Phononic Vibes develops and markets solutions to protect against noise and vibration allowing cost reductions and performance increases compared to traditional solutions commonly used in the market for acoustic and vibration treatment. The company perfected a negative-index metamaterial array configuration with very promising possibilities.
A metamaterial (from the Greek word μετά meta, meaning "beyond" and the Latin word materia, meaning "matter" or "material") is any material engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally occurring materials. Normally, these are made from assemblies of multiple elements fashioned from composite materials such as metals and plastics, arranged in repeating patterns or cells, at scales that are smaller than the wavelengths of the phenomena they influence. Acoustic and vibrations control are defined by the shape and topology of the unit cell and therefore are independent from the raw material itself.
Phononic Vibes was founded in 2018 as a Politecnico di Milano spin-off by a group of researchers willing to create a new business starting from the technical knowledge developed at PoliMi and Boston’s MIT in the field of metamaterials. The Eureka! fund, dedicated to investments in innovative ideas steaming out from Italian Universities and Research Centers in the advanced materials field - joined existing investors as lead-investor in this round, recognizing the value of Phononic Vibes' research, and the company's innovative technology and patents.
"We are proud to welcome among our shareholders Eureka!, a venture capital fund with a deep know-how in tech transfer. In this challenging times, this investment allows us to continue our growth and work together with our national and international clients, which already proved to believe in our company and in our advanced technological solutions. I would also thank our team and advisors who played an important role in achieving this milestone," says Luca D’Alessandro, CEO and co-founder of Phononic Vibes. "The Italian Deeptech ecosystem is growing and we are proud to be an active player of it as a spin-off of Politecnico di Milano," he adds.
Phononic Vibes is currently consolidating its presence in sectors in which noise and vibration is extremely relevant and where metamaterials show high innovation potential. In infrastructures, Phononic Vibes has developed and successfully tested with Deutsche Bahn an underground panel with high performances in terms of vibration reduction. For automotive and appliances, the young company has built commercial partnerships with other companies for metamaterials applications, while in the building sector, it is currently developing an innovative panel to reduce noise disturbance in building sites, in partnership with major building contractors.
The new financial resources will be used to invest in these developments, raising awareness for the company's research and to expand the small team with new competencies related to product manufacturing and commercialization.
"In Italy we have an extraordinary investment potential in Deep tech and technology transfer, whose goal is to transfer scientific research into products that can benefit the entire community. Consistent with this vision, Phononic Vibes team was able in a very short amount of time to go from the academic laboratory idea to the realization of proof-of-concept projects with industrial partners and it is now ready to move ahead and face the market challenge," says Stefano Peroncini, CEO of EUREKA! Venture SGR – manager of the Eureka! fund.
"I am proud to see that the first investment of the Poli360 fund has already been able to attract the interest of new investors. Phononic Vibes is the example of how innovative companies can be created only with the proper match between professional and patient investors and talented young entrepreneurs," adds Cesare Maifredi, General Partner of 360 Capital - manager of the Poli360 fund.
www.phononicvibes.com
