About Freedom Photonics
Freedom Photonics is a Technology company based in Santa Barbara (United States) founded in 2005 by Milan Mashanovitch and Leif Johansson, and was acquired by Luminar Technologies in March 2022. Photonic components, modules, and subsystems are manufactured for specialized applications. The company has 48 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Milan Mashanovitch. Freedom Photonics offers products and services including aura 2.5W Laser, aura 2.5W Amplifier, 870–1000 nm Laser, and 1300 nm Tunable Laser. Its focus areas include Semiconductors, Photonics and Photonics Suite. Its legal entity is FREEDOM PHOTONICS, LLC. Its competitors include SiFotonics Technologies and Thorlabs; 1 of its 2 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
Freedom Photonics was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States. Operations focus on the photonics sector, where components, modules, and subsystems are produced for integration into broader systems. Development and manufacturing processes are centered on optical technologies, supporting applications in telecommunications and defense. Leadership is provided by co-founders Milan Mashanovitch as CEO and Leif Johansson as CTO.
- Headquarters Santa Barbara, United States
- Employees 48
- Founders Milan Mashanovitch, Leif Johansson
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnology
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website freedomphotonics.com
- Social LinkedIn
- Acquired by Luminar Technologies (Mar 2022)
- Legal Name Freedom Photonics, Llc
- Latest Funding Round$249.99K (USD), Grant
Feb 2021
- InvestorsLuminar Technologies
& 2 more
- Employee Count48
- Acquired byLuminar Technologies
(Mar 2022)
Products & Services of Freedom Photonics
Freedom Photonics offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including aura 2.5W Laser, aura 2.5W Amplifier, 870–1000 nm Laser, and 1300 nm Tunable Laser.
Diffraction-limited 1550 nm laser for optical sensing applications
Diffraction-limited 1550 nm amplifier for photonic communications
Single spatial mode laser for high-performance optical uses
O-Band tunable laser for fiber optic applications
Funding Insights of Freedom Photonics
- Total Rounds 9
- Last Round Grant — $249,987
- First Round $149,996
(Feb 2013)
- Investors Count 2
All 9 funding rounds of Freedom Photonics with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2021 | $249,987 | Grant | – | – | |
| Jun 2020 | $767,900 | Grant | – | – | |
| Feb 2019 | $1.73M | Grant | – | – | |
| Apr 2018 | $2.82M | Grant | – | – | |
| Feb 2017 | $2.83M | Grant | – | – | |
| Feb 2016 | $149,941 | Grant | – | – | |
| Jun 2015 | $99,999 | Grant | – | – | |
| Jun 2015 | $1.15M | Grant | – | – | |
| Feb 2013 | $149,996 | Grant | – | – |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in Freedom Photonics
Freedom Photonics has secured backing from 3 investors, including institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Luminar Technologies, OSTI.GOV and United States Department of Agriculture.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Scientific and technical information is managed and disseminated by OSTI.GOV. | osti.gov | Oak Ridge, United States | ||
LiDAR-based sensors for autonomous vehicles are developed. | 2012 | luminartech.com | Orlando, United States | |
| usda.gov |
Investor details for Freedom Photonics
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People of Freedom Photonics
14 people are tracked at Freedom Photonics (5 in leadership, 9 in team); the tracked headcount is 48.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Milan Mashanovitch | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Leif Johansson | Co-Founder & CTO | Leadership |
Gordon B. Morrison | VP of Engineering | Leadership |
Kenneth A. Hay | VP of Manufacturing | Leadership |
Alexia Longacre | Executive Assistant To General Manager | Leadership |
Jes Sherman | Photonic Design Engineer & Technical Lead, Tunable Lasers | Team |
Juan Ramirez | Senior Mechanical Engineer | Team |
Cherise Beard | Contracts And Grants Manager | Team |
Matt Murphy | Photonic IC Layout Engineer | Team |
Pat Walp | Principal Electronics Engineer | Team |
Mabel de la Torre | Engineering Administrative Coordinator | Team |
Allen Chu | Photonic Design Engineer | Team |
Brian Ehrsam | Mechanical Engineer | Team |
Brandon Isaac | Photonic Device Engineer | Team |
Complete people profiles for Freedom Photonics
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Timeline of Freedom Photonics
4 dated milestones of Freedom Photonics across 17 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Freedom Photonics is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $150K.
- Funding Latest funding round, Grant, of $250K.
- Exit Acquired by Luminar Technologies.
Competitors of Freedom Photonics
Freedom Photonics has 2 listed competitors in our database, 1 of them funded. They include SiFotonics Technologies and Thorlabs.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sifotonics.com | 2004 | Woburn, United States | $30M | Provider of silicon photonics components and ICs | ||
| thorlabs.com | 1989 | Newton, United States | 1,094 | Photonics equipment for multiple applications is manufactured. |
Detailed competitors of Freedom Photonics
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Web traffic of Freedom Photonics
The website of Freedom Photonics (freedomphotonics.com) receives about 2K visits a month.
- Monthly visits2K
▲ 52.2% vs previous month
Top companies in Optical & Photonics Technologies
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Freedom Photonics (Optical & Photonics Technologies) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloud-based network management software is provided for infrastructure planning. | 1992 | Hanover, New Hampshire, United States | USD 4.77 B | 8,660 | ||
Fiber lasers are developed and supplied for industrial applications. | 2000 | Vancouver, Washington, United States | USD 203.65 M | USD 261.33 M | 800 | |
Photon-based universal quantum computers are developed for error correction. | 2015 | Palo Alto, California, United States | USD 2.77 B | USD 1.04 M | 672 |
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Related news about Freedom Photonics
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Frequently Asked Questions about Freedom Photonics
Freedom Photonics was founded in 2005 and raised its 1st funding round 8 years after it was founded.
Freedom Photonics is headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States. It is registered at Santa Barbara, California, United States.
Milan Mashanovitch is the CEO of Freedom Photonics, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Freedom Photonics has 48 employees.
Freedom Photonics was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Santa Barbara, United States. Operations focus on the photonics sector, where components, modules, and subsystems are produced for integration into broader systems. Development and manufacturing processes are centered on optical technologies, supporting applications in telecommunications and defense. Leadership is provided by co-founders Milan Mashanovitch as CEO and Leif Johansson as CTO.
Freedom Photonics's top competitors include Thorlabs and SiFotonics Technologies.
Freedom Photonics offers aura 2.5W Laser, aura 2.5W Amplifier, 870–1000 nm Laser, and 1300 nm Tunable Laser.
Freedom Photonics has 3 investors. Key investors include Luminar Technologies, OSTI.GOV, and United States Department of Agriculture.
Freedom Photonics operates through Freedom Photonics, Llc.
Yes. Freedom Photonics was acquired by Luminar Technologies in March 2022.