Eindhoven, Netherlands – May 2025 — Dutch deep-tech startup FononTech, a spin-off from TNO’s Holst Centre, has secured €8.5 million in seed funding to scale its proprietary Impulse Printing™ technology — a breakthrough process for 3D interconnects in semiconductor and display manufacturing.
The round was led by Sake Bosch (founder of Prime Ventures) and included participation from Innovation Industries, Brabant Development Agency (BOM), TNO, SHIFT Invest, and EIC Accelerator grant funding. The new funding brings FononTech’s total capital raised to approximately €11 million, following a €2.3M round in 2023.
📌 Funding Summary
- Company: FononTech (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
- Round: €8.5M Seed (May 2025)
- Focus: Dry nano-printing for semiconductor and display interconnects
- Total Raised: ~€11M
- Lead Investor: Sake Bosch (Prime Ventures)
🚀 Technology: Impulse Printing™ for 3D Interconnects
FononTech’s proprietary Impulse Printing™ technique directly transfers conductive paste (“ink”) onto substrates in fine-grained, patterned layers — similar to lithography, but faster, cheaper, and more sustainable. The method conforms to complex topologies, bridges gaps, and wraps around corners, enabling 3D integration with a 1000× reduction in manufacturing complexity and emissions.
As Bits & Chips explains, the process delivers lithography-level detail at conventional printing throughput, removing many steps from legacy cleanroom-based production.
According to FononTech, Impulse Printing is “the fastest and most cost-effective solution for 3D interconnects in semiconductor packaging” — particularly critical for AI-capable edge devices, wearables, and compact consumer electronics (aka particularly suited for applications in semiconductors, OLED and micro-LED displays, and other areas requiring precise, high-density interconnections.
🏆 Market Traction
Despite being founded just two years ago, FononTech has already delivered its first commercial machine to a major semiconductor firm. The company is now finalizing its Impulse Beta Tool, an R&D platform for broader industrial deployment, and expects to raise a follow-on round later this year to scale in-house production.
CTO Fabien Bruning notes:
“There are already signs that our solution is being recognized as a key enabler for integration and performance challenges, especially in advanced packaging.”
💬 Leadership & Vision
CEO Rob Hendriks highlighted the execution speed enabled by FononTech’s investor team:
“In just 2 years, we successfully delivered our first machine to a major semiconductor company. Their commitment has enabled us to move quickly and convert market traction into sales.”
Lead investor Sake Bosch said:
“FononTech is creating a new equipment category, not only in semiconductors but also in the display industry. With over 100 years of experience in the leadership team and sales potential of €1 billion within five years, we have exciting times ahead.”
FononTech is also a former Gerard & Anton Award winner (P.S.: the Gerard & Anton annual celebration recognizing the ten most promising startups in the Brainport Eindhoven region of the Netherlands. Fun fact: it is named after Gerard and Anton Philips, co-founders of the Philips electronics company, signaling strong recognition within the Dutch startup ecosystem).
🌍 Strategic Footprint
FononTech is headquartered in Eindhoven with sales offices in South Korea, Japan, and North America, placing it close to the global centers of semiconductor and display manufacturing.
Its extensive patent portfolio reinforces its ambition to become a core supplier to the next wave of electronics innovation.
🥊 Competitive Landscape
FononTech operates at the intersection of semiconductor equipment innovation and additive microfabrication, competing with and complementing a mix of established players and deep-tech startups:
Equipment giants:
- Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, EV Group (Austria), and SÜSS MicroTec (Germany) — all of whom develop tools for advanced packaging, wafer bonding, and lithography-free processes.
Emerging innovators working on next-gen patterning or additive interconnects:
- Amorphyx (US, $2.3M raised) – known for thin-film additive electronics and display applications
- Neurophos (US, $14.2M raised) – associated with novel chiplet interconnect and photonic integration techniques
Note: These startups are not direct commercial rivals, but represent alternative or complementary approaches to the same underlying bottleneck — miniaturized, scalable interconnects for advanced electronics
FononTech’s differentiation lies in its dry, maskless, one-step printing approach that dramatically reduces process complexity, cost, and environmental footprint.
💡 Why It Matters
As Moore’s Law slows, the focus has shifted to advanced packaging, 3D interconnects, and chiplet integration. Traditional photolithography struggles to keep pace with the power and size demands of AI, edge, and wearable applications.
Impulse Printing™ offers a scalable path forward — one that could define a new category of fabrication equipment spanning semiconductors, displays, and flexible electronics.
📈 Market Outlook
With the advanced packaging market projected to exceed $65B by 2030, FononTech is aiming to be a central player in enabling that growth. Backed by prominent European funds and supported by EIC Accelerator grants, could the company be one of the most promising semiconductor equipment startups emerging from the continent?
