Europe’s only Gallium Oxide epiwafer producer NextGO Epi raises €2 million pre-Seed funding

NextGO Epi , a Berlin-based DeepTech startup developing Gallium Oxide epitaxial wafers for next-generation power semiconductor devices, has secured a €2 million pre-Seed funding round.

The round was led by Vireo Ventures, with participation from Ultratech Capital Partners, IBB Ventures, and angel investor Boris Habets. The company claims to be Europe’s only producer of Gallium Oxide epiwafers, and this round marks its first institutional backing.

“Gallium oxide is to power electronics what silicon was to compute, and Europe should own that value chain. We’re building the material layer that makes the next energy revolution possible, and we’re building it in Europe,” said Dr. Ta-Shun Chou , CEO and co-founder of NextGO Epi.

NextGO Epi was founded in 2025 by Dr. Ta-Shun Chou, Dr. Andreas Popp, and Dr. Andreas Fiedler. The company stated that it has developed a process producing a semiconductor material that could reduce EV charging times from 60 to just 10 minutes, while reducing power semiconductor manufacturing costs by up to 75%.

This spin-off of the Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ) claims to be the only European company producing Gallium Oxide epitaxial wafers at industrial quality up to 4 inches, which is a semiconductor material that forms the electrically active layer of the next generation of power semiconductor devices.

It explains that Gallium Oxide-based electrical devices can withstand higher voltages and are more efficient than the currently used Silicon Carbide or Gallium Nitride. Gallium Oxide is a semiconductor material that offers a significant efficiency boost compared to the widely used Silicon Carbide. The German startup notes that it is 10x more power-efficient, handles up to 6x higher voltage density, and can be produced for up to 75% less.

NextGO Epi’s technology is used in EV charging stations, renewable energy inverters, AI data centres, and missile tracking systems. Dr. Jochen Linck, former COO of Aixtron, is supporting the company as an Operating Partner to assist with NextGO Epi’s growth and commercial scale-up.

The startup reported that it is already in production, generating revenue, and serving customers across three continents. The product involves growing epitaxial Gallium Oxide, often called the “epi layer,” onto a wafer substrate to form the electrically active part of a high-power semiconductor device.

The company stated that the most immediate application of its technology is for EV charging. It noted that an EV station equipped with NextGO Epi’s product can fully charge a vehicle in just 10 minutes, compared to the usual 60 minutes, and can do so reliably even in winter when lithium batteries usually underperform.

“Brussels’ new Chips Act 2.0, unveiled in June, explicitly targets to reduce Europe’s overdependence on Asian and US suppliers for the semiconductor materials that power EVs, AI servers, and the clean energy grid. NextGO Epi is precisely the kind of company the policy is designed to create, building the foundational supply chain Europe needs to lead the next wave of energy and mobility transition,” the company mentioned in the press release.

NextGO Epi plans to use this fresh capital to accelerate product development, grow the team, and strengthen the company’s commercial presence across Europe and global markets.