PrimeSense, the Israeli technology company behind Microsoft Kinect’s magic, has raised a $50 million round from French investment bank Lazard Group, based on a valuation of 300 million USD, reports TheMarker (Hebrew). It is said to be a private equity round and at this stage it is unclear if previous investors will be allowed to participate (or just get diluted).
PrimeSense motion detection technology enables gamers to play with gestures, without the need for a hardware joystick. It operates through a chip inside a regular camera with a CMOS sensor. The differentiation of PrimeSense’s product is its ability to analyze 3D depth using a single (and relatively inexpensive) camera.
PrimeSense’s main client is Microsoft at the moment, but the company is planning to take its technology to other areas, such as Interactive TV and it is already working with a few partners in the space.
PrimeSense was founded in 2005 by Aviad Meizlos, Ofir Sharon, Dmitri Reiss, Alex Shpunt and Tamir Berliner. Ynon Beracha serves as the company’s CEO.
He is a former General Partner at Google Ventures (GV) in Europe, former head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe, and founding head of Campus London, Google's first startup hub. Eze writes on Israeli tech, venture capital, artificial intelligence, and founder strategy.
He is also the founder of Techbikers, a nonprofit that brings together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read.
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