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PINC Technologies Emerges from Stealth

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By Joe Kuczynski

PINC Technologies, a Caltech Nonlinear Photonics Laboratory spinout developing advanced integrated nonlinear photonic devices and circuits, has emerged from stealth with a raised-total of $6.8 million. Recent financing lead by Quantonation includes participation from industry leaders Hamamatsu (via Hamamatsu Ventures) and Santec.

The company said it plans to use the money to accelerate commercialization. "We are going to bring new people to the team; we are going to build, more capability; and we are going to expand our customer reach, customer engagement, and market reach,” said company CEO Farzaneh Afshinmanesh.

PINC Technologies' NanoPPLN platform brings nonlinear circuits to integrated photonics, unlocking breakthroughs in sensing, computing, communications, and beyond. Courtesy of PINC Technologies.
PINC Technologies' NanoPPLN platform brings nonlinear circuits to integrated photonics, unlocking breakthroughs in sensing, computing, communications, and beyond. Courtesy of PINC Technologies.
In a press release, the company said that additionally that it plans to use the funding to build collaborations to enable new capabilities in industrial photonics applications, quantum computing, biomedical sensing, and other application areas. PINC, which stands for "Photonic Integrated Nonlinear Circuits, is also targeting applications in advanced communications.

“Step by step, we are building a photonic platform,” Afshinmanesh said. “We are bringing a scalable nonlinearity that is going to enable new functionalities in photonics, and into photonic chips.”

According to Afshinmanesh, PINC’s core capabilities include efficient development of a nano version of a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) platform. “In terms of lithium niobate, we make circuits around it, which are all protected by intellectual property,” she said.

Afshinmanesh said that the company sees strong demand for its products and services, and the company is currently shipping products.

“The company’s integrated nonlinear photonic platform represents a critical enabling technology for the quantum era,” said Christophe Jurczack, managing partner at Quantonation.
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Published: October 2025
Glossary
integrated photonics
Integrated photonics is a field of study and technology that involves the integration of optical components, such as lasers, modulators, detectors, and waveguides, on a single chip or substrate. The goal of integrated photonics is to miniaturize and consolidate optical elements in a manner similar to the integration of electronic components on a microchip in traditional integrated circuits. Key aspects of integrated photonics include: Miniaturization: Integrated photonics aims to...
quantum
The term quantum refers to the fundamental unit or discrete amount of a physical quantity involved in interactions at the atomic and subatomic scales. It originates from quantum theory, a branch of physics that emerged in the early 20th century to explain phenomena observed on very small scales, where classical physics fails to provide accurate explanations. In the context of quantum theory, several key concepts are associated with the term quantum: Quantum mechanics: This is the branch of...
lithium niobate
A crystalline ferroelectric material used primarily as a substrate and an active medium for thin-film optical modulators and switches. It possesses very high electro-optic and piezoelectric coefficients. LiNbO3.
BusinessPINC TechnologiesAmericasintegrated photonicsPICsfundingHamamatsu VenturesSantecquantumlithium niobatePPLNMaterialsCommunicationsnonlinear photonicsnonlinear photonic technologyCaltechIndustry News

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