Polaris Electro-Optics Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

Polaris Electro-Optics, a leading developer of next-generation optical modulators for bandwidth- and power-constrained interconnects, announced the close of its Series A funding round, led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT). KDT is the investment arm of Koch and is renowned for supporting high-growth companies that disrupt current market alternatives with demonstrated technology. The company also announced Morten Nissov as its new Chief Executive Officer, bringing on board a seasoned leader as it moves into full-scale productization.

The funding will accelerate commercialization of Polaris’s breakthrough photonic platform, engineered to significantly enhance data throughput, energy efficiency, and footprint in data centers, HPC, and AI infrastructure. As the demands on data center networks continue to soar, Polaris’s technology is positioned to redefine the optical interconnect stack with faster, smaller, and more efficient solutions. The Series A round included continued support from existing investors Rhapsody Venture Partners, M Ventures, and Buff Gold Ventures, along with new participation from Blue Sky Capital.

“I’m thrilled to join Polaris as its newly appointed CEO,” said Morten Nissov. “Polaris has built a foundation of truly disruptive photonic technology. We are tackling one of the largest challenges in compute infrastructure—how to move more data, faster, and with less power. The platform delivers the speed, scale, and efficiency next-generation infrastructure demands, while leveraging standard silicon photonics tools for a faster, lower-risk path to volume. With the backing of KDT and our other investment partners, and the strength of our world-class team, we’re focused on execution, bringing our first products to market andenabling the next generation of optical interconnects.”

Dr. Nissov brings over 25 years of experience leading global semiconductor and photonics businesses, with a strong track record in scaling technologies into commercial success. He most recently served as the VP of Sales and Business Development at Genuine Optics and prior to that, he held executive roles at Lumentum and Oclaro, spanning go-to-market execution, operations, and international scaling. He joins Polaris to lead its transition from advanced R&D to full-scale product deployment, bringing his deep domain expertise and vast industry network critical to this next phase.

“We are excited to back Polaris and welcome Morten as new CEO,” said Isaac Sigron, Managing Director at KDT Israel, an affiliate of KDT. “Unlike other solutions, Polaris’s ferroelectric material was engineered from the ground up for performance and reliability, giving it a unique edge in the race to 400 Gbps per lane and beyond. By leveraging existing silicon photonics infrastructure instead of reinventing the stack, Polaris shortens time to scale while reducing risk and cost. With Morten onboard, the company has the right leadership in place and is ready to transition from R&D to volume production and become a foundational player in optical interconnects.”

Polaris will use the funding to expand its engineering and operations teams, deepen engagements with hyperscalers and system partners, and drive adoption of its modulators in next-generation optical interconnect architectures as it brings its first products to market.

View the full press release here.

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