About SLD Laser
SLD Laser is a Technology company based in Goleta (United States) founded in 2013 by Shuji Nakamura, Steven DenBaars, James Raring, and Paul Rudy, and was acquired by Kyocera in November 2020. Manufacturer of semi-polar GaN LaserLight. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Steven DenBaars. SLD Laser offers products and services including SMD GaN Lasers, LiFi, Automotive Headlight Modules, and FiberLight Grille Assembly. Its focus areas include Semiconductors, Photonics, Quantum Optics and Lasers. Its legal entity is KYOCERA SLD Laser, Inc. Its competitors include Praevium Research and UVISIR.
Company details
SLD Laser, a spin-off from Soraa Inc, manufactures semi-polar GaN laser light for display, automotive, and specialty applications. The company offers its products in multiple product ranges; LaserLight SMD (enables ultra-long beam distances, narrow beam angles and small optic sizes with luminacence 1000 Mcdm2), LaserLight Blue (provides free space and fiber delivery options that are ideal for integration into multi-chip packages and modules for display systems) LaserLight Fiber (claimed to be the worlds first white light, high luminance, remotely-delivered laser light module with luminacence1000 Mcdm2). The laser light source is used directly in a single color and R-G-B applications, or integrated into laser pumped phosphor architectures.
- Headquarters Goleta, United States
- Founders Shuji Nakamura, Steven DenBaars, James Raring, Paul Rudy
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTechnology
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website sldlaser.com
- Social LinkedIn X YouTube
- Acquired by Kyocera (Nov 2020)
- Legal Name Kyocera Sld Laser, Inc.
Products & Services of SLD Laser
SLD Laser offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including SMD GaN Lasers, LiFi, Automotive Headlight Modules, and FiberLight Grille Assembly.
GaN laser diodes for lighting and industrial applications.
High-speed wireless optical communication systems.
Laser-based modules for vehicle headlight designs.
Laser assembly for automotive grille illumination.
Apps and channels of SLD Laser
its YouTube channel KYOCERA SLD Laser has 423 subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from SLD Laser
The most watched videos on SLD Laser's YouTube channel, KYOCERA SLD Laser (423 subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on KYOCERA SLD Laser.
Funding Insights of SLD Laser
- Total Rounds 1
- Investors Count 1
All 1 funding rounds of SLD Laser 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2020 | Seed | – | TDK Ventures | – |
2 investors in total: 2 institutional.
Investors in SLD Laser
SLD Laser has secured backing from 2 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Kyocera and TDK Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage tech startups are invested in globally by TDK Ventures. | tdk-ventures.com | San Jose, United States | ||
Kyocera is engaged in providing technology solutions globally. | 1959 | global.kyocera.com | Horse Shoe, United States |
Investor details for SLD Laser
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- Investor portfolios
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People of SLD Laser
38 people are tracked at SLD Laser (16 in leadership, 22 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Shuji Nakamura | Co-Founder & CTO | Leadership |
Steven DenBaars | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
James Raring | Co-Founder & President | Leadership |
Paul Rudy | Co-Founder & CMO | Leadership |
Josip Kovačević | VIce President Global Auto and European BD | Leadership |
Atsuhiko Muramatsu | Senior Director of Strategic Marketing and Planning | Leadership |
Takaki Otsubo | Chief Strategy Officer & SVP | Leadership |
Cole Cunnien | Sr. Vice President of Engineering | Leadership |
Amy Hilvers | Sr. Human Resources Director | Leadership |
Naomi Obinata | Head of Legal | Leadership |
Rafael Alva | VP, Finance | Leadership |
Carl Mills | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Michael Yee | Director, Head Of Finance | Leadership |
Masafumi Yamauchi | VP Of Corporate Planning & Global Quality | Leadership |
Christiane Poblenz | Sr. Director, Epitaxy Operations | Leadership |
Jo Merx | VP Project Management | Leadership |
Sang Ho Oh | Senior MTS Process Engineering | Team |
Fan Zhang | Test and Rel Engineer | Team |
Colin Greenidge | Sr Business Development Applications Project Manager | Team |
Feng Lo | Senior Process Engineer | Team |
18 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for SLD Laser
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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Timeline of SLD Laser
3 dated milestones of SLD Laser across 7 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded SLD Laser is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Exit Acquired by Kyocera.
Competitors of SLD Laser
SLD Laser has 2 listed competitors in our database. They include Praevium Research and UVISIR.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| praevium.com | 2001 | Goleta, United States | 13 | Photonic integrated circuits and optoelectronic devices are developed. | ||
| uvisir.com | 2015 | Beachwood, United States | Diode-pumped solid-state lasers are manufactured for industrial use. |
Detailed competitors of SLD Laser
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- Full competitor set
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Top companies in Optical & Photonics Technologies
3 companies that operate in the same segment as SLD Laser (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 2.32 B | USD 1.04 M | 672 |
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Related news about Sld Laser
Complete news archive for SLD Laser
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Frequently Asked Questions about SLD Laser
SLD Laser was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round 7 years after it was founded.
SLD Laser is headquartered in Goleta, United States. It is registered at Goleta, California, United States.
Steven DenBaars is the CEO of SLD Laser, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
SLD Laser, a spin-off from Soraa Inc, manufactures semi-polar GaN laser light for display, automotive, and specialty applications. The company offers its products in multiple product ranges; LaserLight SMD (enables ultra-long beam distances, narrow beam angles and small optic sizes with luminacence 1000 Mcdm2), LaserLight Blue (provides free space and fiber delivery options that are ideal for integration into multi-chip packages and modules for display systems) LaserLight Fiber (claimed to be the worlds first white light, high luminance, remotely-delivered laser light module with luminacence1000 Mcdm2). The laser light source is used directly in a single color and R-G-B applications, or integrated into laser pumped phosphor architectures.
SLD Laser's top competitors include Praevium Research and UVISIR.
SLD Laser offers SMD GaN Lasers, LiFi, Automotive Headlight Modules, and FiberLight Grille Assembly.
SLD Laser has 2 investors. Key investors include Kyocera, and TDK Ventures.
SLD Laser operates through Kyocera Sld Laser, Inc..
Yes. SLD Laser was acquired by Kyocera in November 2020.

