{"id":492040,"date":"2024-11-07T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=492040"},"modified":"2024-11-07T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T09:30:00","slug":"investment-of-the-month-antennex-is-worlds-only-one-that-can-measure-advanced-antennas-so-fast-so-accurately","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/investment-of-the-month-antennex-is-worlds-only-one-that-can-measure-advanced-antennas-so-fast-so-accurately\/","title":{"rendered":"Investment of the month: ANTENNEX is world’s only one that can measure advanced antennas so fast, so accurately"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Antennas are essential for almost all forms of wireless communication, such as mobile networks, satellite communication, radar, and medical sensors. Not surprisingly, the TU\/e’s antenna measurement group, and in particular Ad Reniers (now head of the measurement group), started receiving more and more requests from large companies to measure their antenna systems at the beginning of this decade, as suitable measurement facilities were often not commercially available at the time. \u201cIt is tough to measure antennas properly because there are many sensitivities in the wireless testing process. That’s why it takes a long time to perform a good test,\u201d ANTENNEX<\/a> founder and CEO Anouk Hubrechsen says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that’s exactly what the startup does: develop test equipment and perform measurements for advanced radio frequency systems. Earlier this month, it raised \u20ac1.5 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting a startup?<\/strong> No way<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who would have told Hubrechsen five years ago that she would now be CEO of a startup would have laughed at her. \u201cNo way <\/em>I was going to do that. Around me, I saw people working day and night.\u201d However, she took a job at the first spin-off of the TU\/e measurement group. While working there, she saw several trends that caused the tide to turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Anouk Hubrechsen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

First, more and more measurement requests were coming in from semiconductor companies. \u201cThat was different than before because chips don’t need to be tested wirelessly. But antennas are getting closer and closer to the chip, so the companies needed us. We are moving toward a world where integrated antennas are indispensable, and more and more testing can only take place wirelessly. So a new way of measuring is needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also during her PhD, together with graduate student Tim Stek (now coo at ANTENNEX), she is developing a new method to measure noise characteristics of a system or antenna – a test that was almost impossible before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, in June 2022, the ANTENNEX team meets Daniel van der Weide. He gets his name from his Dutch ancestry, from Orange City, Iowa, USA. Van der Weide is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and \u201ca technical and commercial genius.\u201d In addition to his substantive advice, he teaches the startup to think bigger. Hubrechsen: \u201cThe antenna world is much bigger than I initially realized.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANTENNEX 2.0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Slowly, Hubrechsen gets the idea: this could be something massive. So, she sets aside her resolve never to become a startup entrepreneur. ANTENNEX will be founded in 2023. Van der Weide will be co-founder, and the management team consists of four measurement experts: Hubrechsen is CEO; Roel Bud\u00e9, who was already active with measurement services, became CIO; Teun van den Biggelaar decided to quit his job at Ericsson in Sweden and became CTO and Tim Stek coo. Bart Smolders, TU\/e professor and group leader of the antenna group from which ANTENNEX originated and the antenna measurement group is a part, also steps in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flying start<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The team began with the task of being at the U.S. International Microwave Symposium in June 2023 with a booth and a pilot product to get people excited. The team has five months to design a \u201cminimal viable product\u201d (MVP). They succeed: after the trade show, the startup gets much attention and brings in its first investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, things have been going fast. In addition to the \u20ac1.5 million it brought in, the team expanded from four to twelve, won the LEVEL UP Awards<\/a> (and thus a trip to CES), is part of the European Chip Act, and received funding from the National Growth Fund.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
Investment of the month: Zepp.solutions already built hydrogen cell plant and can now expand business further<\/div>
Each month we highlight one startup or company that received an investment during that month. This month: zepp.solutions.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

A unique method<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ANTENNEX sells advanced measurement solutions and systems for antenna testing and analysis. The products enable accurate measurements of wireless equipment, such as efficiency, radiated power, and out-of-frequency band characteristics. The equipment allows engineers to test, optimize, and calibrate antennas to perform optimally within complex wireless systems such as radars for self-driving cars or 5G and 6G base stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCustomers get support and software licensing when they buy our hardware platform. The product becomes more valuable because we are always developing new functions and applications for the same platform,\u201d Hubrechsen explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company does this based on reverberation chamber<\/em> technology. Measuring an antenna takes place in such a chamber. ANTENNEX’s approach to this measurement technology is unique. \u201cEveryone assumes that this methodology is a statistical process. However, we also consider it to be a deterministic factor. This allows us to make highly accurate and repeatable measurements. Our methodology makes it possible to make highly detailed antenna measurements within seconds, whereas competing methods typically take an hour to achieve the same accuracy. This saves time and provides more reliable data for antenna optimization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big ambitions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ANTENNEX is currently the only company in the world that performs measurements in this way. The main techniques have been patented. Next year, it plans to expand sales and enter the U.S. market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s been almost two years since Hubrechsen threw her principle of never, ever becoming a startup entrepreneur out the window. What does she think of it? \u201cVery cool. I’m learning an awful lot, especially about myself. You constantly encounter yourself and your shortcomings, which makes me a better person. Moreover, I am very proud that our management team consists of experts in antenna measurements. We know what we are talking about. Our success is a team effort.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>
<\/div><\/div>
Investment of the month: CuspAI develops search engine for molecules that can extract CO\u2082 from the air<\/div>
Each month we interview a startup or company that received an investment in recent times. This month: CuspAI.<\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antennas are essential for almost all forms of wireless communication, such as mobile networks, satellite communication, radar, and medical sensors. Not surprisingly, the TU\/e’s antenna measurement group, and in particular Ad Reniers (now head of the measurement group), started receiving more and more requests from large companies to measure their antenna systems at the beginning […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1744,"featured_media":505439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[84026],"tags":[51941,80680,84783],"location":[6763],"article_type":[6758],"serie":[],"archives":[],"internal_archives":[],"reboot-archive":[],"class_list":["post-492040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data","tag-antennas","tag-antennex","tag-investment-of-the-month-2","location-netherlands","article_type-interview"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":{"subtitle":"Each month we interview a startup or company that received an investment in recent times. This month: ANTENNEX.","text_display_homepage":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Aafke Eppinga","author_link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/author\/aafke-eppinga\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/1716558674676.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["DATA+<\/a>"],"unlinked":["DATA+<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["antennas<\/a>","ANTENNEX<\/a>","investment of the month<\/a>"],"unlinked":["antennas<\/span>","ANTENNEX<\/span>","investment of the month<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 year ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on November 7, 2024","modified":"Updated on November 7, 2024"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on November 7, 2024 10:30 am","modified":"Updated on November 7, 2024 10:30 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/505439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"serie","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/serie?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/archives?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"internal_archives","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal_archives?post=492040"},{"taxonomy":"reboot-archive","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reboot-archive?post=492040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}