Finwave Funding announcement image

May 14, 2025

Finwave Semiconductor Secures $8.2M in Funding to Fuel Market Push and Unlock True Potential of GaN-on-Si for 5G/6G Networks

Investor Confidence Key to Company’s Next Phase: Productizing Disruptive GaN-on-Si Technology to Address Increasing Performance and Efficiency Demands

 | Source: Finwave Semiconductor WALTHAM, Mass., May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology innovator Finwave Semiconductor, Inc. today announced a new $8.2M bridge investment round, led by Fine Structure Ventures, Engine Ventures, and Safar Partners – with strategic participation from technology partner GlobalFoundries. This new funding signals strong conviction from investors and industry leaders in the market potential of Finwave’s unique GaN-on-Si technology as the company transitions from a technology-centric innovator to a product-driven company poised to deliver real-world solutions.

“We are emboldened by the support of our investors, who share our belief in the commercial potential of our technology,” said Dr. Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre, CEO of Finwave. “This funding round validates the years of engineering and innovation behind our proprietary GaN-on-Si technology and provides resources we need to move from the development phase to delivering differentiated, high-performance products. More than just funding, this is a clear endorsement of our direction – and a strong signal that the industry believes in the path we’re on.”

Finwave will use this investment to accelerate revenue generation, expand its product portfolio and continue developing innovative GaN-on-Si technology for the following targeted market segments: High-Power RF Switches, Power Amplifiers for communications infrastructure, and Power Amplifiers for mobile devices.

“Since our initial investment, Finwave has made remarkable progress towards becoming a leader in GaN-on-Si high-performance RF components,” said Jennifer Uhrig, Senior Managing Director, Fine Structure Ventures. “Their strategic foundry partnership with GlobalFoundries and distribution partnership with RFMW have been particularly notable, legitimizing their design capabilities and giving customers confidence in Finwave’s ability to bring high-performance, reliable products to market.”

GaN is quickly becoming one of the most promising semiconductor technologies destined to power both the future of communication and sustainability. Finwave’s GaN-on-Si technology improves on the superior performance of GaN solutions while adopting the cost and scale of manufacturing advantages from high-volume CMOS silicon wafers. The company’s product portfolio includes high-power RF switches, which are now globally available due to Finwave’s partnership with leading RF distributor RFMW, as well as upcoming RF power amplifiers.

Additional Investors Speak Out

“As early investors in Finwave, we’ve had the privilege of supporting the team as they advanced their MIT RF semiconductor technology, achieving world-record RF performance. We’re excited to invest again as Finwave enters its commercial phase, scaling production with its foundry and distribution partners.” — Reed Sturtevant, General Partner, Engine Ventures

“Safar Partners is very excited to support Finwave’s mission to enable the newest wave of semiconductor capabilities utilizing Gallium Nitride (GaN). Many industries will benefit a great deal from the Finwave platform in the coming years.” — Arunas Chesonis, Managing Partner, Safar Partners

With a product roadmap designed to harness the full potential of GaN, Finwave is committed to delivering cost-effective RF devices, delivering enhanced performance, and enabling more efficient RF systems. Finwave’s unique and highly differentiated GaN-on-Si RF chips are targeted to a wide-array of RF applications, including communications infrastructure (base stations, MIMO, small cells, land mobile radios, customer premise equipment, fixed wireless access), Wi-Fi routers, satellite, radar, drones, anti-drones, test & measurement equipment, and medical equipment.

To learn more, visit www.finwavesemi.com.

About Finwave Semiconductor, Inc. Finwave Semiconductor is shaping the future with innovative transistor designs and breakthrough process technology that unlock the full potential of Gallium Nitride (GaN). Founded by prominent MIT innovators, the company is driving revolutionary advancements for 5G and 6G mobile infrastructure, smartphones, medical devices, and cloud computing. Finwave’s portfolio includes award-winning GaN FinFETs, advanced E-mode MISHEMTs, and high-performance RF switches. For more information, visit www.finwavesemi.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Stephanie Olsen Lages & Associates (949) 453-8080 stephanie@lages.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/86038a19-8247-4aae-bd80-0e563cb70201   https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/05/14/3081289/0/en/Finwave-Semiconductor-Secures-8-2M-in-Funding-to-Fuel-Market-Push-and-Unlock-True-Potential-of-GaN-on-Si-for-5G-6G-Networks.html  

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Mike Noonen is CEO of Swave Photonics and has 30 years of experience leading technology businesses resulting in two IPOs and multiple acquisitions. Most recently he was the CEO of MixComm acquired by Sivers Semiconductor in early 2022. 

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In 2013 he was elected to the Global Semiconductor Alliance Board of Directors. He holds a BSEE from Colorado State University and in 2012 was named the College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

Jennifer Uhrig

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Jennifer Uhrig is Senior Managing Director at Fine Structure Ventures. Previously, Ms. Uhrig worked for over two decades in the Fidelity Growth Group as an equity analyst and fund manager. In her portfolio manager assignments, Ms. Uhrig managed start-up products, including the Fidelity Mid-Cap Stock Fund and larger funds including the Blue Chip Growth Fund with assets of up to $38 billion. She has more than 35 years of investment experience and has heard over 20,000 company pitches.

Ms. Uhrig serves on the Board of Directors of portfolio companies Finwave Semiconductor, Pallidus Inc, Hoxton Farms and Feon Energy.

In addition to her assignment at Fine Structures, Ms. Uhrig is a Senior Advisor to Fidelity Management & Research Company. In this capacity, she serves on the Board of Directors of COLT Technology Services, where she chairs the Audit Committee, and on the Board of Directors of Geode Capital Management.  

Prior to joining Fidelity, Ms. Uhrig was a research associate for Fred Alger Management. 

Ms. Uhrig holds an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a B.A. in Government cum laude from Harvard College.

Jim Mao

Founder of Citta Capital

Jim is the founding and managing partner of Citta Capital, a venture capital firm in Silicon Valley focused on early growth stage technology startups in Enterprise/SaaS, AI, cloud computing, and digital healthcare. Previously, he was a Partner at WestSummit Capital, investing in Enterprise, Cloud, Big Data, AI, robotics, and digital media. 

With extensive experience in startups and established companies, Jim has worked in Internet, mobile/wireless, digital media, telecom, semiconductor, and enterprise software industries, leading numerous successful investments and M&A transactions. 

Jim has MBA degree from the University of Southern California, Master degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and BA degree in Physics from the University of Waterloo.

Matt East

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Matt East has a career spanning over 37 years in the financial management of semiconductor businesses. He has worked for Siliconix, JDSU, and Philips. The bulk of the years were spent with Philips Semiconductor (NXP) 23 Years and Lumileds 5 Years, both entities being subsidiaries of Philips.  Prior to Finwave, Matt was the CFO of Lumileds, a LED lighting company that was a spinoff from Philips Semiconductor. Prior to Lumileds, Matt held a variety of financial roles at Philips Semiconductor and subsequently NXP Semiconductor where he oversaw Business lines, Business Units, and Operational controller for several fabs.  Matt has a BS in Business Management and a Minor in Economics from San Jose State University.

Ian Warbrick

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Ian Warbrick brings his successful track record leading large, medium and startup organizations to his role as Finwave’s COO.

A senior executive with a broad range of expertise in operations and finance, Ian has served as a critical resource in rapid growth companies such as Peregrine Semiconductor (and its acquiring company, Murata) and International Rectifier.  He is experienced at managing growth through volatile semiconductor cycles, managing the development of new wafer technology, building high volume wafer fabrication facilities, leading operations through public listings and more.

Ian holds a BSC from Southampton University in the UK.

Jim Cable

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Jim Cable is Finwave’s Chief Strategy Officer. Previously, Jim served in several leadership roles at Peregrine Semiconductor (now pSemi), including CTO, Chairman, and CEO. Under his guidance, Peregrine had a successful IPO in 2012. In 2014, the company was acquired by Murata Manufacturing Company. From 2017-2019, he also served as Murata’s Director of Global R&D.
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Jim is author/co-author of roughly 100 patents, and his education credentials include a BS in Physics from UC Riverside and MSEE and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of California – Los Angeles.

Prof. Tomas Palacios

Co-Founder

Tomás Palacios is a co-founder of Finwave and a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT. Tomás has been working on GaN RF and power electronics since 1999, and his group has set new benchmarks for these devices numerous times.

Tomás’ work has been recognized with multiple awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; the 2012 and 2019 IEEE George Smith Award; the NSF, ONR, and DARPA Young Faculty Awards; the Intel Outstanding Research Award, among many others.

Tomás received his Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara, and his undergraduate degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain). He is a Fellow of IEEE.

Bin Lu

CTO & Co-Founder

Dr. Bin Lu is co-founder of Finwave Semiconductor. He has made groundbreaking contributions to GaN-on-Si technology, including advancements in GaN-on-Si breakdown and reliability mechanisms, the development of novel normally-off device structures, and pioneering work in GaN FinFET technology, for which Dr. Lu received the prestigious 2012 IEEE Electron Devices Society George Smith Award. He has authored over 22 peer-reviewed publications, and holds more than 22 issued patents related to GaN-on-Si technology. Dr. Lu earned his B.S. degree from Tsinghua University and his S.M. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT.

Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre 

CEO

Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre was appointed CEO of Finwave Semiconductor in June 2023. Prior to that, he was the CEO of Nanometrics, a leading provider of high-performance process control metrology and inspection systems used primarily in the fabrication of integrated circuits, sensors & discrete components.
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Michael Guyonnet

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