Zero Point Motion announces £4m pre-Series A to revolutionise motion sensing
SCVC backs Zero Point Motion in £4m pre-Series A funding round to transform positioning and navigation.
Bristol-based sensor technology startup Zero Point Motion has successfully closed a £4m pre-Series A funding round to transform positioning and navigation. They are backed by SCVC — Science Creates' official VC arm — Foresight Group and Verve Ventures.
This investment fuels the company’s rapid scale-up and team expansion as the company emerges from stealth mode, where they have been working on a scalable, volume-manufacturable process for Zero Point Motion’s next-generation positioning and navigation sensors.
At the core of this innovation is a radical fusion of silicon photonics and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), inspired by Nobel Prize-winning gravitational wave detection principles. This cutting-edge approach enables low-cost, ultra-low noise, miniaturised accelerometers and gyroscopes that are 100x more sensitive than conventional MEMS sensors - delivering unprecedented performance and, crucially, resilience in environments where there is no GPS.
Zero Point Motion’s breakthrough in motion sensing is set to transform industries where precision and reliability are critical, including autonomous systems, space exploration or defence.
Zero Point Motion’s sensors unlock new levels of autonomy in off-highway vehicles, drones, agritech and industrial applications, allowing seamless operation in tunnels, underground networks and other remote locations. The technology would enable military operations to function accurately in contested environments; and in space exploration, where every mission is a high-value asset, inertial sensors are crucial for positioning and landing spacecraft.
Dr Lia Li, Founder and CEO of Zero Point Motion, says:
“Our mission is to harness light to redefine the future of sensing. We’re working with two of the world’s leading foundries to push MEMS performance beyond its limits. With top-tier investors and partners behind us, we’re laser-focused on delivering our inertial sensors to customers who demand the highest precision and reliability.
“We’ve also brought more integration and packaging R&D in-house, cutting iteration times from eight weeks to just one day. This agility, combined with our expanding patent portfolio and multiple newly granted patents—ensures we stay ahead of the curve. Our next milestone: product qualification and customer deployment.”
Recognized as one of Sifted’s ‘16 Bristol-based Startups to Watch’, Zero Point Motion has also secured major government and EU funding, including £1.3M from the UK’s Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) in 2023, followed by a €2.4M grant from the European Innovation Council Accelerator program.
Harry Destecroix MBE, Founder of Science Creates, and Founder and Managing Partner of SCVC, says:
“We’re thrilled to back Zero Point Motion as they develop a truly category-defining technology. By applying cutting-edge quantum approaches to motion sensing, Lia and the team are unlocking massive potential for industries like autonomous vehicles, robotics, and consumer electronics.
“Lia is an exceptional founder—her technical brilliance, vision, and leadership make her exactly the kind of entrepreneur we love to support. This is also a great fit for our partner John Williams, who led the deal and will be working closely with the company. With his experience building Kudan, he knows first-hand the challenges in this space and how transformative Zero Point Motion’s technology could be. We can’t wait to see what they achieve.”
Andreas Thiel, Co-Founder and Executive Director of u-blox AG, who were involved in Zero Point Motion's seed round and remain a key partner and customer, adds:
“While satellite positioning technology delivers the highest accuracies in open environments, sensor-based dead reckoning is crucial for resilient performance in dense and obstructed urban scenarios. u-blox is known for its advanced positioning and wireless communication technologies, and we see significant potential in Zero Point Motion’s innovative sensor technology. By investing in Zero Point Motion, u-blox can integrate these cutting-edge sensors into our own product offerings, further strengthening our market position and expanding our technological capabilities."
With this funding and industry validation, Zero Point Motion is now scaling to set a new global standard in precision motion sensing—delivering breakthrough performance and accelerating autonomy in a GPS-challenged world.
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