Iris Light Technologies is a technology company.
Iris Light Technologies has raised $220K across 2 funding rounds.
Iris Light Technologies has raised $220K in total across 2 funding rounds.
Iris Light Technologies has raised $220K in total across 2 funding rounds.
Iris Light Technologies's investors include Pareto Holdings, Techstars, Evergreen Climate Innovations.
Iris Light Technologies is a startup developing color-versatile, printable lasers and active opto-electronic components for the silicon photonics market, addressing key challenges like on-chip lasers and LEDs.[1][2][3] The company serves applications in optical communications, data centers, medical devices, autonomous vehicle LIDAR, optical sensors, IoT, and chem-bio sensors, solving the need for efficient, integrable light sources to accelerate the $1 billion/year silicon photonics industry.[1][2][6] Founded in 2018, it has gained strong growth momentum through multiple government grants, including NSF SBIR Phase II (2024), DOE STTR Phase II (10.2024), and US Air Force STTR Phase II (08.2025), plus invitations to present at events like TechBlick Boston.[3][5]
Iris Light Technologies was founded in 2018 as a spinout from Northwestern University, with inventor Mark C. Hersam from the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Sciences in Materials Science and Engineering.[1] The core technology originated from research at Argonne National Laboratory's Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI) program, where the team developed hybrid silicon lasers using emerging two-dimensional nanomaterial phosphorene as the light emitter, achieving proof-of-concept lasing experiments in 2017 and securing a patent in 2018.[2][6] CEO Chad Husko, with a Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Physics from Columbia University and prior role as Alexei Abrikosov Fellow at Argonne, led the hybrid silicon laser program before spinning out the company; he serves as Principal Investigator on NSF grants.[3][5][6] Early traction came from incubating in CRI, leveraging R&D funds and infrastructure, evolving from lab demos to scalable processes targeting industrial applications.[2][6]
Iris Light rides the silicon photonics wave, enabling "light chips" for next-gen optical computing amid exploding data center demands, where optics outperform electronics for speed and efficiency.[1][6] Timing aligns with AI-driven cloud growth and energy crunches—data centers consume 1% of global electricity (150 MtCO2e/year), favoring Iris's components to cut emissions by several MtCO2e annually via efficient lasers.[6][7] Market tailwinds include multi-billion photonics expansion in comms, sensors, IoT, LIDAR, and defense, plus US government push for domestic semiconductor innovation.[3][5] The company influences the ecosystem by pioneering printable optoelectronics, akin to 20th-century electronic revolutions, fostering hybrid integration for data centers, supercomputing, and climate tech.[3][6][7]
Iris Light is poised to disrupt silicon photonics with photonic inks, scaling via ongoing STTR Phase II projects (e.g., on-chip frequency combs, foundry production) and commercial pilots into 2026.[3][5] Trends like AI data explosion, energy-efficient datacom, and advanced sensors will propel demand, potentially expanding to printed electronics and defense apps. Influence may grow through partnerships and IP, positioning it as a key enabler in the $1B+ light-chip market, much like its foundational role in hybrid lasers humanizes its path from Argonne labs to industry impact.[1][3][6]
Iris Light Technologies has raised $220K across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $120K Seed in September 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2023 | $120K Seed | Pareto Holdings, Techstars | |
| May 1, 2020 | $100K Seed | Evergreen Climate Innovations |