Lynx, the French hardware startup aiming to launch its first mixed reality headset, the R-1, this summer, has completed a $4 million Series A raise at an undisclosed valuation. Led by Somnium Space, a blockchain-centric social VR platform and metaverse-focused investor, the new round is very likely Lynx’s last major announcement before production begins in a few months’ time.

Founder and CEO Stan Larroque, who first spoke with Reality Check about his ambitions to take on tech giants with the Lynx R-1 headset last year, said that completing this round was a “very, very difficult experience, even with all the help in the world.” What began in 2021 with a trip to Silicon Valley to meet with investors—a time during which Larroque stayed at the home of Oculus founder Palmer Luckey—became a nearly year-long process that played out while Lynx also finalized the R-1’s design, bolstered its angel funding with crowdfunding and grappled with delays. Larroque said he’s glad, especially given the state of the economy, to have completed the Series A round now.