Who founded Enlightra?

Enlightra was founded by John Jost, Maxim Karpov in 2021.

Who are Enlightra's investors?

Enlightra's investors include Aloniq, Blank Space Ventures, Eight Capital, Pioneer, Soma Capital, TRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital), Y Combinator, Asymmetry Ventures and 5 more.

How much funding has Enlightra raised?

Enlightra has disclosed $15M raised across 1 round.

Where is Enlightra headquartered?

Enlightra is headquartered in Lausanne, CH.

Enlightra

YC W22

Lausanne, CH · Founded 2021 · 22 employees · 14 known investors

Find your way into Enlightra

Paths you didn't know you had: your email and LinkedIn already hold routes to the Enlightra team. We find them for you
2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: the friend-of-a-friend routes that take hours to manually find through your inbox or LinkedIn
Answers now, not in days: momentum is everything in a raise. Skip asking around whether someone knows someone

Days of research, done the moment you sign in, with every route ranked by how warm it is.

Enlightra develops photonic optical interconnects using comb laser technology to enable high-bandwidth, low-power data transfer for data centers and AI infrastructure. The company's multi-wavelength laser engine scales to terabit-class links while improving energy efficiency compared to traditional copper solutions.

Advanced Manufacturing Data & Infrastructure Deep Tech Hardware Hard TechSwitzerlandEurope

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (W22)

Enlightra was founded in 2021 by John Jost and Maxim Karpov.

John Jost Co-Founder & Co-CEOJohn Jost holds a physics background with extensive experience in quantum, atomic, and optical physics, including collaborative work with Nobel Prize-winning researchers. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and currently leads Enlightra.

Maxim Karpov Co-CEO / Co-FounderMaxim Karpov holds a PhD in Physics and has over eight years of experience in photonics and laser technologies, with published research in peer-reviewed journals. He has managed international research projects and led fundraising efforts.

Investors · 14

Aloniqlisted by Aloniq

How we know: Aloniq's portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Blank Space Ventureslisted by Blank Space VenturesSan Francisco

How we know: Blank Space Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us

Eight Capitallisted by Eight CapitalNorwalk

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · eightcapital.com · Not right? Tell us

Pioneerlisted by PioneerToronto, Ontario

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · pioneerfund.vc · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Soma Capitallisted by Soma CapitalSacramento · $100K – $300K

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · somacap.com · Not right? Tell us

TRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital)listed by TRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital)San Francisco · $250K – $2Mvia Fred Campbell · inferred

How we know: TRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital)'s portfolio page · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Y Combinatorlisted by Y CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K

How we know: the Y Combinator directory · ggba.swiss · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us

Asymmetry VenturesreportedRichmond · $125K – $500K

How we know: ggba.swiss · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

FounderfulreportedZurich · $108K – $1.6M

How we know: Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Halo Labsreported

How we know: ggba.swiss · Not right? Tell us

Pegasus Tech VenturesreportedSan Jose

How we know: ggba.swiss · Not right? Tell us

Protocol LabsreportedSan Francisco

How we know: ggba.swiss · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Runa CapitalreportedLuxembourg · $500K – $5M

How we know: ggba.swiss · Y Combinator's founder network · Not right? Tell us

Also in the syndicate · 1

TRAC VC

Funding

SEC filings, press & company announcements

$15M disclosed across 1 round · 2025

$15MraisedDec 2025 · 4 sources
Asymmetry Ventures, Halo Labs, Pegasus Tech Ventures, Protocol Labs, Runa Capital, TRAC VC, Y Combinator
Source ↗

Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.

Related companies · 4

NetworkOceanNetworkOcean builds underwater and floating data center systems cooled by seawater, reducing power consumption by up to 40% and eliminating freshwater usage compared to traditional facilities.

Kalam LabsKalam Labs designs and manufactures high-altitude hydrogen-based unmanned aerial vehicles and stratospheric platforms for military and defense applications, including surveillance systems, autonomous weather platforms, and stealth strike swarms capable of operating at 100,000+ feet. The company serves the Indian armed forces with edge-of-space aerial warfare technology developed and manufactured in India.

LightberryLightberry develops AI software that enables robots to understand and respond to voice commands, allowing non-technical users to control and program robots through conversation rather than traditional coding.

CircuitHubCircuitHub operates an automated electronics manufacturing facility with integrated software to help hardware companies prototype circuit boards and bring products to market faster. The platform serves companies building autonomous vehicles, satellites, robotics, and 3D printers.

Companies working in the same space as Enlightra.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure

Enlightra Inc.

In the news

Enlightra Raises $15M in Fundingfinsmes.com · Dec 2025

Frequently asked questions

What does Enlightra do?: Enlightra develops photonic optical interconnects using comb laser technology to enable high-bandwidth, low-power data transfer for data centers and AI infrastructure. The company's multi-wavelength laser engine scales to terabit-class links while improving energy efficiency compared to traditional copper solutions.
Who founded Enlightra?: Enlightra was founded by John Jost, Maxim Karpov in 2021.
Who are Enlightra's investors?: Enlightra's investors include Aloniq, Blank Space Ventures, Eight Capital, Pioneer, Soma Capital, TRAC (Third Round Analytics Capital), Y Combinator, Asymmetry Ventures and 5 more.
How much funding has Enlightra raised?: Enlightra has disclosed $15M raised across 1 round.
Where is Enlightra headquartered?: Enlightra is headquartered in Lausanne, CH.