Lightium wins the 32nd Prix Strategis

(CONNECT) Lightium, a start-up specializing in photonic integrated circuits, has won the Prix Strategis, which was awarded for the 32nd time this year. Lightium, based in the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich, develops photonic chips for telecommunications and artificial intelligence that combine processing speed and energy efficiency. The start-up came out on top among almost 100 candidates from all over Switzerland. The prize is endowed with 40,000 Swiss francs.

"This award means much more to us than just the prize money," says Lightium in a message on LinkedIn. "As a young startup, visibility is important, especially here in Switzerland where we are growing fast and hiring even faster. Participating in the Prix Strategis was a chance to introduce Lightium to the next generation of brilliant minds."

Founded in 2023, the company is developing a proprietary thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) platform. By offering production-quality PIC foundry services, the start-up enables photonics device manufacturers to streamline production, reduce costs and scale seamlessly. TFLN, a material similar to glass, significantly improves data transfer rates and reduces power consumption at the same time.

The Strategis Prize is organized each year by the HEC Espace Entreprise student association at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Lausanne. Since its foundation in 1993, the Strategis Prize has established itself as a benchmark in the Swiss corporate landscape and honors the country's most promising start-ups every year, according to HEC. ce/gba