Phosphoenix Raises €1.3M Seed for Implantable Neuroprosthetic Targeting Profound Blindness | VeilStrat

Phosphoenix Closes €1.3M Seed Round

Phosphoenix, an Amsterdam-based neurotechnology company, has raised €1.3 million in Seed funding. The round was supported by Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, ROM InWest, TTT Medtech Fund, and FIRST Fund. No single lead investor was disclosed.

What Phosphoenix Does

Phosphoenix is developing a high-density implantable neuroprosthetic system intended to restore functional vision in people with profound blindness. The company was spun out of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Rather than targeting the retina or optic nerve, Phosphoenix's approach directly stimulates the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), a relay centre in the visual pathway. This bypasses damage to the retina or optic nerve, which are common sites of injury or degeneration in profound blindness.

The Fountain Probe

The company's proprietary Fountain Probe carries more than 1,000 microelectrodes. It is designed for stereotactic implantation, building on established deep brain stimulation approaches. In preclinical studies, the system produced responses consistent with electrically induced visual percepts.

Path to First-in-Human

Phosphoenix is preparing a first-in-human study with Amsterdam UMC. The Seed funding arrives as the company moves toward that clinical milestone.

Round Details

Company: Phosphoenix
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Stage: Seed
Amount: €1,300,000
Date: September 16, 2026
Investors: Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland, ROM InWest, TTT Medtech Fund, FIRST Fund
Lead investor: Not disclosed

Why It Matters

Neuroprosthetic approaches to vision restoration have historically focused on retinal implants, which require a functioning optic nerve and retina. By targeting the LGN directly, Phosphoenix is pursuing a pathway that could address blindness caused by damage upstream of the visual cortex. The company's deep brain stimulation heritage and its academic origin at NIN give it a defined technical foundation as it prepares for human study.

For investors and acquirers tracking neurotech, Phosphoenix represents an early-stage asset with a differentiated stimulation target, a high-channel-count electrode array, and a near-term clinical catalyst in collaboration with Amsterdam UMC.