Europe bets on .lumen: EIT Urban Mobility invests in the AI Glasses for the Blind

EIT Urban Mobility invests in AI Glasses for the Blind.

Cluj-Napoca, December 11, 2025 – .lumen, the Romanian deep-tech startup behind the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has received a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community shaping mobility solutions.

For EIT Urban Mobility, supporting .lumen fits squarely within its mission to fund technologies that make cities more inclusive, accessible, and livable, from reducing congestion to creating equitable streets, a philosophy mirrored in .lumen’s mission to redefine human mobility. Its portfolio is among Europe’s most net-positive, with a 50% impact ratio compared to the 11% Upright benchmark, as detailed in its 2025 Impact Report. 

In the words of EIT Urban Mobility, “No one should be left behind in Europe’s urban transition.” It’s a mission that resonates deeply with .lumen’s work: using Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) to bring independent navigation to the 338 million visually impaired people worldwide. 

The investment follows a year of exceptional momentum for .lumen. In September, the company’s AI-powered glasses were showcased by President Ursula von der Leyen during the State of the Union address, positioning .lumen as a flagship example of European innovation with real societal impact, calling it a “European innovation changing lives.”  

This new investment comes after a landmark year where .lumen attracted backing from Catalyst Romania, SeedBlink, EIC Fund, Tigrim (Sweden), and VR HealthTech (EU), further cementing the company’s position as one of Europe’s most-awarded and globally recognized deep-tech scale-ups. 

“Mobility is a human right. With EIT Urban Mobility, we’re scaling our impact from the sidewalk to the city.” said Cornel Amariei, CEO and founder of .lumen. 

About .lumen 

.lumen is the Romanian deep-tech startup developing AI-powered Glasses for the Blind, using Pedestrian Autonomous Driving (PAD AI) to replicate the functions of a guide dog through AI, computer vision, and haptics.

The company is backed by the European Innovation Council, EIT Urban Mobility, and leading investors across Europe. Awards include the Red Dot Luminary Award for Design (2021), World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers (2024), U.S. Army Tech Innovation Award at CES (2025), GITEX Supernova Challenge – Digi Health Award (2025), and the CES Innovation Award (2026).  

About EIT

The EIT (EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY) strengthens Europe’s ability to innovate by powering solutions to pressing global challenges and by nurturing entrepreneurial talent to create sustainable growth and skilled jobs in Europe. The EIT is an EU body and an integral part of Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.