Northwater Capital joins $19 mln Series B funding of Arctic Sand

Cambridge, Mass.-based semiconductor company Arctic Sand Technologies Inc has raised US$19 million in a Series B financing. The round was led by Murata Manufacturing Co Ltd and was joined by the company’s existing investors, including Canadian venture capital firm Northwater Capital Management. Founded in 2011, Arctic Sand has developed technology based on power conversion intellectual property developed and licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its products help to significantly improve power conversion efficiency.

PRESS RELEASE

Arctic Sand Technologies $19M Series B Financing Lead by Murata

Disruptive Power Conversion IC Start-up Addresses Mobile Computing and Data Center Pain Points

February 25, 2016

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Arctic Sand Technologies (www.arcticsand.com), the performance and space saving leader in power conversion ICs has announced the completion of a $19M Series B Financing round, led by Murata Manufacturing Company, Ltd. with co-investors GE Ventures, Northwater Capital and Arsenal Venture Partners. Targeting major segments of the $5B DC/DC power conversion market, Arctic Sand’s ICs today enable significantly more runtime, smaller batteries and thinner profile smartphones, tablets and Ultrabooks. Arctic Sand’s Data Center products increase server / storage platform power efficiency in up to 50% less space.

An MIT spin-out initially funded in January 2013, the company’s growing 15-issued patent trove includes three exclusively-licensed MIT patents co-authored by Arctic Sand’s founder and Chief Scientist David Guiliano. The company is led by a seasoned executive management team that has previously built fabless power semiconductor companies and guided them to market success.

Comments Arctic Sand Technologies’ CEO Gary Davison: “While our best competitors struggle to increase power conversion efficiency by 1% per chip generation and struggle to make them fit into ever-thinner products, Arctic Sand’s first commercial product, an LED backlight driver IC for mobile computing platforms, increases power conversion efficiency by about 10% – in a 33% thinner form factor, and with no increase in circuit board footprint. Think of it as a no cost way to add an hour or two of operation for your tablet or smartphone.“

Adds Norio Nakajima, Member of the Board of Directors and Executive Vice President Communication & Sensor Business Unit and Energy Business Group at Murata: “Murata‘s long history of successful product innovation demonstrates that disruptive technologies are essential to enable market revolutions. This is why Murata is very excited to be working closely with the Arctic Sand team to develop market leading high efficiency power conversion products and technologies for our common customers.”

Information

About Murata

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. Murata is committed to the development of advanced electronic materials and leading edge, multi-functional, high-density modules. The company has employees and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. For more information, visit Murata’s website at www.murata.com

About Arctic Sand

Arctic Sand was founded to bring game-changing power conversion semiconductors to market, based on technology born at MIT. Company headquarters is in Cambridge MA, with product design centers in Cambridge MA and Santa Clara , CA, and with sales / customer support offices in Silicon Valley and Taiwan. For more information, visit Arctic Sand’s website at www.arcticsand.com

Contacts
Arctic Sand Technologies:
Gary Davison, CEO
garyd@arcticsand.com
or
Worldwide Agency – BWW Communications:
Nick Foot
+44-7808-362251
Nick.foot@bwwcomms.com

Photo courtesy of Arctic Sand Technologies Inc