PHOTON IP raises €4.75M seed funding led by Innovation Industries, with Faber, BOM and PhotonDelta
January 13 2025
PHOTON IP
EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands. PHOTON IP, a manufacturer of advanced low-power optical chips, announced today it has raised a 4.75 million euro seed round. The round is led by Innovation Industries, completed with participation from Faber and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), as well as support from PhotonDelta. With this financing, PHOTON IP will accelerate industrialization and commercialization of its breakthrough technology that efficiently combines silicon photonics with active III-V materials.
As optical communication networks, data centers for AI and cutting-edge sensing applications are critically dependent on optical chips, the core technologies available to efficiently integrate multiple materials on a single photonic chip are becoming a fundamental barrier. Existing schemes for photonic integration can’t keep pace to deliver the performance, energy efficiency and the small footprint required. PHOTON IP’s technology addresses this challenge by reinventing the way silicon and different III-V materials such as indium phosphide (which are essential for lasers and high-performance modulators) are integrated onto a single photonic chip. This breakthrough radically simplifies the manufacturing process and opens a path towards mass deployment for advanced low-power optical engines for a wide range of applications.
“We’re not just advancing integrated photonics — we’re simplifying the manufacturing process for photonic circuits as well,” said PHOTON IP co-founder and CEO Rui Santos. “With our advanced optical engines, we’re setting a new performance benchmark and eliminating the barriers to efficiently combine III-V materials with silicon. This funding expands our ability to grow our team to bring our first products to market.”
Vincent Kamphorst, investment director at Innovation Industries: “We are excited to announce our investment in PhotonIP. By effectively coupling diverse photonic platforms in a mass manufacturable process, the company aims to deliver high performing photonic solutions at volume. We look forward to supporting PHOTON IP as they develop.”
PHOTON IP’s latest fundraise follows the initial investment by Vigo Ventures in 2021 and the first contracts won with pioneering customers across the globe, for which the first products are being co-developed and tested. Since its founding in 2020, it’s pan-European team has received significant traction and recognition for its groundbreaking innovation including grant support of more than 2 million euros from the European Innovation Council.
About PHOTON IP
PHOTON IP is accelerating the future of integrated photonics, by reducing the energy consumption and footprint of advanced optical chips for high-bandwidth optical communications and cutting-edge optical sensing applications. The company is reinventing advanced photonic integration to combine silicon and multiple, optimized III-V materials for lasers, high-speed modulators and photodetectors on to a single photonic chip.
Interested in joining our growing team? Find out more about our vacancies at www.photonip.tech/careers
About Innovation Industries
Innovation Industries is a Dutch deep tech venture capital firm with over €900 million in capital under management and a leading player in Western Europe. Innovation Industries invests in deep-tech with the potential to solve global challenges in three focus areas: industrial technology, med-tech, and agri & food technology. Its portfolio companies make impact through breakthroughs in energy-efficient photonic chips, climate-resilient seeds, safer & more efficient batteries, sensing technologies for better care, and more. The current investment was made via the Early Stars Fund, managed by Innovation Industries.
About Faber
Faber is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage deep tech startups, driving digital transformation and climate action. Their approach blends thematic funds, expert investment teams, and scientific advisors, with a focus on Southern Europe and select European markets. Faber supports innovation, resilience, and decarbonization by investing in applied science and ocean sustainability, targeting AI & Data, Robotics, Computational Biology, Novel Computation, Advanced Materials, and Biotech.
With over 50 investments, Faber is the preferred early-stage partner for deep tech entrepreneurs, backing companies like Sword Health, Smartex.ai, Mitiga, Luminate Medical, Vyoma, Unbabel, and Microharvest.
About BOM
The Brabant Development Agency (BOM) is a regional investor that provides funding, strategic support, and expertise to high-potential startups and innovative companies. BOM focuses on fostering entrepreneurship in key sectors such as sustainable food, health innovation, climate-neutral energy, and transformative key technologies. BOM’s investments aim to drive innovation and contribute to a sustainable and future-proof (regional) economy. With over €500 million AUM, BOM is recognized as the most active investor in Dutch startups. With its unique strength in venture-building, BOM offers several programs to ensure the consistent growth of its startups.
About PhotonDelta
PhotonDelta is a non-profit organisation supporting an end-to-end value chain in the Netherlands for photonic chips that designs, develops, and manufactures innovative solutions that contribute to a better world. We do so by creating global awareness and promoting the benefits and potential of the Dutch and European photonic chip industry and its technologies.
PhotonDelta is committed to facilitating the growth of startups, the creation of new photonic chip applications, as well as the development of infrastructure and talent. Leveraging funding from the National Growth Fund, alongside strategic investments, we catalyse the acceleration of the photonic chip industry by stimulating industrialisation of PIC technology, and PIC-based application building, and forging connections with viable markets and stakeholders.
Legal
De Zaak van Advocaten (Jaap van den Broek and Sophie Kuijpers) advised PHOTON IP in this investment round.
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