Trameto Secures Second Round Funding from Development Bank of Wales and U-Blox AG

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Development Bank of Wales , 13th May 2022

Trameto, the innovator of smarter energy harvesting power management ICs (EH PMIC), announced it has successfully closed the second round of seed funding with investment partners the Development Bank of Wales and u-blox AG (SIX:UBXN), a leading global provider of positioning and wireless communication technologies and services.

The Development Bank of Wales is an existing equity investor and board observer, and u-blox AG will also join the board as an observer.

Commenting on the investment, Huw Davies, CEO and co-founder, says,

This funding round enables us to embark on the next part of our journey to engage more widely with the market to complete and promote our OptiJoule® energy harvesting PMIC solutions. Meeting the demand to remove or reduce the reliance on batteries used in wireless IoT devices is one of the initial application markets we are addressing. OptiJoule's harvester-agnostic and autonomous approach offers considerable design flexibility and BOM cost savings for IoT device manufacturers.

Trameto previously received investment from the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, believed to be the first Welsh company to benefit from the SME Instrument Phase 2 grant initiative. Trameto is also the first European company to be accepted into the Californian-based Silicon Catalyst, the world's only incubator programme focused exclusively on accelerating semiconductor startups. Trameto's energy harvesting technology recently gained further industry recognition by winning the Elektra 2021 Power Product of the Year award.

Dr. Richard Thompson, Senior Investment Executive, Development Bank of Wales states,

We're delighted to participate in Trameto's second round of seed funding. Incorporating batteries in an industrial sensor effectively locks in the need to regularly replace them, disrupting production and contributing to high through-life operating and maintenance costs. Trameto's OptiJoule EH PMICs offer the simplest, most effective, and economical way to create self-sustaining wireless IoT solutions. Huw and the team have made exceptional progress and we look forward to working with Trameto, Silicon Catalyst and now u-blox as our new corporate co-investor

Tony Milbourn, Corporate Strategy, u-blox AG comments,

Trameto has a clear vision to help manufacturers adopt an alternative approach to powering IoT devices. Unlike existing energy harvesting techniques that require significant design effort for different harvester types, OptiJoule autonomously adapts to any, many, and multiple harvester technologies.

Further information on Trameto’s OptiJoule energy harvesting PMIC technology is available here.

Cyhoeddodd Trameto, arloeswr ICs rheoli pŵer cynaeafu ynni craffach (EH PMIC), ddoe ei fod wedi llwyddo i gau ail rownd yr arian sbarduno gyda phartneriaid buddsoddi Banc Datblygu Cymru ac ublox AG ( SIX: UBXN), darparwr byd-eang blaenllaw technolegau a gwasanaethau lleoli a chyfathrebu diwifr. Mae Banc Datblygu Cymru yn fuddsoddwr ecwiti presennol ac yn sylwedydd bwrdd, a bydd u-blox AG hefyd yn ymuno â'r bwrdd fel sylwedydd.

Wrth sôn am y buddsoddiad, dywedodd Huw Davies, Prif Weithredwr a chyd-sylfaenydd,

Mae’r rownd ariannu hon yn ein galluogi i gychwyn ar ran nesaf ein taith i ymgysylltu’n ehangach â’r farchnad i gwblhau a hyrwyddo ein datrysiadau PMIC cynaeafu ynni OptiJoule ®. Mae cwrdd â'r galw i ddileu neu leihau'r ddibyniaeth ar fatris a ddefnyddir mewn dyfeisiau Rhyngrwyd o Bethau (RhoB) diwifr yn un o'r marchnadoedd cymwysiadau cychwynnol yr ydym yn mynd i'r afael â nhw. Mae dull cynaeafwr-agnostig ac ymreolaethol OptiJoule yn cynnig hyblygrwydd dylunio sylweddol ac arbedion cost BOM i weithgynhyrchwyr dyfeisiau RhoB.

Cafodd Trameto fuddsoddiad gan raglen ymchwil ac arloesi Horizon 2020 yr UE, a chredir mai hwn yw’r cwmni cyntaf o Gymru i elwa ar fenter grant Cam 2 Offeryn Busnesau Bach a Chanolig. Trameto hefyd yw'r cwmni Ewropeaidd cyntaf i gael ei dderbyn i Silicon Catalyst o Galiffornia, yr unig raglen ddeor yn y byd sy'n canolbwyntio'n gyfan gwbl ar gyflymu busnesau sy’n dechrau o#r newydd ym maes lled-ddargludyddion. Yn ddiweddar, enillodd technoleg cynaeafu ynni Trameto gydnabyddiaeth bellach gan y diwydiant trwy ennill gwobr Cynnyrch Pŵer y Flwyddyn Elektra 2021.

Dywed Dr. Richard Thompson, Uwch Swyddog Buddsoddi, Banc Datblygu Cymru,

Rydym yn falch iawn o gymryd rhan yn ail rownd cyllid sbarduno Trameto. Mae ymgorffori batris mewn synhwyrydd diwydiannol yn cloi i bob pwrpas yr angen i gael rhai newydd yn eu lle yn rheolaidd, gan amharu ar gynhyrchu a chyfrannu at gostau gweithredu a chynnal a chadw uchel drwy gydol eu hoes. Mae OptiJoule EH PMIC Trameto yn cynnig y ffordd symlaf, fwyaf effeithiol a darbodus o greu datrysiadau RhoB di-wifr hunangynhaliol. Mae Huw a'r tîm wedi gwneud cynnydd eithriadol ac edrychwn ymlaen at weithio gyda Trameto, Silicon Catalyst a nawr ublox fel ein cyd-fuddsoddwr corfforaethol newydd.

Tony Milborn , Strategaeth Gorfforaethol, ublox AG,

Mae gan Trameto weledigaeth glir i helpu gweithgynhyrchwyr i fabwysiadu dull amgen o bweru dyfeisiau RhoB. Yn wahanol i dechnegau cynaeafu ynni presennol sy'n gofyn am ymdrech ddylunio sylweddol ar gyfer gwahanol fathau o gynaeafwyr, mae OptiJoule yn addasu'n annibynnol i unrhyw rai , llawer, a thechnolegau cynaeafu lluosog.

Mae mwy o wybodaeth am dechnoleg cynaeafu PMIC OptiJoule Trameto ar gael yma.