Photon IP becomes Photon Bridge and appoints Paul Marchal as CEO

PhotonDelta ecosystem partner Photon IP has unveiled a new brand identity, Photon Bridge, and appointed Paul Marchal as its new Chief Executive Officer, as the company enters its next phase of growth and innovation in the Integrated Photonics industry.

Photon Bridge is advancing the field of Photonic Integration with its proprietary cantilever waveguide coupling technology, combining the speed of III-V materials with the scalability of silicon. This approach is key to developing the optical engines that will power the next generation of AI and telecom systems. The rebrand reflects the company’s mission to build bridges between materials, technologies, and generations of photonic innovation.

This milestone follows €4.75 million in seed funding backed by Innovation Industries, Faber, BOM, and PhotonDelta, enabling Photon Bridge to accelerate development and scale its technology for a rapidly evolving optical market.

“Photon Bridge is about unifying the best of both worlds: the speed of III-V and the scale of silicon,” said Paul Marchal, CEO of Photon Bridge. “We are entering an era where AI and high-performance telecom demand a new level of optical integration, and our platform is uniquely positioned to deliver.”

Before joining Photon Bridge, Marchal co-founded and led Morrow, raising more than €35 million and bringing smart glasses based on tunable lens technology to market. Earlier, during his time at imec, he co-developed through-silicon via (TSV) technology and co-introduced via-middle integration, now standard in advanced memory and GPU systems, while also contributing to the early development of imec’s silicon photonics platform.

Co-founder Rui Santos continues as CTO, focusing on scaling Photon Bridge’s technology. “With Paul leading the company and a strong team in place, we can accelerate innovation and bring our vision for integrated photonics to market,” he said.