The Round Includes Leading Deep Tech Funds and Will Enable Mass Production and Commercial Deployment of WiseGan® and WiseWare®
Hyeres, France – Feb. 29, 2024 – Wise-integration, a French pioneer in digital control of gallium nitride (GaN) and GaN ICs for power supplies, today announced financing of €15 million. The Series B round was led by imec.xpand, with participation from Supernova Invest, BNP Paribas Developpement, Région Sud Investissement (RSI), Creazur, CASRA Capital and Angels for Greentech.
The round will fuel mass production and commercial deployment of the company’s flagship products, WiseGan® and WiseWare®, its disruptive digital-control technology, and its support for clients globally as they adopt these solutions. It included the five investors from the previous funding and three new investors.
CEO Thierry Bouchet said, “The €15 million of new funding will accelerate the company’s international expansion, ongoing R&D programs and the introduction of new products and solutions.
“This funding will enable Wise-integration to accelerate our commercial development and product development and the launch of a new generation of high-performance GaN technology, which is designed to seamlessly integrate with digital controls and boost the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” Bouchet continued. “A third roadmap focus will be to broaden our WiseWare® product development, targeting high-value markets, such as industrial, telecom and automotive sectors.”
Since its launch in 2020, the fabless company has established itself as an award-winning innovator in the power electronics industry, building a portfolio of more than 10 patent families. WiseGan® encompasses GaN power integrated circuits designed to maximize the benefits of GaN technology, including higher power density, efficiency and reduced heat generation. WiseWare® is a 32-bit, MCU- based, AC-DC digital controller optimized for GaN-based power supply architectures, offering simplified system design, a lower bill of materials and improved power density and efficiency.
The company’s target markets include consumer electronics, from laptops to e-bikes, scooters and motorcycles, to industrial applications like robotics, as well as data centers and electric vehicles. All its solutions address the increasing demands for miniaturization, electrification and efficient power management.
Wise-integration has established a first-class semiconductor GaN supply chain to support its mass production and commercialization strategy, while ensuring the most competitive costs in the market.
“Wise-integration’s GaN technology can play a significant role in the global shift to electrification by enhancing the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” said Cyril Vančura, imec.xpand partner. “In the four years since its founding, this start-up has demonstrated the vision, drive, execution and technological knowhow to deliver game-changing power-electronics solutions, and we look forward to witnessing the next phase of its growth journey.”
“With this new funding, Supernova Invest reaffirms its support for Wise-integration, a CEA-Leti spin-off that we have trusted since its creation,” said Damien Bretegnier, investment director, Supernova Invest. “We strongly believe in the huge potential of its WiseWare® digital control technology and associated WiseGan® components, anticipating a profound revolution in the power conversion market that propels GaN technology to replace legacy solutions even more rapidly.”
“Wise-integration is one of the finest up-and-coming companies in the hardware sector, a key sector in our beautiful region,” said Pierre Joubert, general director of RSI. “A high-potential company with a top management team, it fits in perfectly with the investment thesis of our Transition fund and its 100 percent Paris Agreement strategy. It has all the assets to become one of the strong links in the regional economic development strategy.”
About Wise-integration
Wise-integration is a French fabless company founded in 2020, specializing in the advancement of power electronics through innovative GaN technology and digital control solutions. Leveraging its expertise, Wise-integration introduces a compelling synergy between its GaN device (WiseGan®) and a 32-bit, MCU-based, AC-DC digital controller (WiseWare®). This powerful combination enables the development of technologies facilitating chargers that are up to 3x smaller, 3x more efficient, and 3x lighter, catering to power requirements from 30W to 7kW. Targeting a broad spectrum of markets including consumer electronics, e-mobility, industrial applications, data centers, and automotive sectors, Wise-integration is at the forefront of transforming power delivery with its cutting-edge components and digital control technologies.
For more information, visit www.wise-integration.com
About imec.xpand
imec.xpand is one of the world’s largest independent venture capital funds dedicated to early stage semiconductor innovation. The imec.xpand funds target ambitious deep tech start-ups where the knowledge, expertise and infrastructure of imec, the world renowned semiconductor and nanotechnology R&D center, can play a determining role in their growth. imec.xpand has an outspoken international mindset towards building disruptive global companies and strongly believes that sufficient funding from the start is key to future success. The team’s unique ability to assess technology risk in the earliest stages of development enables imec.xpand’s game-changing approach towards hardware driven semiconductor innovation. Visit https://imecxpand.com/
About Supernova Invest
Supernova Invest is the leading deep tech Venture Capital firm in France and Europe, managing €700+ million. The current portfolio includes 80+ impact startup companies that develop products and services leveraging breakthrough technologies in 4 transition-centric sectors: Health, Energy & Environment, Industry 4.0 and Digital Technology. For 20 years, Supernova Invest has been providing long-term capital, operating experience, and strategic support to back sustainable growth of tomorrow’s deep tech and industrial champions throughout the Venture Capital life cycle: seed, early, late and growth stages. Supernova Invest also gathers the entire deep tech value chain to support portfolio companies: industrials, corporate, research centers and co-investors.
Supernova Invest is backed both by Amundi, the largest asset manager in Europe, and CEA, the most innovative public research organization in Europe.
About RSI
Chaired by Alain Lacroix and managed by Pierre Joubert, RSI has become a key player in seed, venture and development capital. With 370 equity and equity-loan companies, this financial company, created by the Southern Region and partly financed by Europe through ERDF funds, has substantial resources at its disposal, enabling it to cover all areas of equity financing in its strategy, and to be an attractive economic development tool for the region. It is advised by Smalt Capital for its equity and equity-loan operations.
About Créazur
Créazur, a subsidiary of the Venture Capital division of Crédit Agricole Provence Côte d’Azur, specializes in equity investment in young, innovative companies with high growth potential and job creation prospects. Créazur aligns itself with company leaders based on shared values: proximity, responsibility, and loyalty. The invested capital comes from Créazur’s own equity, and as such, it is not subject to any time constraints, thereby favoring the company’s economic pace. As a long-term financial investor and minority shareholder, Créazur adapts to each company’s project, participating in strategic discussions and their implementation without interference in day-to-day management.
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Contact Wise-integration
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