Hummink announces a new fundraising of €5M to industrialise its nano-manufacturing technology
Hummink (Paris, France) is developing a nano-manufacturing technology for the microelectronics and semiconductor markets. Thanks to a simpler and more efficient process than current industry standards, the company aims to divide by 10 the number of manufacturing steps of certain complex components, thereby knocking down development and manufacturing costs as well as the energy footprint of the industry.
The company has announced a second fundraising round of €5 million led by Sensinnovat and Elaia Partners, alongside with PSL and Beeyond, with the support of BPIFrance, in order to industrialise its nano-manufacturing technology. Meanwhile, Hummink discloses the first sales of its equipment designed for R&D labs, such as the Université Paris Cité.
The development of tomorrow's industry - AI, Quantum, Medtech, Space - relies on nano-electronics. However, all these applications are hampered by an inability to assemble ever smaller and more complex components – which Hummink enables. Thanks to its nano-imprinting technology, invented in the physics laboratories of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, Hummink offers unique freedom of design at sub-micronic scales (less than one thousandth of a millimetre).
Hummink already collaborates with renowned industrial players – CEA Leti, CNES, as well as Asian multinationals – in the semiconductor, aerospace and printed electronics sectors. Buoyed by the development of its first product – a machine for R&D labs - Hummink is now entering a phase of commercial expansion, as shown by its first partnerships in Asia (for instance micro-electronics equipment specialist ALTECH CO.,LTD in Japan), and a marked interest from some big names in the sector, in a context when semiconductors sovereignty is a major geopolitical topic.
Hummink has designed its first piece of equipment, the Nazca machine. It enables labs to meet all their current and future needs micro and nano electronic products prototyping. This equipment expands researchers' manufacturing possibilities, thanks to its precision, versatility and ease of use. With this machine, Hummink intends to democratise the use of its technology and enable the nano-electronics of tomorrow.
Geert Reynders, chief investment officer at Sensinnovat: “We believe Hummink's novel technology can revolutionise manufacturing standards for the microelectronics and semiconductor industries, where Sensinnovat has long-standing expertise. Hummink's team is strong and ambitious, as proven by the technical and business milestones achieved by the company since its creation in 2020, and we are glad to back them in their expansion.”
Anne-Sophie Carrese, partner at Elaia Partners: “The arrival of Sensinnovat in this fundraise is a great news as they bring their manufacturing expertise of the microelectronics and semiconductor industries. Hummink has outperformed their roadmap since our initial investment as a spin-off from Université PSL. They have strengthened their IP, developed the product and achieved their go to market strategy with several customers signed and others in discussion. We are very proud to back this next step of their growth.”
Prof Vincent Noel, Université Paris-Cité: “Hummink's technology offers unique manufacturing possibilities by allowing various materials to be deposited at scales inaccessible with existing technologies in our laboratory as well as in the market. We have thus acquired their NAZCA equipment to carry out numerous research projects in micro-electronics, with a strong industrial dimension.”
Philippe Rodriguez, Lab Director at CEA Leti: “The technology developed by Hummink opens up wide manufacturing possibilities for the sector. Our collaboration with the company involves several labs from CEA Leti and offers promising technology prospects for the French semiconductor industry.”
Caption: Amin M'Barki (CEO) and Pascal Boncenne (COO), co-founders of Hummink (photo: Hummink)