Scottish laser technology firm Chromacity has secured over £1 million in new funding from existing investors Eos Advisory, Kelvin Capital, and Scottish Enterprise, as well the UK government.

The investment will mainly support the launch of the company’s latest ultrafast laser technology focussed on the healthcare market, while the funding from the UK government’s Innovate UK programme will also help to develop Chromacity’s tech for monitoring agricultural emissions.

Based in Edinburgh, Chromacity develops and manufactures ultrafast, tuneable, compact, and affordable infra-red lasers used in quantum applications, microscopy, spectroscopy, and advanced research.

Though sales in the UK have previously been focussed on the university sector, with the firm’s new healthcare-focussed product now creating much broader commercial applications.

The new “920” product is ideally suited for medical imaging, providing an affordable light source used in medical diagnostics, including in biological imaging of collagen, which can deliver early diagnosis in a wide range of medical conditions.

The 920 helps to illuminate collagen, the primary building block of the body’s skin, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, and other connective tissues, allowing researchers to probe inside living cells by generating a pulse of light as small as 100 femtoseconds in duration.

A femtosecond is one quadrillionth, or one millionth of one billionth of a second. The short pulse brings benefits to the user because the period of time the laser is active is very short, meaning there is little collateral damage to the sample being examined.

Chromacity has also been awarded funding from an Innovate UK programme to create a new monitoring instrument, using its infra-red laser technology to provide real-time measurements of key greenhouse gasses—including methane and ethane, as well as ammonia—to support the drive towards net zero in agriculture.

Speaking on the firm and the new funding, Kerry Sharp, director of entrepreneurship and investment at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Chromacity is a fantastic example of an innovative company with global ambitions, capable of scaling quickly. As an existing investor, we’re excited to see the company make progress towards its goals.”

Andrew McNeill from Eos, and Susie Fisher from Kelvin Capital, both further added: “Chromacity is at the forefront of knowledge-intensive engineering in Scotland and both Eos and Kelvin, with co-investment from Scottish Enterprise are proud to have helped them develop their range.

“The coming years are now focussed on engaging in new UK and international markets, including biological imaging.

“The funding from the Innovate UK programme also highlights the broad applications of the company’s patented technology in agricultural sustainability.”

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The company has also confirmed the appointment of Julian Hayes as CEO. Hayes has held directorial positions with Gas Sensing Solutions and Power Photonic, which also trade internationally from Scotland.

Hayes joins a board that includes industry experts such as, Robert Black, an experienced executive and non-executive director in the photonics, IT, and robotics industries; Richard Laming, an academic, founder, executive, and non-executive director of technology businesses spanning optoelectronics, MEMS, and electronics; and investor director Graham Miller, who is director of global sales and business development at Agilent Technologies.