Eindhoven-based PHOTON IP secures €4.75M to advance integrated photonics: Here’s how

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Eindhoven-based PHOTON IP, a manufacturer of advanced low-power optical chips, announced that it has secured €4.75M seed round led by Innovation Industries.

Other investors, including Faber and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), as well as PhotonDelta, participated in the round.

The Dutch company will use the funds to accelerate the industrialisation and commercialisation of its breakthrough technology, which efficiently combines silicon photonics with active III-V materials.

The announcement comes three years after PHOTON IP raised funds from Vigo Ventures in 2021.

As optical communication networks and AI data centres rely on optical chips, integrating different materials into a single photonic chip has become a major challenge.

Current methods can’t deliver the necessary performance, energy efficiency, and compact size.

PHOTON IP’s technology solves this problem by improving the integration of silicon with important materials like indium phosphide, which are needed for lasers and high-performance modulators.

This innovation makes manufacturing easier and allows for the widespread use of advanced, low-power optical engines in various applications.

PHOTON IP: Advancing integrated photonics

Led by Rui Santos, PHOTON IP is advancing integrated photonics by making optical chips more energy-efficient and smaller for high-speed communication and innovative sensing technologies.

The Dutch company is reinventing advanced photonic integration to combine silicon and multiple, optimised III-V materials for lasers, high-speed modulators, and photodetectors into a single photonic chip.

“We’re not just advancing integrated photonics — we’re simplifying the manufacturing process for photonic circuits as well,” says 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,” adds Santos.

The company has also secured contracts with innovative customers worldwide, and they are currently co-developing and testing the first products.

The company’s pan-European team has gained strong support and recognition for its innovations, including over 2 million euros in grants from the European Innovation Council.

Why invest in PHOTON IP? 

Vincent Kamphorst, investment director at Innovation Industries, says, “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.”

Innovation Industries is a Dutch deep tech venture capital firm with over €900M in capital under management.

The VC 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.

PhotonDelta is a non-profit organisation that supports the photonic chip industry in the Netherlands. They design, develop, and manufacture solutions that aim to improve the world.

PhotonDelta assists in the growth of startups, the creation of new photonic chip applications, and the development of talent and infrastructure.

Faber is a venture capital firm specialising in early-stage deep tech startups, driving digital transformation and climate action. The VC’s approach blends thematic funds, expert investment teams, and scientific advisors, with a focus on Southern Europe and select European markets.

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. 

With over €500M AUM, BOM is recognised as the most active investor in Dutch startups. 

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Vigneshwar Ravichandran

Vigneshwar has been a News Reporter at Silicon Canals since 2018. A seasoned technology journalist with almost a decade of experience, he covers the European startup ecosystem, from AI and Web3 to clean energy and health tech. Previously, he was a content producer and consumer product reviewer for leading Indian digital media, including NDTV, GizBot, and FoneArena. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Electronics and Instrumentation in Chennai and a Diploma in Broadcasting Journalism in New Delhi.

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