Northeast Microelectronics Coalition’s PROPEL Program

Northeast Microelectronics Coalition’s PROPEL Program is sponsored by Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC). Offers funding to startups and small companies to accelerate microelectronics technology transition from lab to fabrication.

Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Awards $1M to Eight Startups Through PROPEL Grant Program | NEMC Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Awards $1M to Eight Startups Through PROPEL Grant Program Latest funding round helps startups advance innovations across AI, photonics and RF systems Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) BOSTON – The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), today announced a new cohort of eight startups selected to receive $1,013,287 in combined funding through its Powering Regional Opportunities for Prototyping Microelectronics (PROPEL) program.

PROPEL awards are made through a competitive, merit-based process aligned to NEMC’s role within the federally funded Microelectronics Commons , a national network advancing domestic semiconductor innovation in areas that include 5G/6G technology, artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and quantum technology.

This approach ensures that the most promising innovations are supported regardless of location or affiliations, strengthening the broader ecosystem and creating downstream opportunities for collaboration, domestic manufacturing and workforce development across the region.

“Public-private collaboration is essential to ensuring Massachusetts, and its neighboring states, remains competitive in microelectronics innovation,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Development Eric Paley. “PROPEL is helping startups move faster from breakthrough ideas to real-world impact by reducing development barriers and strengthening the regional and national innovation pipeline.

” Since launching in 2024, the PROPEL Program has awarded 50 grants totaling $4. 7 million to startups and small businesses across the U.S., building a pipeline of innovation acceleration across the microelectronics ecosystem. “With PROPEL, we continue to help microelectronics startups overcome critical barriers to success,” said NEMC Director Mark Halfman.

“We’re focused on supporting the most impactful technologies and connecting them to the NEMC ecosystem to accelerate commercialization and long-term sustainable growth. ” PROPEL funding supports both manufacturing, including fabrication, packaging and testing, as well as operational needs, such as electronic design automation software, cybersecurity services, patent strategy and filing.

These investments are designed to reduce time-to-market and unlock downstream economic and national security impact. 2026 PROPEL Awardee Cohort: AmpVisions (Orange, Conn.) – $177,618 for a project focused on developing long-wave infrared (LWIR) detection technologies on scalable silicon platforms.

By building directly on silicon manufacturing infrastructure, the approach aims to reduce costs while improving the scalability and integration of LWIR sensors, enabling broader deployment in applications such as safety monitoring, spectroscopy and emerging multimodal perception systems. Advanced Silicon Group (Lowell, Mass.)

– $44,565 for a project focusing on transforming protein sensing by developing a low-cost, rapid and multiplexed sensor. This technology is easy to manufacture and deploy, reducing biomanufacturing costs and accelerating time-to-market for pharmaceuticals, creating a healthier and more equitable future for all. Ayo Electronics Inc. (Boston, Mass.)

– $100,000 for a project focused on advancing AI computing capabilities using a customized photonic chip to improve AI inferencing speed and energy consumption by orders of magnitude in comparison to conventional Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) processors.

Fresnel Inc. (Leander, Texas) – $135,094 for a project focused on developing zapRF, an AI-driven electronic design automation orchestration platform for radio frequency (RF) and microwave circuit design. zapRF aims to significantly reduce development timelines for advanced RF components, including monolithic microwave integrated circuit power amplifiers.

This technology is designed to enhance productivity and scalability in RF design, supporting applications in AI hardware, next-generation wireless communications (5G/6G), and defense systems. Lightfinder (Cambridge, Mass.) – $200,000 for work developing chip-scale spectrometers and imaging solutions that deliver lab-grade optical sensing in a miniaturized, scalable form.

Built on silicon photonics and paired with intelligent software, the platform enables real-time analysis in places legacy systems can’t reach – powering decisions in manufacturing, energy, health care and beyond. Lintrinsic (Boston, Mass.)

– $121,387 for a project focused on developing and comparing radio frequency (RF) switch packaging using flip-chip and through-silicon via techniques for optimal performance in radar, electromagnetic warfare (EW) and spectrum sensing systems. This project will advance high-performance, domestically produced RF switches that reduce supply chain risk and improve system interference tolerance and power handling.

Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc. (Fayetteville, Ark.) – $82,493 for a project focused on developing high-speed, high-density digital integrated circuits designed to maintain performance in high-temperature, extreme environments. This technology extends the operational limits of electronics, enabling reliable sensing, processing, and control in some of the harshest industrial and defense environments.

VioNano Innovations Inc. (South Grafton, Mass.) – $152,132 for a project developing polymer enhanced patterning materials that improve precision in semiconductor manufacturing while extending the capabilities of existing fabrication tools. By enabling more efficient chip designs without costly new equipment, this technology advances energy-efficient computing across AI, data center, communications and advanced-electronics industries.

PROPEL provides targeted grant funding and ecosystem support to help companies bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and production readiness. By offsetting critical development costs, the program enables startups to accelerate commercialization timelines, reduce operational barriers, and scale breakthrough microelectronics technologies. NEMC is now accepting PROPEL grant applications on a rolling basis throughout 2026.

The Northeast Microelectronics Coalition (NEMC) is a network of over 325 organizations including commercial and defense companies, leading academic institutions, federally funded R&D centers (FFRDCs), and startups centered across eight Northeast states.

Established in 2023 as part of the Microelectronics Commons program, NEMC is advancing U.S. leadership in semiconductor innovation by enabling lab-to-fab transitions, strengthening workforce development, and accelerating domestic prototyping. Learn more at nemicroelectronics. org.

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