Graphene startup raises £1.5m loan
CamGraPhIC has raised a £1.5m (€1.75m) loan for development of a graphene photonic chip as a single platform for the datacom and telecom industries. Graphene modulators and photodetectors will be integrated into silicon chips, exploiting the performance of the 2D material across multiple telecommunication bands (1280 – 1310nm, 1525 – 1565nm and 1565 – 1610nm).
CamGraPhIC is working with partners to fabricate Proof of Concept sample devices in 5G telecom and datacom and for autonomous vehicles, and the company is raising equity funding to construct a mini-fab within Europe. Graphene is a key technology for Europe, with the €1bn Graphene Flagship project (see links below). Photonics on-chip links are also increasingly important, with terabit pioneer Ayar Labs settig up in the UK.
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European network equipment providers are already testing fabricated devices in advance of using the mini-fab to produce viable components for evaluation in commercial quantities. The company expects to subsequently seek substantial funding for a full scale fabrication facility within Europe, whilst licensing the technology for use in Asia and the US.
CamGraphIC is the Group’s second graphene spin out from the University of Cambridge. The company is co-founded by the Frontier IP Group, which owns a 26.7 percent stake. It has set up a loan facility to provide the funding of up to £1.5 million to enable CamGraphIC to accelerate the development of its growth.
Separate to the loan facility, Frontier IP has also previously advanced amounts totalling £210,000 to CamGraphIC under previous loan agreements in 2019 and 2020 to provide working capital for the Company for a total of £1.05m so far.
Frontier IP believes CamGraphIC is making good progress both in executing its business plan and raising a larger equity funding round, having recently completed its first equity fundraising of £608,985 in June this year.
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