The winner of this year’s Pressure Chamber pitch competition, Madison-based SixLine Semiconductor, is raising funds to establish a lab facility as it continues developing its advanced materials technology.
Katy Jinkins, the company’s CEO and co-founder, yesterday addressed a crowd of investors, fellow entrepreneurs and other attendees of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s 11th annual event. She was one of six finalists who delivered rapid-fire pitches during the contest, held at the Majestic Theatre in Madison as part of Forward Festival.
After being announced as the winner, Jinkins thanked her team and said she looks forward to continuing to grow the company in Wisconsin.
“We are honored to be recognized as this year’s Pressure Chamber champion,” she said.
SixLine Semiconductor is developing materials for next-generation electronic devices, which have increasing performance requirements that can’t be met by conventional technologies, Jinkins said yesterday. The company is working with “carbon nanotubes” — miniscule straw-like structures made from carbon atoms that are 100,000 times thinner than a human eyelash.
“To integrate nanotubes into electronics, those nanotubes must be aligned, and achieving these aligned nanotube films has been a 30-year challenge … it’s really like trying to align millions of cooked spaghetti that are 100 times smaller than the coronavirus,” she said yesterday.
To overcome this challenge, the company has created a patented process for producing aligned nanotube films and high-performance electronics, based on eight years of research at UW-Madison.
After forming in late 2022, the business sold its first set of pilot materials earlier this year, Jinkins said. It’s now seeking to raise $500,000 out of a target of $775,000 in pre-seed investment dollars, and has set a target of $3 million for a seed funding round for 2025, according to her presentation.
“SixLine will develop and sell two primary products. The first are aligned nanotube films, so this will accelerate industry transition to our material,” she said. “However, long-term we will set up to provide wireless components based on our nanotubes. So for example, we could provide radiofrequency switches, which are vital components used in all your wireless electronics.”
Along with using funds to establish a laboratory facility, the company will also develop data for this application, Jinkins said.
“These wireless components will set SixLine up for substantial recurring revenues, and along the way we will also work with for-service manufacturers to produce the equipment that we will use to produce the proprietary manufacturing processes,” she said.
As the contest winner, the company receives the “golden suitcase” award, symbolizing a reserved spot on an upcoming fall trip to meet with Silicon Valley investors, organized by the chamber.
In a statement on SixLine’s victory, Chamber President Zach Brandon said the company represents what Pressure Chamber is all about — “solving global challenges and offering a glimpse into the future of Greater Madison’s economy.” See more on the other presenting companies here and see an earlier story on SixLine Semiconductor.
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