Roos joined PhotonDelta eight years ago and helped the organization develop into a recognized and well-funded integrated photonics industry accelerator with more than sixty corporate partners and a global reach. Photonic chips are critical in various applications, such as quantum computing, robotics, sustainable agriculture, and autonomous vehicles. Until Roos’ replacement is found, the remaining executive board member Laurens Weers will manage the PhotonDelta foundation.

Roos is taking up his new position while the momentum of industrialization of integrated photonics as a key function in the semicon industry is entering a new and promising phase. Now that the Dutch infrastructure and ecosystem have been kickstarted, companies start to take advantage of it. The PhotonVentures fund, co-founded by PhotonDelta, takes this process further by investing in European and Dutch companies that will boost demand and benefit the Dutch integrated photonics industry.

“I may be leaving PhotonDelta, but my dedication remains with the integrated photonics ecosystem. While we have made great progress in recent years, it’s clear that there’s still a lot of work waiting for us. Suppliers need to manufacture in higher volumes to reach competitive prices, and they can only do so when there’s sufficient demand. First adopters are typically smaller companies which do not yet generate the needed level of demand. This is why I am grateful for the consistent support of the Dutch regional and national governments, helping many young companies to bridge the ‘valley of death’. At PhotonVentures, I will be in the best position to support that goal,” Roos said.

René Penning de Vries, chair of PhotonDelta’s supervisory board said: “Ewit Roos has shown exceptional leadership and commitment during his tenure as CEO of PhotonDelta. His vision has played an important role in accelerating the PhotonDelta ecosystem from six companies to over sixty, laying the foundation for an integrated photonics industry in the Netherlands. We remain confident that Ewit, as a general partner in PhotonVentures, will continue contributing to the industry’s growth. On behalf of the supervisory board, I want to thank Ewit for his efforts and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Further reading: Supercharging Europe’s photonics startups, wileyindustrynews.com, 5 September 2023 • PhotonDelta lands €1.1 billion euro investment, wileyindustrynews.com, 14 April 2022