Deepnight
Category: Computer Vision
AI-driven digital night vision technology that transforms standard digital cameras into high-performance night vision devices. Deepnight was founded in 2023. The company is led by Lucas Young. Based in San Francisco, CA, USA. Team size: 13. Total funding raised: $6 million. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Initialized Capital, Y Combinator, Vladlen Koltun, Kulveer Taggar, Brian Shin, Matthew Bellamy.
- Founded
- 2023
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Team size
- 13
- Total funding
- $6 million
Value proposition
Provides superior low-light imaging performance at a fraction of conventional costs by replacing expensive, bespoke analog systems with scalable digital solutions powered by advanced AI algorithms.
Products and solutions
AI-enhanced night vision software, Integrated digital imaging solutions for a range of hardware platforms (e.g., military goggles, smartphones, automotive cameras)
Unique value
Addresses night vision challenges as a software problem, leveraging AI to transform standard digital cameras into advanced night vision devices.
Target customer
U.S. military (Army, Air Force) and private sector companies, with potential applications in consumer drones, automotive systems, and more.
Industries served
Defense, Consumer Electronics, Automotive, Maritime, Environmental Research
Technology advantage
Utilizes affordable, mass-produced CMOS sensors combined with sophisticated AI image processing algorithms to achieve superior low-light imaging performance at reduced costs.
How they differentiate
Challenges traditional, expensive analog night vision systems by offering a cost-effective, AI-driven digital solution.
Main competitors
L3Harris, Elbit America
Key partnerships
U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Sionyx, SRI International, Picogrid, Circle Optics, Various hardware manufacturers for integration into goggles and other imaging devices
Notable customers
U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Sionyx, SRI International, Picogrid
Major milestones
Secured $5.5M in seed funding Booked roughly $4.6M in government contracts within the first year Successfully demonstrated its AI-driven night vision capabilities to military and industry partners Partnered with Picogrid on $1.7M Pentagon-backed military base security demo (Nov 2025) Deployed integrated counter-UAS capability with Circle Optics across U.S. Air Force installations (April 2026)
Growth metrics
Achieved early traction with $1.2M in revenue in 2024 and secured significant government contracts during its first year.
Market positioning
Positioned as an innovative disruptor in the night vision market, redefining imaging performance by transitioning from analog hardware to scalable digital software.
Geographic focus
Primarily focused on the U.S. market
About Lucas Young
Lucas Young is the co-founder and CEO of Deepnight. He was a software engineer at Google, where he worked on the Google Pixel team, focusing on computational photography and overcoming the limitations of low-cost digital cameras. He also has research experience in edge computer vision at Meta. He co-founded Deepnight with Thomas Li in 2023.
Official website: https://deepnight.ai/