Sofant Technologies, a Edinburgh-based leader in RF MEMS, has closed a £4.2 million fundraising round, and secured a development contract with a Global Fortune 500 corporation.

The fundraising was supported by existing investors EMV Capital, Kelvin Capital, Scottish Enterprise, and the British Business Bank’s Future Fund.

Sofant is building a proprietary, highly-efficient radio platform that directly addresses the most difficult challenges facing future wireless communication systems.

While Sofant is targeting satellite communications and terrestrial fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications, where power consumption is reduced by more than 70%, it has now demonstrated the relevance of its technology to national security applications.

It secured a contract with a Global Fortune 500 corporation to support the development of a next-generation tactical communications system.

David Wither, chief executive at Sofant, said, “We are very pleased to have investors who understand the disruptive nature of Sofant’s technology. When Sofant closed the previous funding round we told our investors we would demonstrate our core technology, which occurred in June of 2022. Sofant will use the proceeds from this investment round to build a satellite communications terminal in 2023 which targets mobile applications, with commercial sales expected to begin later in the year.”

 Wither added, “I am also excited to announce that the company has secured its first commercial deal with a leading defence contractor. The war in Ukraine has highlighted the critical importance of communications to national security. Sofant will play a significant role in the future of a wide range of wireless communication systems and its value is already being recognised by industry leaders.

“Finally, I would like to thank the entire Sofant team, which is working tirelessly to ensure the widespread adoption of our innovative technology platform.”