Print
Email
Print Edition Stories
A Boston University spinout looking to reduce the mechanical components of electronic devices to the nano level has landed $8 million in its Series A round of funding.
Sand 9 Inc. was founded by Pritiraj Mohanty, a physics professor at BU, and Matt Crowley, a former principal at BU’s Community Technology Fund, and it aims to bring to market a nanomechanical resonator that investors claim could change the performance and capabilities of wireless electronics, including cell phones and GPS devices.
The funding was led by new investor Flybridge Capital Partners of Boston, and included Cambridge-based General Catalyst Partners and California-based Khosla Ventures. General Catalyst and Khosla Ventures both participated in Sand 9’s $2 million seed round in May 2007.
The funding will be used to accelerate product development and expand engineering.
The company employs 10 people and operates out of the incubator at the Boston University Photonics Center, but Mohanty said the company hopes to move to Cambridge.
As part of the funding, Flybridge’s David Aronoff will join Sand 9’s board. Hemant Taneja of General Catalyst is also a director.
While executives were not willing to divulge too much detail surrounding the company’s technology, Mohanty equated the resonator to a nanoscale micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device.
“Current components (in wireless devices) such as antennas, mixers and switches are still bulky and expensive,” said Mohanty. “And as more interfaces and more applications come online, there is going to be a need for more and more components.”
The idea of MEMS in electronic devices is not new, and manufacturers have used them in things like microphones and accelerometers — which sense movement — in cellphones.
But according to Aronoff, Sand 9’s breakthrough is more than just making components smaller: “Raj’s research is pretty groundbreaking,” he said. “It’s not just shrinking what is happening today but is taking an entirely new approach.”
Mohanty would not provide a timetable for the commercialization of Sand 9’s products.
Comments
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
RSS Feeds
