EpiGaN Welcomes ACAPITAL as Investor for its Expansion into Asia

Publication date : 31/08/2016

EpiGaN, the leading European supplier of commercial 150mm- and 200mm- GaN-on-Silicon epi-wafers for 600V HEMT (High Electron Mobility Transistor) power and RF (Radio Frequency) devices, announces that the Brussels/Beijing-based European private equity fund ACAPITAL has joined the initial investors in EpiGaN to fund the company's expansion in particular to Asian markets.

EpiGaN,operating out of Hasselt, Belgium, is a key global player in developing and delivering GaN-on-Si and GaN-on-SiC (Silicon Carbide) material solutions worldwide. Gallium Nitride, the most important semiconductor after Silicon, started to revolutionize the energy sector by enabling significant energy loss reduction in power handling, smaller and lighter systems, such as for example for consumer power supplies, photovoltaic inverters, industrial sensors and more generally all products linked with IoT. EpiGaN offers innovative and unique solutions for epitaxial GaN layer structures on 150 mm and 200mm Si substrates in particular with its in-situ SiN (Silicon Nitride) passivation, enabling more robust high-performance devices. EpiGaN's product portfolio covers state-of-the-art solutions for low-loss power switching, Radiofrequency/Mobile communication power and sensor applications.

"We believe ACAPITAL is the right partner to support the expansion of our business activities into Asia, where we see great opportunities right now" said EpiGaN co-founder and CEO Dr Marianne Germain. "Our initial investors stay in place to support the continuous growth of the company." EpiGaN was founded in 2010 by Drs Marianne Germain (CEO), Joff Derluyn (CTO) and Stefan Degroote (COO), as a spin-off from renowned Belgian micro- and nano-electronics research center imec.

Andre Loesekrug-Pietri, founder and managing partner of ACAPITAL commented: "We are very pleased to support the growth of EpiGaN and to join its board of directors. EpiGaN has developed a unique expertise in the gallium-nitride-on-silicon technology for semiconductors, which will allow to build the next generation of energy-efficient devices. Applications are massive: power-electronics, internet of things, smart grid applications, mobile communications and electric mobility: most areas linked with Industry 4.0 and Energy Transition, which are core investment areas for ACAPITAL.”. He added : “ EpiGaN is uniquely positioned to grasp a significant share of these high-growth markets. We look forward to help scale EpiGaN internationally and in Asia and China in particular, the largest market in the world."

About EpiGaN

Founded in 2010, EpiGaN provides industry-leading III-nitride epitaxial material solutions for top-performance devices, offering early access to a unique and proven GaN/Si and GaN/SiC technology for next-generation power switching and RF devices with significantly improved RF loss performance, as well as advanced sensor solutions. EpiGaN has been incorporated in 2010 as a spin-off of imec and is supported by a strong consortium of investors: Capricorn Cleantech Fund, LRM, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, recently joined by ACAPITAL. EpiGaN is using its recognized strong expertise in GaN technology for manufacturing GaN material in their site of Hasselt, supporting their customers to get access to unique and robust technology. Key applications are power supplies for consumer electronics, AC drives, UPS systems, hybrid electric vehicles, solar inverters, smart grid applications, RF power systems for communications base stations and sensors. www.epigan.com

About ACAPITAL

ACAPITAL is a European private equity fund manager investing in innovative EU companies with strong growth potential on international markets. It is managing the China-Belgium Mirror Fund and its track record includes landmark transactions such as Club Med (exited in 2015), Bang & Olufsen and Sunpartner Technologies. ACAPITAL has strong experience and a unique network in Asia that the fund leverages to the benefit of its portfolio companies: to scale, to accelerate their international expansion and to forge profitable strategic partnerships. ACAPITAL invests in sectors related to sustainable growth, including environment, energy transition and industry 4.0. ACAPITAL has received several awards for its innovative approach in favor of European SMEs and midcaps, its experience of Asian markets, and its semi-annual publication Dragon Index™, the reference indicator for Chinese investments in the world. http://www.acapital.eu/

EpiGaN Media Contact

Dr. Markus Behet, CMO
EpiGaN nv
Kempische Steenweg 293
3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Tel.: +32 11 56 66 20
markus.behet@epigan.com 

ACAPITAL Contact

André Loesekrug-Pietri, Managing Partner
Tel. +33 6 85 31 51 59
news@acapital.eu