Amadeus Capital Partners, through the Amadeus Mobile Seed Fund, has led an $850,000 seed investment in Nujira Ltd., a Cambridge-based company developing advanced power amplifier technology for the cellular industry. The investment was mentored and structured by the Cambridge Angels, led by Niel Viljoen. Other investors in this round include the Cambridge Gateway Fund, Cambridge Capital Group and the Cambridge Angels.
Power amplifiers are used in all cellular base stations, irrespective of standard or geography, and represent a global annual capital expenditure of over $2 billion. Nujira has developed a unique technology that significantly reduces the amount of power used and heat dissipated, thereby reducing the requirements for back-up batteries, air conditioning units, power supply and physical space.
Industry analyst Dr David Nugent of Elucidare, commenting on Nujira, says: ‘The inefficiency of traditional base station amplifiers is one of the most pressing problems afflicting the wireless industry today. This situation is likely to worsen as cellular operators promote power-hungry data services across increasingly concentrated networks. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that failure to improve amplifier efficiency would severely constrain the economic case for many third-generation services. Industry adoption of high efficiency amplifier technology will accelerate as network operators and systems integrators seek ways of reducing operating costs and creating product differentiation’.
Reductions in heat dissipation and power have a large impact on the cost of deployment of cellular infrastructure and Nujira’s technology goes a long way to solving an ongoing and ever increasing issue that cellular operators have been trying to address for the past few years: how to stabilise capital spending while maintaining existing networks and rolling out more capacity for data services.
Laurence John, CEO of the Amadeus Mobile Seed Fund, who will join Nujira’s Board, says: ‘Nujira’s team has an impressive track record in their field. They have devised a sound strategy for building a business on proprietary technologies that meet real needs in a global industry predicted to exceed $3 billion by 2007. The company is already in discussions to supply and partner key players for their first product, which will significantly improve power amplifier efficiencies in existing cellular base stations’.
Tim Haynes, Managing Director of Nujira adds: ‘The funding will be used to develop Nujira’s proof of concept into a form and fit prototype for initial customer trials. Nujira is already engaged with a number of companies who have expressed serious interest in Nujira’s patent protected technology. This funding will also help Nujira secure these first customers’.