Yale startup raises funding to lower cost of LED lighting
Saphlux has also received an additional $100,000 from Elm Street Ventures.
Saphlux is building the next generation of LED chip designed by Jung Han, Professor and Chair of Electrical Engineering at Yale. Chen Chen (SOM ’16) was paired with Han by the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute (YEI) and is currently developing the venture as part of a 10-week YEI Fellowship.
“We’ve been enthusiastic about Saphlux’s potential in this exciting industry since bringing the team together a year ago,” declared Erika Smith, YEI Deputy Director.
The startup is developing a semi-polar LED chip invented by Han, which could improve LED lightbulb efficiency and lower prices for the bulbs from $10 to $1. Han was the first to discover a way to make a high-powered LED chip that can be mass produced at low cost, and his invention is being patented by Yale’s Office of Cooperative Research (OCR). Saphlux is also the first startup to enter into a simplified License Agreement specifically created by OCR for Yale startups, which expedites the licensing process and provides favorable terms for startup companies.
“We’re excited to roll out the Startup License with Saphlux as a first licensee,” said OCR Licensing Director John Puziss. “The Startup License will be offered to an increasing number of YEI companies in coming months and is designed to be so attractive that no negotiating is necessary, sparing startups time and expense.”
While Saphlux will initially focus on improving LED light bulbs, they plan to expand into LED backlighting for devices like smartphones, laptops and tablets. Chen says their technology could extend the battery life of an iPhone 6 by 200%.
“Our goal is to get a working LED chip prototype within the year that can deliver what we promise,” said Chen. The LED industry is expanding rapidly but the technology has hit a bottleneck, claimed Chen, adding that “Semi-polar is the best solution to break the bottleneck.”
In March 2015, Saphlux raised more than $1 million in a seed round led by ZhenFund, a Beijing-backed angel investment firm.
Related articles and links:
www.saphlux.com
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