Casimir announced the closing of a $12 million oversubscribed seed funding round led by Scout Ventures as the company advances commercialization plans for what it describes as the world’s first quantum vacuum energy semiconductor chip.
The Houston-based company, founded by former NASA advanced propulsion researcher Dr. Harold “Sonny” White, said the funding will support development of semiconductor chips designed to harvest energy from quantum vacuum fields to generate continuous electrical power without batteries, charging systems, or wired connections.
According to the company, the financing exceeded its original $8 million target and included participation from Lavrock Ventures, Cottonwood Technology, Capital Factory, American Deep Tech, and Tim Draper of Draper Associates.
Casimir plans to use the capital to optimize chip performance and accelerate development of its first-generation MicroSparc chip, which the company targets for commercial launch by 2028.
The company said the MicroSparc chip measures 5mm by 5mm and is designed to generate 1.5 volts at 25 microamps, performance the company compares to a small rechargeable battery, but without degradation or replacement requirements. Initial target markets include ultra-low-power electronics applications such as tire pressure monitoring systems, embedded sensors, wearable devices, and other systems where battery replacement is difficult or costly.
Casimir stated that its longer-term roadmap extends beyond IoT applications into consumer electronics, electric vehicles, and larger-scale energy infrastructure markets. The company also highlighted potential applications tied to AI infrastructure, autonomous systems, and always-on edge computing environments requiring persistent low-latency power sources.
The company’s technology originated at the Limitless Space Institute, a nonprofit organization focused on advancing interstellar travel technologies founded by entrepreneur and investor Dr. Kam Ghaffarian. Dr. White currently serves as Director of Advanced Research and Development at the institute.
Casimir said its scientific research foundation includes DARPA-funded nanofabrication research, university collaborations, and peer-reviewed work related to quantum vacuum dynamics. In March 2026, Dr. White published research in Physical Review Research outlining theoretical foundations related to engineered Casimir cavities and electrical energy generation.
The company stated that it is actively pursuing commercial, academic, and government partnerships focused on dual-use energy technologies with implications for U.S. energy independence and national security initiatives.
KEY QUOTES:
“Millions of devices will operate for years without a battery ever needing to be replaced or recharged because we have engineered a customized Casimir cavity into hardware capable of producing persistent electrical power. I spent nearly two decades at NASA studying how we power humanity’s future. That work led me to the Casimir effect and the quantum vacuum, where new tools have allowed us to build on a century of scientific knowledge and bring abundant power to the world.”
Dr. Harold “Sonny” White, Founder And CEO, Casimir
“Casimir represents exactly the kind of breakthrough dual-use technology Scout Ventures was built to back. This is based on 100 years of science and we’re finally approaching a commercial product. Sonny’s ability to pull pieces from different domains of research and engineer them together into working hardware is remarkable. We’re proud to lead this round and support Casimir’s journey from applied science to deployed technology.”
Brad Harrison, Founder And Managing Partner, Scout Ventures
