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Transphorm Emerges from Stealth with New Approach to GaN Technology

February 24, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

Transphorm Inc., a company which says that it is redefining energy efficiency with the most efficient and compact power conversion technology, emerged from stealth mode at a private event at Google Ventures. The company announced it completed a $20 million Series C financing led by Google Ventures, with participation from existing venture investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital and Lux Capital. This brings the total capital raised from all rounds to $38 million.

Inefficient electric power conversion results in hundreds of terawatts of lost energy across the electrical grid, equivalent to 318 coal-fired power plants and costing the U.S. economy $40 billion a year. Leveraging breakthroughs in modern materials and a world-class team, Transphorm’s ultra-efficient and cost-competitive power modules eliminate up to 90% of all electric conversion losses. From HVACs to hybrids, from servers to solar panels, Transphorm enables significant energy savings across the grid.

"We founded Transphorm to re-imagine what enhanced efficiency in the generation and use of electrical energy can do for our economy," said Umesh Mishra, CEO of Transphorm. "Why put up with needless energy waste in every electrical system and device, when we can quickly and cost-effectively design products that are inherently energy efficient? Transphorm’s next-generation power modules cut waste, increase efficiency, reduce system size and simplify overall product design."

"Since we deliver a complete solution from the original materials through to the final modules, we are in a position to rapidly innovate and deliver product in quick response to demand," said Primit Parikh, President of Transphorm. "We look forward to helping our partners open a new era in ultra-efficient and compact power conversion."

Transphorm delivers custom-designed power modules that are easy to embed in virtually any electrical system, from consumer electronics products, to industrial motor drives, to inverters for solar panels and electric vehicles, and sells these modules to power equipment manufacturers.