EvoNexus graduate Obsidian Sensors has signed a three-way memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korean precision optics company Suoptics and global trading company Hyundai Corporation to jointly develop next-generation thermal sensor solutions and take them to markets around the world. The agreement was signed on October 27, six weeks after Obsidian was selected for an SBIR Phase III project under the U.S. Army’s DUTCH initiative. In the span of a few weeks, the San Diego company has gone from earning the backing of the U.S. Army to lining up industrial partners on the other side of the Pacific.
Inside the Obsidian Sensors MOU
Each company brings a distinct piece of the value chain. Under the agreement, Obsidian Sensors will supply its proprietary next-generation thermal sensors. Suoptics plans to design and build high-performance thermal imaging equipment and systems around those sensors. Hyundai Corporation will put its experience across a wide range of industries to work finding business opportunities for the partnership in global markets.
The signing brought together John Hong, CEO and co-founder of Obsidian Sensors, Lim Do-hyun, CEO of Suoptics, and Choi Yoon-seok, Senior Managing Director at Hyundai Corporation. The news was first reported by ETNews and The Korea Daily.
From Investors to Partners
The partnership did not start at the negotiating table. Suoptics and Hyundai Corporation both joined Obsidian’s $25 million Series A as strategic investors, and the MOU grew directly out of that relationship. The round drew investors from South Korea, the United States, and Taiwan. On the Korean side, the strategic investor group also includes IBK, Korea Omega Investment Banking, and ASICLAND.
Noh Bum-seok, Vice President at P&P Investment, which brokered the investment, described the deal as a new cross-border partnering model: Korean capital, manufacturing know-how, and global business reach combined with advanced technology developed overseas to complete a global value chain. For Obsidian, it means its investors are also its first line of customers and distribution partners.
Why Obsidian’s Thermal Sensors Stand Out
Thermal imaging has long been held back by cost. Conventional microbolometer sensors are built on silicon wafers, which keeps production volumes low and prices high. Obsidian takes a different approach with its Large Area MEMS Platform (LAMP), building thermal sensors on large glass substrates inside flat-panel display factories, the same kind of facilities that turn out screens for TVs and phones.
According to the company, that process can bring manufacturing costs down to one-tenth or less of existing sensors. Hong has said that at scale, Obsidian’s technology “will be an order of magnitude lower in cost than incumbents.” Obsidian is shipping VGA-resolution cameras today, with SVGA planned by the end of 2026 and SXGA in 2027.
From Army DUTCH Award to Global Partners
The MOU follows a major defense milestone. On September 15, Obsidian announced it had been selected for an SBIR Phase III project under DUTCH (Delivering Unmatched Thermal Capability Hastened), an initiative led by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies and the U.S. Army DEVCOM C5ISR Center. Through the program, Obsidian will deliver high-resolution uncooled thermal cameras at attritable price points for platforms like drones, where cost decides how many systems can be fielded.
Taken together, the two announcements tell one story. The Army award shows the technology can meet the demands of the U.S. military. The Suoptics and Hyundai Corporation partnership shows there is commercial and international appetite for the same sensors, with partners ready to build products on them and sell them worldwide.
A Long Run of Momentum
Obsidian Sensors was founded in 2017 by former Qualcomm engineers and has been building toward this moment for years. The company has partnered with Quanta Computer on automotive thermal imaging, signed strategic agreements with the U.S. Army and Japan Display Inc., and expanded its manufacturing base with display makers in Asia. This summer, its cameras captured what the naked eye could not during the Sorrento Fire near its headquarters, earning a feature on NBC 7 San Diego.
What This Means for EvoNexus
EvoNexus backs founders building hard technology with global reach, and Obsidian is a clear example. A San Diego hardware company now counts a U.S. Army program and one of Korea’s best-known industrial names among the organizations betting on its sensors. It is the kind of cross-border growth we expect to see more of from the EvoNexus San Diego portfolio as our companies scale.
Congratulations to John Hong and the entire Obsidian Sensors team on this milestone.
About Obsidian Sensors:
Obsidian Sensors is a San Diego thermal imaging company making high-resolution uncooled thermal cameras at scale. Its Large Area MEMS Platform (LAMP) builds thermal sensors on large glass substrates in flat-panel display factories instead of silicon wafers, lowering cost and raising production volume for defense and commercial applications including drones, security, and automotive safety. Co-founded in 2017 by CEO John Hong, Obsidian is an EvoNexus graduate. Learn more here.
About EvoNexus:
EvoNexus is California’s leading nonprofit technology startup incubator, with locations in San Diego and Irvine. Since its formation in 2010, EvoNexus has successfully built 291 companies with an exceptional survival rate of over 85%, with portfolio companies securing over $2.4B in cumulative venture funding, backed by a network of more than 400 venture capital and independent investors, and achieving 63 acquisitions alongside a successful IPO, with additional public market exits on the horizon and over $6 billion in pre-exit valuations. Backed by an elite network of global corporate partners, including Irvine Company, Qualcomm, AMD, BAE Systems, Viasat, ResMed, LG, Murata Manufacturing, and EMD Electronics, EvoNexus continues to drive massive economic impact across Southern California’s innovation economy, culminating in a record-breaking year with $619M raised for the portfolio in 2025 alone.