European semiconductor manufacturer SweGaN secures 12 million Euro investment to significantly expand production capacity, appoints new CEO

Linköping, Sweden, October 4, 2022: SweGaN AB, manufacturer of custom-made Gallium Nitride on Silicon Carbide (GaN-on-SiC) epitaxial wafers for an extensive range of devices used in telecom, satellite, defense, and power electronics, announces it has completed a Series A financing round totaling 125 MSEK (12M Euro). The financing was co-led by Intertech Ventures, Mount Wilson Ventures and leading European investor Atlantic Bridge, with participation by STOAF of Sweden and global fabless semiconductor leader MediaTek, forming a powerful global network from the US, Taiwan, and Europe.

SweGaN’s innovative GaN semiconductor epitaxy process enables industry-leading performance and opens new applications in the multi-billion-dollar GaN-based radio frequency (RF) and power markets. Powered by SweGaN’s patented QuanFINE® buffer-free GaN-on-SiC epitaxial wafers, customers can reach new levels of device performance and reliability, previously unachievable with conventional materials available on the market. The Company has over 30 paying customers and is in qualification for a wide range of applications in Europe, the US and Asia.

The investment allows SweGaN to significantly increase production capacity to meet market demand from major suppliers of 5G base stations, defense radars, low-orbit satellite communications and on-board chargers in electric vehicles. Additionally, the financing funds empower the company’s plans to expand its executive team and to boost engineering, sales, and production staff.

In conjunction with the investment, SweGaN also announced the appointment of Jr-Tai “Ted” Chen, a renowned thought leader in the field of third-generation semiconductor materials, as CEO. Ted co-founded SweGaN in 2014 and invented the Company’s proprietary QuanFINE® technology as its Chief Technology Officer.

“I am pleased to introduce Ted Chen as SweGaN’s new CEO and look forward to our continued work together to fulfill SweGaN’s strategy, vision, and future-oriented goals for serving the industry with the best GaN on SiC technology available on the market. Since starting SweGaN, Ted has displayed remarkable determination, passion, and professional growth, and he is well-equipped to lead SweGaN’s in this next chapter of its journey to become a dominant player in the GaN-on-SiC market,” said Jonas Nilsson, SweGaN Chairman.


        Jr-Tai Chen

“Additionally, I am proud to introduce new members to the SweGaN board and the completion of a highly successful investment round, both of which will significantly boost SweGaN’s growth trajectory,” he said.

Executive & Board Announcements

David Lam, General Partner of Atlantic Bridge: “As we move from silicon to the third wave of semiconductor materials, GaN and SiC are poised to dominate. SweGaN’s revolutionary GaN on SiC technology brings together these two key materials to enable RF and power performance characteristics that are simply impossible to achieve today. I have met with many entrepreneurs and evaluated many innovative technologies as a semiconductor investor over the past decade, and I believe that under Ted’s leadership, SweGaN’s best days are ahead.”

Jr-Tai Chen, Co-Founder and CEO of SweGaN: “This strategic financing round enables us to lift SweGaN to the next level and beyond in our growth journey and positions us to execute on the SweGaN vision and strategy. To meet explosive market demand, SweGaN’s roadmap targets building of new production facilities and expanding our team to deliver of tens of thousands of epi-wafers annually. I am extremely proud to lead SweGaN and our dedicated team for these ongoing missions.”

Richard Weil, General Partner, Mount Wilson Ventures: “We are thrilled to welcome seasoned semiconductor investor Atlantic Bridge and global fabless semiconductor leader MediaTek as investors into SweGaN. We have been delighted to support SweGaN through the early stages of development and commercialization of its industry-leading epitaxial technology. Now, with this financing, SweGaN has access to the financial resources and industry experience required to scale to the next level. With the team in place, SweGaN is poised to become a major player in the field of third generation semiconductor materials.” 

—

About SweGaN

SweGaN provides a unique solution for GaN-on-SiC epiwafers based on its ground-breaking epitaxial growth technology for manufacturers of RF components and devices for satellite, communications, and defense and for power device makers. The high performance of SweGaN QuanFINE® material enables our customers to quickly adapt to the evolving challenges of next-generation high power and high frequency devices, and to create future-oriented solutions. For more information, visit us as www.swegan.se and LinkedIn.

About Atlantic Bridge

Atlantic Bridge is a deep technology growth equity investment firm that invests in semiconductor, artificial intelligence, modern cloud software and cybersecurity companies in Europe and the US. Our team is made up of successful entrepreneurs and senior technology executives, and we invest in strong, ambitious entrepreneurs and management teams that have the passion and drive to scale up and exploit major growth opportunities. We help our portfolio companies expand and grow internationally through our global platform with offices in Palo Alto, London, Dublin, Munich, and Paris.

About Mount Wilson Ventures

Mount Wilson Ventures is an early-stage deep tech investor. We work side-by-side with founding teams to transition from bench-proven technology to viable product. We help with product market fit; IP development strategy; partnerships, business development, and sales; team development; and, operations, scale-up and techno-economic modeling. We focus on startups built on a foundation of solid IP and/or unique, protectable data. Mount Wilson Ventures is based in Pasadena, CA.

About MediaTek Inc. 

MediaTek Incorporated (TWSE: 2454) is a global fabless semiconductor company that enables nearly 2 billion connected devices a year. We are a market leader in developing innovative systems-on-chip (SoC) for mobile, home entertainment, connectivity and IoT products. Our dedication to innovation has positioned us as a driving market force in several key technology areas, including highly power-efficient mobile technologies, automotive solutions, and a broad range of advanced multimedia products such as smartphones, tablets, digital televisions, 5G, Voice Assistant Devices (VAD) and wearables. MediaTek empowers and inspires people to expand their horizons and achieve their goals through smart technology, more easily and efficiently than ever before. We work with the brands you love to make great technology accessible to everyone, and it drives everything we do. Visit www.mediatek.com for more information.

Media Contacts

SweGaN
Leslie Johnsen
Communications Advisor
Mob: +47 41 45 80 43
Email: leslie.johnsen@swegan.se