Spinouts co-founded by CDT graduates selected for ChipStart UK support

Two semiconductor ventures co-founded by graduates of the Photonic and Electronic Systems CDT community have been selected for the latest cohort of ChipStart UK, a government-backed incubator supporting the UK's most promising early-stage semiconductor companies.

ChipStart UK provides technical, commercial and investor support to help innovative semiconductor start-ups develop and scale cutting-edge chip technologies. Funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology the programme aims to strengthen the UK semiconductor ecosystem by accelerating the commercialisation of world-leading research.

Among this year's cohort are two UCL spinout ventures co-founded by CDT alumni:

• Altro Photonics, co-founded by Dr Farah Comis and Dr Alfonso Ruocco (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering), is developing a photonic integrated circuit platform designed to power the next generation of classical and quantum data centres.
• Nibras Communications, co-founded by Dr Amany Kassem, Professor Zhixin Liu, Dr Zichuan Zhou, and Alex Bennett (UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering), is developing ultra-low-noise photonic signal sources for satellite and high-performance communications applications.

From CDT Researcher to Photonics Entrepreneur

Dr Farah Comis completed her MRes at the University of Cambridge before undertaking a PhD at UCL within the Centre for Doctoral Training in Connected Electronic and Photonic Systems (CEPS CDT), funded by EPSRC Grant EP/S022139/1. She is now CEO and co-founder of Altro Photonics, where she is leading the commercial development of advanced integrated photonics technologies.

Commenting on the company's selection for ChipStart UK, Farah said:

"We are incredibly excited to be part of ChipStart UK. Getting through the programme is a great validation of our vision and the progress we have made so far. The access to expertise, networks and support will be invaluable."

Driving Innovation in Communications Technologies

Dr Zichuan Zhou received his MRes in Photonic and Electronic Systems from the University of Cambridge and completed his PhD in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at UCL through the Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems (IPES CDT) programme. Following his doctorate, he joined UCL's Institute of Communications and Connected Systems (ICCS) as a Research Fellow. His company, Nibras Communications, is translating advanced photonics research into technologies that could help improve the performance of future communications and satellite systems.

Supporting the Next Generation of Semiconductor Companies

As part of the twelve-month ChipStart UK programme, participating companies will receive:

• Hands-on mentoring from industry experts
• Tailored business and technical training
• Reduced-cost access to electronic design automation (EDA) tools and services
• Investment and fundraising support
• Increased visibility across the semiconductor sector

The selected companies progressed through multiple competitive assessment rounds, with more than 40 submissions from across the UK.

Their success highlights the strength of the semiconductor innovation pipeline emerging from UCL Electronic & Electrical Engineering and the CDT programmes that continue to equip researchers with the skills to translate research into real-world impact.

Read the full UCL announcement, March 2026: link to article

Find out more about the founders:
Dr Farah Comis
Dr Zichuan Zhou

Image credit: SweetBunFactory via iStock Photo.

Published: August 2026.