• Vector Photonics

  Participated · Equity · Jun 2024

  Vector Photonics develops unique surface-emitting laser technologies and is focused on commercialising those platforms. The company is advancing free-space optics and GaN material processing to enable blue and green lasers. It received equity and grant funding to provide a stronger financial base for continued development and commercialisation. The equity investment of £1.667M was provided by four prior investors: Foresight WAE Technology (FWT) Funds, UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S), Equity Gap and Scottish Enterprise. Additional research funding of £1.27M comprises two development projects: FRONTIERS (£670k, SBRI-funded, revenue-generating project for free-space optics) and GRAPHICS (£600k, Innovate UK grant in collaboration with the University of Glasgow). The GRAPHICS work could lead to blue and green lasers that consume about 70% less power than equivalent LEDs. Vector Photonics develops a new class of lasers (PCSELs) that aim to combine high speed, high power and low-cost manufacture. The company is commercialising these lasers to innovate laser manufacture and performance. Its first product is being developed to target datacentre networks. Vector is a spin-out from the University of Glasgow and was formed in 2020. Neil Martin leads the company as CEO. The business recently secured growth funding to support commercial development.

• Mach42

  Participated · Equity · Sep 2023

  Mach42 leverages advanced machine learning to create high-accuracy surrogate models that accelerate analog and mixed-signal verification and integrate with industry-standard simulators. The company focuses initially on power management devices, where it says its models can reduce development time, lower computational costs, and improve design quality. Its technology can export models automatically in Verilog-A, SystemVerilog, and C/C++ formats for seamless integration into electronic design automation workflows. Mach42 plans to scale engineering and business development teams following its recent £7M pre-Series A raise to drive commercial adoption. The company highlights potential market opportunity across a wide analog chip market and cites existing investor support from BGF, Foresight Group and Parkwalk.

• Forefront RF

  Participated · Equity · Apr 2023

  Forefront RF develops RF semiconductor technology that reduces PCB space by using fewer components while increasing the number of supported frequency bands for multi-band smartphones, wearables and other connected devices. Founded in 2020 and led by CEO Ronald Wilting, the company is based in Cambridge, UK. Its technology is derived from academic research and is positioned to help OEMs and ODMs incorporate advanced features while reducing cost, size and weight. Forefront RF plans to transition from an early-stage startup to a more mature RF technology player. The company is preparing a first-generation product, the FFM51010, targeted for a 2026 launch into the cellular-enabled smartwatch market. It recently raised funding to expand operations and accelerate development efforts. Forefront RF is a UK-based fabless semiconductor company that says it simplifies the design of multi-band smartphones, wearables and IoT devices through tunable RF components. The company is launching a fully tunable duplexer using its patented adaptive passive cancellation technology, which uses software control to enable devices to operate across a wide range of XGen (3G to 6G) frequency bands. A demonstrator targeted at the 600–1000 MHz bands is intended to show suitability for 4G and 5G standards. Forefront RF positions this technology as a solution to an industry-wide challenge and aims to capitalise on global growth opportunities. The recent funding is intended to support the next stage of the company’s growth and broader commercialisation efforts. Forefront RF is a Cambridge, UK-based fabless semiconductor company founded in 2020 by Dr Leo Laughlin and Julian Hildersley. It commercializes academic research from the University of Bristol to produce RF cancellation chips that allow smartphones and connected devices to operate across 3G to 6G frequency bands. The company’s cancellation technology redesigns a wireless device's RF system, enabling manufacturers to simplify design and deliver frequency-agnostic products while reducing cost and supply-chain waste. Phil O’Donovan joined the founding team as company chairman, bringing experience from CSR plc. Forefront RF raised £1.5m in funding to expand its team and accelerate the launch of its products. The capital is intended to grow engineering and commercial capabilities as the company moves toward product launch.

• Phlux Technology

  Participated · Seed · Dec 2022

  Phlux Technology designs, manufactures and markets 1550 nm infrared (IR) sensors, including its Noiseless InGaAs® Avalanche Photodiodes (APD), which the company says detect signals at up to 50% greater distance for range finders, LiDAR systems and optical fibre test equipment. Its sensors are offered as bare die or in industry-standard surface-mount or wire-ended packages that can be retrofitted to existing systems. The company is based in Sheffield and was founded in 2020 as a spin-out from the University of Sheffield by Ben White (CEO), Jo Shien Ng and Chee Hing Tan. Phlux’s technology is antimonide-based semiconductor technology, and the firm intends to use the new funding to drive expansion into the optical communications and sensing markets. Financially, Phlux raised a £9M funding round in March 2025 led by BGF, and previously raised a £4M seed round led by Octopus Ventures in December 2022. The company’s current plans focus on commercialising its APD sensors and expanding market reach in sensing and optical communications. Phlux Technology designs infrared sensors and a LIDAR receiver chip using antimonide materials. The company is building integrated subsystems and array modules to offer a high-performance sensor toolkit. Its sensors target applications beyond LIDAR, including satellite communications, enabling internet in remote regions, fibre telecoms, autonomous vehicles, gas sensing and quantum communications. Phlux is a spin-out of the University of Sheffield and is based in Sheffield, a leading centre for III‑V semiconductor research with access to the National Epitaxy Facility. The company was founded by Ben White (CEO), Professor Jo Shien Ng and Professor Chee Hing Tan. It intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand operations.

• Cambridge GaN Devices

  Participated · Series B · Nov 2022

  Cambridge GaN Devices develops monolithic ICeGaN® GaN power devices and integrated ICs that deliver efficiency levels exceeding 99% and can yield up to 50% energy savings in high-power applications. The company’s technology targets electric vehicles, data‑centre power supplies, and other high‑power industrial markets and is positioned as an alternative to silicon carbide. CGD is a fabless semiconductor spinout from Cambridge University (founded 2016) with a growing IP portfolio and industry‑leading customers in its pipeline. The business has announced a $32 million Series C to accelerate product delivery and global expansion. Planned use of proceeds includes scaling production and expanding operations in Cambridge, North America, Taiwan and Europe, and supporting deployment of its latest P2 products. CGD emphasises ease-of-use and high-volume manufacturability to help customers adopt GaN in existing and progressive designs. Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is a fabless semiconductor spinout from the University of Cambridge (2016) that develops GaN transistors and ICs for high‑efficiency power applications. Its core product family, ICeGaN™, targets a roughly $50bn global power semiconductor market and is positioned for use in consumer and industrial power supplies, lighting, data centres and automotive HEV/EV systems. The company emphasises an easy‑to‑use, IP‑protected technology intended to deliver greater efficiency, sustainability and lower cost. CGD has secured significant commercial traction, completed brand development, moved to new offices and now employs over 40 staff worldwide with further hires planned to support upscaling. It is leading a $10m European‑funded GaNext project, participates in the UK P3EP supply‑chain initiative, and has launched the ICeData project to develop highly reliable GaN devices to cut data‑centre emissions. Prior to this round CGD raised multi‑million seed funding and a Series A. Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is a fabless semiconductor startup that designs gallium nitride (GaN) power transistors which the company says are faster, smaller and more efficient than silicon equivalents. Its ICeGaN™ technology targets reductions in energy loss across devices used in laptops, smartphones, data centres and electric vehicles. CGD spun out of Cambridge University in 2016 and has built a growing IP portfolio with more than 50 patent applications. The company has secured projects and funding from Innovate UK (iUK), BEIS and the EU (Penta) to support development. CGD has announced a rebrand, launched the ICeData project aimed at data centres, and plans to bring its first product to market in 2022. It intends to continue heavy R&D investment and significantly expand its team as it pursues market traction and strategic partnerships.

No current team members are available.