Our story
AI is advancing faster than the data that feeds it
As AI scales rapidly, even the world’s most powerful GPUs are hitting an unexpected limit: they are constrained by data bandwidth.
Photon Bridge removes this bottleneck with a radically new approach by pushing more data through the same fiber. AI data centers will simply not scale on analog photonics. Photon Bridge brings next generation digital solutions.
Origins
Rui Santos founded Photon IP in 2020 in Eindhoven with the mission to remove one of integrated photonics’ biggest bottlenecks: reliably combining III–V materials with silicon so photonic chips can deliver high performance at scale.
Drawing on his background in the photonics ecosystem, including prior work at Smart Photonics, Rui and his co-founder Xaveer Leijtens set out to make advanced optical engines easier to manufacture and to unlock lower power, higher bandwidth solutions for AI data centers and telecom.
Bridging light, intelligence, and reality
In September 2025, the company renamed itself Photon Bridge to reflect what its core technology is designed to do: build bridges between photonic materials, and between today’s capabilities and tomorrow’s systems.
At the same time, Photon Bridge appointed Paul Marchal as CEO to lead the next growth phase, bringing experience scaling deep-tech companies (including as co-founder/CEO of Morrow) and a strong semiconductor R&D track record from imec.
Rui continues as CTO, focused on scaling the technology and accelerating product delivery with a strengthened leadership team.
Industry insights, people, and innovation
By combining technology leadership with operational excellence, the company is developing the optical engines powering the AI and telecom systems of tomorrow.
Leadership Team
Photon Bridge’s leadership team brings together a rare combination of deep technological expertise and proven business leadership.
With experience spanning photonics engineering, product development, and company building, the team is focused on scaling innovation into robust, deployable solutions.
We turn photonics potential into market reality
Paul Marchal - CEO
Rui Santos - CTO
John Anderton - CCO
Sanjiv Kapoor - COO
Vision
Our vision is be the world’s leading innovator in integrated photonics, bridging the gap between cutting-edge optical technology and scalable, energy-efficient connectivity for the next era of AI and global communications.
We envision a future where every AI datacenter and telecom network runs on optical engines that are low-power, high-density, and affordable at scale.
Mission
Our mission is to redefine photonic integration by uniting the performance of III-V materials with the scalability of silicon, delivering breakthrough optical engines that empower AI datacenters and telecom infrastructure.
We achieve this through pioneering truly unique photonics technology with scalable manufacturing approaches, that accelerate innovation from prototype to widespread deployment.
Advisory Board
Photon Bridge is guided by a strong advisory board that brings together decades of experience from across the photonics and semiconductor industry. Combining deep technical expertise with proven commercial leadership, our advisors help us navigate complex markets, accelerate adoption, and make the right strategic choices as we scale. Their insight ensures Photon Bridge stays closely aligned with real-world industry needs.
Giorgio Anania
Chairman of The Board
Sofia Santos
Faber
Billy McLaughlin
Advisor
Wojtek Smolinski
Vigo Ventures
Vincent Kampenhorst
Innovation Industries
Jurgen Van Eck
BOM
Lisa Verbruggen
Innovation Industries
Xaveer Leijten
Photon Bridge
Investors
Photon Bridge completed a successful investment round in January 2025.
The seed round was led by Innovation Industries and backed by Faber, BOM, and PhotonDelta. This strong investor support reinforces confidence in Photon Bridge’s technology, team, and long-term market potential.
