Dutch start-up Fonontech lands 2.3 million-euro investment 

11-07-2023

Dutch start-up Fonontech lands 2.3 million-euro investment 

Deep-tech start-up FononTech has landed €2.3 million in a seed investment round. Five investors are participating, with the funds being used to further develop their printed micro-electronics technology and prepare for scale up.  FononTech was founded in 2022 as a spin-off of TNO at Holst Centre in Eindhoven. CEO Rob Hendriks stated: “We expect the market for micro-electronics assembly to double to around €78 billion in the coming five years. We are delighted with our investor’s faith in us that we will win a big share of this.”

3D printed micro-electronics

Micro-electronic parts are becoming smaller and smaller and are placed ever closer together, often in complex, layered structures. Electronically connecting these parts to each other is more and more challenging and increased miniaturization and integrated electronics demand better performance and greater functionality. CTO Fabien Bruning: “Traditional manufacturing techniques are stretched to the limit. Our Impulse Printing™ Technology solution will push through this limit.” FononTech is already busy creating a team of engineers that will work on their first industrial R&D system: the Impulse Beta Tool.

Sustainable

With Impulse Printing™ technology, the ecological impact of micro-electronics manufacturing can be reduced by a factor of 1000. Lithography is often used to electronically connect chips. Today’s lithography-based processes consist of many complex steps with high carbon emission rates that are difficult to reduce. Impulse Printing™ is an additive process, copying a pattern thousands of times at very high speed, while only depositing material in required places. The international semiconductor and display market are already showing strong interest in FononTech’s technology. Hendriks: “Our ambition is to become the global market leader in sustainable assembly and manufacturing of micro-electronics. This means scaling up as quickly as possible, with this investment being a big help on our journey.”

Investors

This first investment round is made possible through convertible loans of the TTT Smart Industries Fund, SHIFT Invest, Brabantse Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij (BOM), the Brabant Startup Fonds (BSF) and renowned investor Sake Bosch. Rabobank has also granted a loan.