NLM Photonics has raised $13.0M in a Series A round, a vote of confidence for the Seattle-based startup’s bet on a new class of photonic devices. The company, founded in 2018 and formerly known as Nonlinear Materials Corporation, is developing technology aimed at making data transmission and processing faster and more efficient by manipulating light at the material level.
The round draws a notably deep-pocketed and industrial roster, including Pangaea Ventures, Diamond Edge Ventures, Emerald Technology Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Idemitsu, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, and StoryHouse Ventures. That mix of chemical and materials giants suggests the capital isn't just for product development-it's about lining up manufacturing and supply-chain partners early. NLM says its photonics work targets networking, computing, and sensing, but the specifics of how far the funding will stretch remain under wraps.
