• Verana Networks

  Participated · Series B · Apr 2022

  Verana Networks builds a purpose-built, software-defined 5G RAN platform aimed at service providers and enterprises with access to licensed millimeter wave spectrum. The company is designing hardware and software optimized for dense outdoor small cell deployments. Led by CEO Vedat Eyuboglu, Verana is commercializing new 5G technology from the ground up. The company plans to use recent funding to commercialize its mmWave RAN technology and expand R&D, marketing, sales, and technical services teams. Since its founding in April 2020, Verana has grown to over 70 employees across the United States and India. Verana Networks is developing a 5G radio access network (RAN) solution aimed at cutting the cost of building mmWave 5G networks by up to 10X. Its patent-pending network design supports 3GPP 5G New Radio (5G‑NR) specifications and Open RAN Alliance (O‑RAN) interfaces. The company targets mobile operators, enabling gigabit 5G for smartphones and 5G-based fixed wireless access. Verana emphasizes a customer-centric design that addresses costs across silicon, antennas, backhaul, and site permitting. Founders Vedat Eyuboglu and Amit Jain bring prior RAN product experience from Airvana and SpiderCloud Wireless, with previous deployments by large mobile operators. The company says it will use the Series A funding to build a team with deep RAN design and development expertise. Verana is based in Waltham, Mass.

• Pica8

  Led · Series C · Apr 2021

  Pica8 offers a complete, disaggregated open network enterprise software solution built around its Linux-based NOS, PICOS®, and the AmpCon™ open network services controller. Its software runs on a wide variety of white box and brite box ODM switches and is positioned as a replacement for legacy enterprise network vendors. The company says it serves well over 1,000 customers in 40+ countries. Pica8 plans to use the new capital to aggressively build out its product roadmap and scale customer engagement and support functions. Management emphasizes expanding performance, feature robustness, and lower cost for enterprise open networking and leading industry discussion on automation and disaggregation. The company presents its offering as a commercially supported end-to-end solution for access edge, campus, and private cloud data center networks. Pica8 pioneered open networking with PicOS, the first network operating system that enables customers to migrate from conventional networking to software‑defined networking (SDN) using commodity bare‑metal switches. PicOS provides extensive support for traditional switching and routing protocols and delivers SDN solutions through Pica8’s adoption of Open vSwitch (OVS). The company can supply PicOS alone, switching hardware, or both as a fully integrated end‑to‑end data center SDN solution and offers a Starter Kit designed to enable deployment in hours rather than months. Pica8 says it will use the new capital to support accelerated software development and ongoing go‑to‑market strategies to continue its momentum in the emerging SDN market. Investors and the company highlighted revenue traction in Japan and the need for local partners: Cross Head will provide business investment, training and system integration expertise for Japan, while Pacific Venture Partners (PVP), based in Taipei, Taiwan, brings industry knowledge and global resources. Pica8 is a global company headquartered in Palo Alto and has raised over $20 million to date.

No current team members are available.