AllFocal Optics

AllFocal Optics is a Cambridge University deeptech spinout developing nanophotonic lens technology that eliminates the nausea and discomfort caused by most current augmented and virtual reality headsets. Founded in 2022 (initially as Lark Optics) by Dr Pawan Shrestha, the company is built on over a decade of research in Cambridge's Centre for Photonic Devices and Sensors — the same lab led by Professor Daping Chu, Nanjing Professor of Technology at Cambridge Engineering.

AllFocal's breakthrough is solving the vergence-accommodation conflict: the mismatch between where a user's eyes point and where they focus that causes the brain to register something is wrong, manifesting as nausea, headache and dizziness. AllFocal's ultra-thin lenses project images directly onto a user's retina, keeping them always in focus regardless of how the surrounding world changes — using no moving parts. The lenses are compatible with LCD, OLED or any display type and can be integrated into consumer AR and VR headsets, automotive heads-up displays, medical smart glasses and defence visors.

AllFocal raised $5.3 million in seed funding in 2024, led by SpeedInvest with participation from 7PC Ventures, Another.VC, Martlet Capital and Innovate UK. Dr Ash Salusbury — formerly head of Meta's AR programme and VP of Technology at Microsoft — joined as Chair. The company's first automotive trials took place in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, and AllFocal is on track to be the first company in the world to commercialise this technology at scale.