25m received, €13m secured
EU Contribution: €2.2m grants, €7.1m equity
Location: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
.lumen builds the world’s most advanced assistive technology for the blind: glasses that replicate the guidance of a guide dog. Using proprietary Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI), the glasses detect obstacles, paths, and movement in real time, then translate this into intuitive haptic feedback on the forehead, gently ’pulling‘ the user’s head toward safe directions while keeping hearing free. CE-certfied and tested with users in 30+ countries, .lumen offers a scalable alternative to the limited 28.000 guide dogs available for 338 million visually impaired people worldwide. Hardware is developed with medical-grade partners, ensuring reliability and comfort for daily use. Beyond assistive tech, the underlying AI has applications in delivery robotics, AR, and emergency response.
Vision & impact.lumen empowers independence for the 338 million visually impaired by replacing centuries-old tools with AI-driven glasses that act like a wearable guide dog. Lumen's vision is a world where mobility is scalable, accessible, and inclusive, backed by technology that transforms lives.
CollaborationThe company’s EIC journey came with many iterations and a steep learning curve, teaching us what it truly takes to succeed. The support was exceptional, the EIC is Europe’s truest business accelerator. We believe more Romanian and deeptech startups should follow this path.
What's next ?Next, they are focusing on commercialisation in Romania, followed by expansion across Europe in 2026. In parallel, we are advancing R&D on the medical device pathway and developing a second generation of the glasses, bringing improved design, functionality, scalability, and impact.
My journey began in Romania, born in a family of people with disabilities, and led to building .lumen glasses for the blind. This was only possible in Europe, where the EIC made us the first Romanian startup ever accelerated. I once had the chance to cross the Atlantic, but I chose to stay, because I believe innovation is Europe, and with the EIC’s support, Europe is innovation.
