Canatu Oy announced a capital raise of total €15 Million, from both a new investor, 3M Ventures, as well as, existing investors: DENSO Corporation leading the round and Faurecia.
“We are excited to be able to scale up our automotive business and mass production with our existing investors and to start expansion to new business and product domains with our new investor 3M. We will continue developing the award-winning Canatu products, IP and production technology to further improve our competitiveness”, says Juha Kokkonen, CEO of Canatu Oy.
DENSO Corporation, a leading global automotive supplier, believes Canatu’s 3D technologies offer great product and business opportunities for the mobility technology of the future and therefore further invests in Canatu with €10 Million.
3M Ventures identifies and invests in highly innovative companies and disruptive new technologies with strategic relevance for 3M.
Faurecia, one of the world’s leading automotive technology companies, is convinced of the potential of Canatu’s unique formable touch sensors, which enable design freedom for its Cockpit of the Future. Faurecia wants to continue the technology and business relationship with Canatu through an additional investment of €2 Million. The investment is Faurecia’s third investment in Canatu, reflecting the long-term relationship and strong commitment to Canatu.
“DENSO Corporation wants to be in the forefront of the development in future mobility, especially in Advanced safety and Autonomous driving. We will further contribute to the development of Automated driving technologies and deliver genuine peace of mind for the future of mobile society, by enhancing our long-cultivated sensing technologies as well as our AI and information technology. Based on this vision, we decided to further invest in Canatu because we trust that Canatu’s unique technology can make future’s driving safer and more comfortable experience. This technology can be used in several product areas, for example, AD/ADAS sensor must remain reliable in any weather conditions, and Canatu’s technology can keep sensors functional at all times. On the other hand, within the car interior, the technology enables new, innovative HMI solutions to the cockpit area and can be utilized to enhance DENSO’s cockpit architecture”, says Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Head of Mobility Electronics Business Group, DENSO Corporation.
“Faurecia is pioneering comprehensive technologies offering that makes the Cockpit of the Future a reality today. Thanks to its versatile architecture and smart Human Machine Interfaces (HMI), Faurecia’s cockpit will adapt to occupants’ use cases to ensure a personalized experience in all driving modes. We believe Canatu’s 3D materials can shape the interior design of the future’s cockpit”, says David Weill, Interiors VP Marketing & Business Development at Faurecia.
About Canatu
Canatu’s solutions bring design freedom and user experience to the next level for 3D shaped touch devices and enable autonomous driving in any weather. Canatu develops and manufactures innovative 3D formable and stretchable films and sensors for touch and heater solutions. These transparent and conductive films can be integrated into plastic, glass, textile or leather enabling 3D touch displays, smart switches and other intuitive user interfaces as well as 3D shaped heater solutions. The conductive films of Canatu are manufactured with a patented method using equipment developed by Canatu.
Canatu supplies these unique CNB™ films and touch sensors to touch module vendors and OEM’s in several industries, for example automotive and consumer electronics. Canatu is headquartered in Finland, with sales locations in Europe, US, Greater China and Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
About DENSO Corporation
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has approximately 220 subsidiaries in 35 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs approximately 170,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018, totaled US$48.1 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com , or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/
About Faurecia
Founded in 1997, Faurecia has grown to become a major player in the global automotive industry. With around 300 sites including 35 R&D centers and 122,000 employees in 37 countries, Faurecia is a global leader in its four areas of business: Seating, Interiors, Clarion Electronics and Clean Mobility. Faurecia has focused its technology strategy on providing solutions for the “Cockpit of the Future” and “Sustainable Mobility”. In 2018, the Group posted sales of €17.5 billion. Faurecia is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange and is a component of the CAC Next 20 index. For more information, please visit www.faurecia.com
