Boulder-based EMode Photonix has raised a $1 million pre-seed round led by Ground State Ventures, with participation from Harlow Capital Management.
EMode builds simulation software for photonic integrated circuits, with a focus on nonlinear and quantum photonics. Engineers use it to design devices that shift light from one frequency to another, or turn classical light into quantum light. The company says its simulation stack models nonlinear photonic circuits 1,000x faster than existing approaches.
That work touches nearly every quantum computing approach. Trapped ions, neutral atoms and solid-state emitters all need lasers tuned to precise frequencies, and photonic quantum computers encode information in light itself.
“Our software lets engineers design the nonlinear devices that shift light to exactly the frequencies these systems require,” said CEO Eric Stanton, who co-founded the company with Maiya Stanton.
EMode has already sold its software to research labs. The new funding will go toward product development and sales as the company builds an enterprise offering designed to take a complete photonic integrated circuit from design to finish in a single day.
“EMode is building critical tools that accelerate the design and development of next-generation photonic technologies, and we’re thrilled to see investors backing their vision,” said EQ CEO Jessi Olsen. “This is exactly the kind of company formation and investment momentum we want to see as we work to build the world’s leading quantum economy here in the Mountain West.”