PhotonVentures

PhotonVentures is a deep tech venture capital firm with a singular focus on integrated photonics, a key enabling technology. The firm operates as a spin-off and strategic partner of PhotonDelta, which serves as the European hub for the integrated photonics industry. This strategic partnership provides PhotonVentures with in-house expertise and a profound understanding of the industry's success drivers and value inflection points, allowing them to identify and invest in Europe's most promising integrated photonics companies.

Founded in 2023, PhotonVentures emerged from PhotonDelta, a pioneering force established in 2014 that has driven the growth of the Dutch integrated photonics ecosystem through significant investments in companies and R&D. The firm aims to support sustainable, innovative technologies that have the potential to serve a global market, solve complex challenges, and transform industries.

PhotonVentures invests in companies across their development, scaling, and exit phases, with a particular focus on Seed to Series A investments, ranging from €1 million to €2.5 million. Their portfolio includes notable companies such as Astrape Networks, which is revolutionizing datacenter traffic for the AI era; Brilliance, a company manufacturing laser light engines for augmented reality; Effect Photonics, focused on high-volume applications in data & telecom; Lumai, an AI accelerator startup; NcodiN, developing optical interposer technology; and VitreaLab, pioneering laser technology for displays. The firm's investment strategy leverages the Dutch PhotonDelta ecosystem to accelerate European startups and scale-ups, aiming to grow 20 deep tech companies into international leaders within the European ecosystem.

The team at PhotonVentures brings diverse expertise to their investment strategy. Key members include Joachim de Sterke, who possesses a financial, legal, and technical background with extensive investment experience; Pieter Klinkert, a former investment manager with a background in financing and corporate investment; and Rijkman Groenink, a former banker with vast experience in the financial sector. Other team members mentioned include Casper Vissers as an Investment Analyst, and Frans Belle, Neel Gambhire, and Linde Lassche in various roles.