Calient Technologies Valuation, Funding & Investors

Calient Technologies is valued at $736M as of December 2018.

Last Calient Technologies valuation

$736M

Secondary · Dec 2018

Last Calient Technologies funding round

$32M

Undisclosed stage · Aug 2019

Cumulative funding Calient Technologies raised

$142M

across 6 funding rounds

Key investors in Calient Technologies

  • TeleSoft Partners
  • Cayuga Venture Fund
  • Western Technology Investment
  • Storm Ventures
  • Suzhou Chunxing Precision
  • Sun Jiexiao

Calient Technologies Overview

About Calient Technologies

Calient Technologies is a Goleta-headquartered developer of 3D MEMS optical circuit switches for data centers and telecom networks. Its Dragon platform supports terabit-scale switching with sub-millisecond latency, enabling resource pooling in AI training clusters and cloud providers like Microsoft Azure. Deployed in over 100 sites worldwide, the technology reduces power consumption by up to 90 percent compared to electrical switches. Founded in 1999, Calient serves hyperscalers, telcos such as AT&T, and government agencies for dynamic optical reconfiguration.


Founded

1999

HQ

United StatesSanta Barbara, CA

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B & B2G

Revenue model

Product sales

Valuation

$736M (Dec 2018)

Calient Technologies Valuation

Calient Technologies is currently valued at $736M, based on its secondary sale in December 2018.

The $48M round was led by Sun Jiexiao.

Calient Technologies' valuation has grown 3.8x from $196M at its strategic investment round in August 2017 to $736M in December 2018, across 2 priced rounds.

Calient Technologies valuation by funding round

Calient Technologies valuation by funding round
DateStageValuation
Dec 2018Secondary$736M
Aug 2017Strategic investment$196M

Calient Technologies Funding History

Calient Technologies has raised a total of $142M across 6 funding rounds, plus 1 secondary share sale.

Calient Technologies' first fundraising round was a $27M undisclosed-stage round in June 2013. The most recent completed round was a $32M undisclosed-stage round in August 2019.

Calient Technologies funding rounds

Calient Technologies funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Aug 2019Undisclosed stageWestern Technology Investment$32M-Calient Technologies, Inc., founded in 1999 in Goleta, CA, specializes in advanced optical networking solutions, particularly high-performance optical circuit switches like the S320 model for telecommunications and data center applications. The company targets B2B clients with direct sales of its flagship products and services, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, low cost per port, GUI-driven management, and support for industry-standard protocols. The company operates in the hardware sector, focusing on cloud computing verticals, and has been involved in multiple funding stages up to Series A stage as of recent profiles. It has raised funding across 17 rounds totaling approximately $388M, with investors including Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, Telesoft Partners, Storm Ventures, and others. This appears to be the most recent equity round before a $1.5M loan in April 2020 and a prior acquisition event in 2017.
Dec 2018SecondarySun Jiexiao (lead)$48M$736MCalient Technologies is a U.S.-based company specializing in optical networking technologies. On November 16, 2018, Sun Jiexiao agreed to acquire a 25.5% stake in Calient Technologies from Suzhou Chunxing Precision Mechanical Co., Ltd. for approximately CNY 330 million. The deal involved signing a definitive agreement, with formal closing subject to further agreements, and transfer of Suzhou Chunxing's remaining equity purchase rights to Sun Jiexiao or a designee. This implies a full company valuation of approximately CNY 1.294 billion at the transaction price.
Aug 2017Strategic investmentSuzhou Chunxing Precision (lead)$50M$196MCalient Technologies, a California-based manufacturer of optical circuit switches using proprietary 3D MEMS technology, entered into an agreement on August 17, 2017, with Suzhou Chunxing Precision Mechanical Co., Ltd. for the acquisition of a 51% stake for $100 million in cash, implying a full company valuation of approximately $196 million. The deal was structured in tranches: first $30 million for 15.3% stake by December 15, 2017; optional second $20 million for additional 10.2% to reach 25.5%; and optional third $50 million for the remaining to 51% by May 15, 2018. The initial payments of CNY 30 million and CNY 20 million were made in December 2017. Calient's S-Series optical switches enable dynamic optical layer optimization in data centers, compute clusters, and communication service providers, improving utilization of compute resources that represent 75-90% of capital investment. The acquisition aimed to support growth in China's optical circuit switching market, with Calient expanding manufacturing and leveraging Chunxing's precision manufacturing expertise. The companies shared common global customers and a vision to develop innovative optical switching solutions. The transaction was approved by Chunxing's board on August 17, 2017, and shareholders on September 5, 2017. Calient was to continue operating from its Goleta headquarters under the CALIENT brand. Note that the deal was later cancelled, per later reports.
Aug 2016Series A-$6M-Calient Technologies, a maker of photonic switching systems and software, raised $6M in a Series F round on August 15, 2016, to support engineering enhancements and expand deployments in telecom and data center markets. Investors include Greylock Partners, Juniper Networks, and Sofinnova Investments. The company has raised a total of $458M across multiple rounds, with additional Series F funding of $13.2M in March 2017 and Series G of $32M in August 2019.
Mar 2015Series ACayuga Venture Fund; TeleSoft Partners; Storm Ventures$15M--
Apr 2014Series ACayuga Venture Fund; TeleSoft Partners$13M--
Jun 2013Undisclosed stageTeleSoft Partners (lead)$27M--

Who has invested in Calient Technologies?

6 investors have backed Calient Technologies across its funding rounds, including TeleSoft Partners, Cayuga Venture Fund, Western Technology Investment, Storm Ventures, Suzhou Chunxing Precision and Sun Jiexiao.

Lead investors include Sun Jiexiao, Suzhou Chunxing Precision and TeleSoft Partners.


Calient Technologies Investors

Investors in Calient Technologies by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
TeleSoft PartnersUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA3LeadJun 2013
Cayuga Venture FundUnited StatesIthaca, NY2ParticipantApr 2014
Storm VenturesUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantMar 2015
Suzhou Chunxing PrecisionChinaSuzhou1LeadAug 2017

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Calient Technologies Competitors

Calient Technologies competitors include listed companies like Urovo, Elsight, Gilat Satellite Networks and Sercomm, and private ones like Meter and Rhino Labs.

Public and private companies comparable to Calient Technologies
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
UrovoChinaChinaPublicly listed$230M$17M$724M-
ElsightAustraliaAustraliaPublicly listed$23M$6M$763M15.3x
Gilat Satellite NetworksUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$452M$45M$766M1.3x
SercommTaiwanTaiwanPublicly listed$1.7B$84M$695M0.4x
MeterUnited StatesUnited StatesPrivate--$1B-
Rhino LabsUnited StatesSan Jose, CAPrivate$60M-$500M8.3x

Calient Technologies Public Comps

Calient Technologies is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Urovo, Elsight, Gilat Satellite Networks, Sercomm, Filtronic, Evertz Microsystems, Netgear, Hexatronic Group, Adtran and Genew.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Urovo$230M$17M3.2x-44.0x-
Elsight$23M$6M30.7x15.3x117.5x34.5x
Gilat Satellite Networks$452M$45M1.4x1.3x13.6x10.2x
Sercomm$1.7B$84M0.5x0.4x10.0x8.9x
Filtronic$75M$9M9.1x8.8x73.2x43.4x
Evertz Microsystems$370M$73M1.9x1.9x9.5x9.7x
Netgear$700M($20M)0.6x0.6x(19.7x)25.6x
Hexatronic Group$767M$84M1.4x1.2x12.6x10.0x

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Common questions about Calient Technologies

When was Calient Technologies founded?Calient Technologies was founded in 1999.
Where is Calient Technologies headquartered?Calient Technologies is headquartered in Santa Barbara, CA, United States.
Is Calient Technologies publicly listed?No, Calient Technologies is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Calient Technologies' valuation?Calient Technologies was last valued at $736M in its secondary sale in December 2018.
How much funding has Calient Technologies raised?Calient Technologies has raised $142M across 6 funding rounds.
What was Calient Technologies' last funding round?Calient Technologies' last funding round was a $32M undisclosed-stage round in August 2019.
Who are Calient Technologies' investors?Calient Technologies' investors include TeleSoft Partners, Cayuga Venture Fund, Storm Ventures, Suzhou Chunxing Precision, Western Technology Investment and Sun Jiexiao.
Which companies are comparable to Calient Technologies?Companies comparable to Calient Technologies include Urovo, Elsight, Gilat Satellite Networks, Sercomm, Meter and Rhino Labs.

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