Founded in 2018 and now located in Glattbrugg, Zurich, Menhir Photonics develops cutting-edge ultrafast lasers, providing innovative solutions for telecommunications, aerospace, and scientific research applications. Its femtosecond laser systems reach a repetition rate up to 10 GHz with unprecedent reliability and noise-performances, that creates many tractions in high-precision applications such as telecom network synchronizations, secure optical communications and broadband navigations systems.

With their approach, the company has demonstrated remarkable growth, with a 90% year-over-year revenue increase from 2022 to 2023 while maintaining profitability. Around 83 customers across 17 countries rely on the company, with a strong focus on the USA and Europe – over 95% of the company's revenue in 2023 came from international sales.

The company has secured a loan from UBS to support its further growth. The funding will be primarily used to establish a state-of-the-art production facility in Dubendorf. The 1,550m² facility will feature an ISO6 cleanroom and advanced testing equipment, enabling Menhir Photonics to achieve high-volume laser production while maintaining the quality standards demanded by their markets. With currently over 30 employees, the company also plans to add 10-12 more talent to their team within the next year.

The company's product line has evolved significantly since its creation, following their long-term vision of becoming the biggest low-noise lasers producer on the market. Initially serving scientific facilities and universities, Menhir Photonics has developed a second version for the highly secured data center market. A third version for the telecom and aerospace industries is at the concept phase to offer ruggedized and scalable lasers for high-volume production (10 000 units/year)

While it has been fully bootstrapped, Menhir Photonics strategically utilized grants to finance R&D efforts, including application-oriented grants with major telecom providers such as British Telecom, Orange, and Ericsson. These grants, accounting for less than 15% of cumulative revenue, have enabled Menhir Photonics to reach larger markets and develop more applications for their lasers.

Looking ahead, Menhir Photonics aims to achieve fully automated production of their compact lasers in Switzerland. This goal is crucial for delivering the quality and consistency required by the telecom and aerospace markets. Manufacturing in Switzerland allows the company to secure its supply chain, accelerate development cycles, and safeguard intellectual property.

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