MetaOptics Ltd, a semiconductor optics company listed on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange, has announced a new investment facility of up to US$10 million from White Lion Capital LLC. The arrangement is structured through a warrant deed that allows the issuance of up to 40,000,000 new ordinary shares upon exercise by the investor. This marks the first participation by a United States institutional investor in MetaOptics and represents a notable validation of its metalens technology and commercial roadmap.
A Landmark U.S. Institutional Investment
White Lion Capital LLC, based in Los Angeles, California, is the first institutional investor in the United States to participate in MetaOptics' growth story. The investment is structured through a warrant deed under which MetaOptics may issue up to 40,000,000 new ordinary shares. The facility provides a strong validation of the Company's technology, solutions, and commercialisation roadmap.
Commercial Momentum and Investor Base Expansion
The investment facility follows one year after MetaOptics' listing on the Catalist board of the Singapore Exchange. It also arrives after a period of strong commercial momentum, with design and evaluation requests from world-class customers and sampling units shipped. White Lion's participation extends the Company's investor base beyond Asia into the United States, its largest end market.
Use of Proceeds and Fabrication Investment
The proceeds of up to US$10 million, upon exercise of the warrants, will accelerate MetaOptics' expansion in the United States. The funding will support ongoing projects with U.S. customers across consumer devices, co-packaged optics, and optical interconnects. Importantly, it will fund the establishment of the Group's maiden front-end semiconductor fabrication line with 12-inch DUV immersion photolithography equipment in the U.S. for mass production of metalenses and modules.
Onshoring Capabilities for Mass Production
Establishing this front-end semiconductor fabrication line will onshore key metalens design, manufacturing, and testing capabilities into the United States. It will bring these capabilities closer to U.S. customers and provide a shorter and clearer roadmap to securing purchase orders for mass production. The move aligns with MetaOptics' strategy to strengthen its operational footprint in its largest market.
Market Drivers and Foundry Collaborations
The United States is a key market for metalens adoption, driven by consumer electronics, AR/VR wearables, automotive sensing, and the multi-billion dollar co-packaged optics industry serving AI data centres. MetaOptics is currently working with several U.S. foundries to integrate its metalenses into their co-packaged optics designs. These collaborations position the Company to capture demand from advanced semiconductor and AI infrastructure applications.
Scalability and Technology Validation
MetaOptics has developed the smallest co-packaged optics metalens at 0.1 millimetres. The design can be scaled to a 12-inch semiconductor photolithography process on glass substrates, which is a key requirement for high-volume production. This scalability demonstrates the Company's ability to combine precision optical design with semiconductor manufacturing methods.
Executive and Investor Perspectives
Mr Thng Chong Kim, Executive Chairman of MetaOptics, said securing the first U.S. institutional investor is an important step for the Company because many of its most important customers are in the United States. Gabriel Gumbiner, Senior Associate of White Lion, noted that MetaOptics is one of the few companies in the world able to design, mass-produce, and test glass-based metalenses at scale. He also expressed pride in supporting MetaOptics' expansion in the U.S. market.
Overall, this up to US$10 million investment facility represents a meaningful milestone in MetaOptics' global growth strategy. It strengthens the Company's access to capital and its largest end market while supporting the development of critical fabrication capabilities. The Company has indicated that further announcements will be made as and when appropriate, reinforcing its focus on advancing metalens technology and commercialisation.