25 September 2025
Photon IP Becomes Photon Bridge and Appoints Paul Marchal as CEO
Photon Bridge welcomes new CEO as it enters next phase of growth and innovation in photonics.
25 September 2025
Press Release
Eindhoven, the Netherlands – 25 September 2025 – Photon IP, a pioneer in advanced photonic integration, today announces its new brand identity: Photon Bridge, and welcomes Paul Marchal as Chief Executive Officer.
Photon Bridge is redefining photonic integration with its proprietary cantilever waveguide coupling technology, unifying III-V speed with the scalability of silicon. By combining technology leadership with operational excellence, the company is developing the optical engines powering the AI and telecom systems of tomorrow.
Why the new name? Because our one-of-a-kind cantilever technology is all about building bridges—between photonic materials, and between the integrated photonics you use today and the ones powering tomorrow’s breakthroughs. The rebrand reflects the company’s mission to connect innovation with scale, delivering solutions that advance the next generation of AI and telecom systems.
This announcement comes on the heels of Photon Bridge’s €4.75 million seed funding round, backed by Innovation Industries, Faber, BOM, and PhotonDelta. The new brand reflects the company’s mission to bridge cutting-edge semiconductor technologies with the demands of a rapidly scaling optical market.
“Photon Bridge is about unifying the best of both worlds: the speed of III-V and the scale of silicon,” said Paul Marchal, CEO of Photon Bridge. “We are entering an era where AI and high-performance telecom demand a new level of optical integration, and our platform is uniquely positioned to deliver.”
Before joining Photon Bridge, Marchal was co-founder and CEO of Morrow, where he raised over €35 million and brought smart glasses based on tunable lens technology to market. Earlier, at imec, he co-developed through-silicon via (TSV) technology and co-introduced via-middle integration, now standard in advanced memory and GPU systems, while also contributing to the early development of imec’s silicon photonics platform.
“I’m excited to continue as CTO and to focus fully on scaling our technology,” said Rui Santos, co-founder of Photon Bridge. “With Paul leading the company and a strong team in place, we can accelerate innovation and bring our vision for integrated photonics to market.”
Photon Bridge will be present at ECOC 2025 at booth C4119, with a dedicated meeting and demo space at MR4 to connect with partners, customers, and industry leaders.
📩 Schedule a meeting in advance by contacting: john.anderton@photonbridge.com
About Photon Bridge
Photon Bridge is redefining photonic integration with its patented cantilever waveguide coupling technology—unifying III-V speed with silicon scale. By combining technology leadership with operational excellence, the company is developing the optical engines powering the AI and telecom systems of tomorrow.