Soctera has raised $4 million in seed funding to develop semiconductor-based power amplifiers for applications spanning defense radar, electronic warfare, satellites and telecommunications. The round was backed by Anorak Ventures and Multiball Capital, with additional participation from 9Yards Capital, Mana Ventures and Red Bear Ventures.
Soctera is developing power amplifiers designed to address thermal limitations that can reduce wireless signal range, fidelity and hardware reliability.
The company’s semiconductor approach co-optimizes electrical and thermal performance. Soctera said its technology reduces gallium nitride content per device by 20 times while cutting thermal resistance in half.
The company plans to use the seed financing to expand its team and manufacturing capabilities and move its materials technology into qualified power amplifier products.
Soctera spun out of Cornell University’s Jena-Xing research group, which focuses on wide-bandgap electronics.
Before raising the seed round, the company secured more than $4.2 million in non-dilutive grants from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force and CHIPS Act programs.
KEY QUOTES:
“By co-optimizing the semiconductor stack electrically and thermally, we reduce the gallium nitride content in each device by 20X and halve thermal resistance. We are now turning our materials-level advantage into qualified power amplifiers.”
Reet Chaudhuri, Co-Founder and CTO of Soctera
“The people building next-generation radar and satellites are already asking for more than any amplifier can deliver. This raise lets us answer them, scaling the team and the manufacturing to put that hardware in their hands.”
Austin Hickman, Co-Founder and CEO of Soctera
