CGD has been created to explore and develop a number of unique opportunities in power electronics made possible by the team’s proprietary application of Gallium Nitride to the silicon-based semiconductor transistor manufacturing process. With silicon transistors widely acknowledged as having attained maximum efficiency, CGD’s power design engineers have developed a range of Gallium Nitride transistors that are over 100 times faster, lose 5 – 10 times less power and are 4 times smaller than existing silicon equivalents. The possibilities and range of potential applications for these transistors is almost endless in this increasingly digitally connected world.
ABOUT US
After almost a decade of leading-edge research and development at Cambridge University, CEO Giorgia Longobardi and her team have launched Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD).
GIORGIA LONGOBARDI - FOUNDER & CEO
She has a PhD in power devices from Cambridge University. Since 2009 she has been working on GaN power devices design and characterisation gaining extensive and in-dept knowledge of GaN reliability.
Giorgia Longobardi Founder and CEO of Cambridge GaN Device.
Giorgia has a PhD in power devices from Cambridge University. Since 2009 she has been working on GaN power devices design and characterisation gaining extensive and in-dept knowledge of GaN reliability.
Giorgia has more than 5 years of experience in managing and budgeting multi-partner projects and prior to that she has led the GaN power devices team at the engineering department at Cambridge University. In 2019 she received the RAEng Engineers Trust Young Engineer of the Year by Royal Academy of Engineering.
PETE HUTTON - CHAIRMAN
Pete Hutton is an Angel investor, Advisor, and Chairman for several startups and scale-ups in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, and Oxford.
Pete Hutton
Pete Hutton is an Angel investor, Advisor, and Chairman for several startups and scale-ups in Cambridge, Edinburgh, London, and Oxford.
His previous full-time role was as president of product groups at Arm, where he was responsible for all product development, marketing and licensing. This covered 3,500 staff, in > 25 global locations, and working closely with a range of global Partners. In his three years in the role, revenue increased by around 50% (> $500m).
Prior to that, Pete held senior positions within other Arm divisions, ran corporate engineering for Wolfson, was general manager for processors at ARC and a group director for Cadence.
JOHN PEARSON
John has worked in equity investment for over 20 years with experience both on the advisory side as Head of Global Capital Goods equity research at Merrill Lynch and, on the fund management side, as a Partner at Adelphi Capital LLP.
John Pearson
John has worked in equity investment for over 20 years with experience both on the advisory side as Head of Global Capital Goods equity research at Merrill Lynch and, on the fund management side, as a Partner at Adelphi Capital LLP.
John has a Double First in Engineering from St John’s College, Cambridge and an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD.
DR MARTIN ARNOLD – HEAD OF ENGINEERING
Martin has more than 12 years of experience in power semiconductor devices R&D. This includes silicon devices as well as SiC (Silicon Carbide) and GaN. During 8 years at ABB Semiconductors in Switzerland, he successfully led large international device development projects with industrial and academic partners.
Dr Martin Arnold, Head of Engineering,
Martin has more than 12 years of experience in power semiconductor devices R&D. This includes silicon devices as well as SiC (Silicon Carbide) and GaN. During 8 years at ABB Semiconductors in Switzerland, he successfully led large international device development projects with industrial and academic partners.
In close collaboration with customers, he took new device designs and technologies of Si power devices all the way to market introduction and mass production. At Cambridge GaN Devices, Martin leads the GaN device technology and product development together with the team of engineers. Martin holds a MSc and PhD in semiconductor device physics from ETH Zürich, Switzerland. He holds a dozen patents on semiconductor devices.
FLORIN UDREA – FOUNDER & CTO
Florin is a professor in semiconductor engineering at the University of Cambridge and head of the High Voltage Microelectronics and sensors group. He received his PhD degree in power devices from the University of Cambridge in 1995.
Florin Udrea Founder & CTO
Florin is a professor in semiconductor engineering at the University of Cambridge and head of the High Voltage Microelectronics and sensors group. He received his PhD degree in power devices from the University of Cambridge in 1995. Prof. Udrea has published over 500 papers in journals and international conferences.
He holds 150 international patents in power semiconductor devices and sensors. Prof. Florin Udrea founded five companies, Cambridge Semiconductor (Camsemi) in power ICs – sold to Power Integrations, Cambridge CMOS Sensors (CCS) in the field of smart sensors – sold to ams, Cambridge Microelectronics in Power Devices, Cambridge GaN Device in high voltage GaN technology and Flusso in Flow and temperature sensors.
Florin has been the CEO of Cambridge CMOS Sensors between 2008 and 2013 and the CTO between 2013 and 2016. For his ‘outstanding personal contribution to British Engineering’ he has been awarded the Silver Medal from the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2012. In 2015 Prof. Florin Udrea was elected a Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 Prof Florin Udrea was awarded the Pro Vice-Chancellor award from Cambridge University, the Nanosmat medal and the very prestigious Mullard award from Royal Society.
TANIA VILLARES BALSA
Tania is an Investment Director of the Seed Funds team in Cambridge Enterpise. Previously, she worked in the venture capital sector in Spain investing in technology spin outs from universities and research centres for over six years.
Tania Villares Balsa
Tania is an Investment Director of the Seed Funds team in Cambridge Enterpise. Previously, she worked in the venture capital sector in Spain investing in technology spin outs from universities and research centres for over six years.
She was responsible for analysing new investment opportunities and managing several portfolio companies in sectors such as ICT and nanotechnology. After moving to the UK, Tania worked briefly in the BioQuarter (University of Edinburgh), where she gathered intelligence on key performance indicators of the company’s portfolio.
Tania holds an MBA from Cambridge Judge Business School (University of Cambridge) and degrees in Finance and Economics from the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain.
ZAHID ANSARI – VICE-PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS
Zahid has extensive experience in manufacture of IC’s and over 14 years of experience in the Power Electronics. He was VP of Operations, Director of Operations and Acting VP of Business Development at CamSemi…
Zahid Ansari
Zahid has extensive experience in manufacture of IC’s and over 14 years of experience in the Power Electronics. He was VP of Operations, Director of Operations and Acting VP of Business Development at CamSemi – a Cambridge University spinout which shipped over 1 billion IC’s for mobile phone chargers.
Zahid was responsible for enabling CamSemi’s supply chain to deliver over 500,000 IC’s per day, and worked with CamSemi’s Marketing and Sales teams on resolution of customers’ yield and manufacturing problems. After finishing his studies at MIT in 1984, he worked as an IC design engineer before switching to Operations when he joined his first start-up in 1987. He spent 18 years in Silicon Valley before moving to Cambridge in 2000.
ANDREA BRICCONI - VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Andrea has more than 20 years of experience in power semiconductors industry. He led product engineering, product development and product marketing groups in International Rectifier and Vishay Intertechnology.
Andrea Bricconi
Andrea has more than 20 years of experience in power semiconductors industry. He led product engineering, product development and product marketing groups in International Rectifier and Vishay Intertechnology.
He has co-started and managed the GaN program at Infineon with focus on marketing and business development for consumer, industrial and automotive markets.
At CGD he is focused on customers and on bringing new GaN technologies to the market.
Cambridge GaN Devices,
Deanland House, 160 Cowley Road,
Cambridge, CB4 0DL
t: 01223 425185
