ManufacturingInvestment

Forefront RF Ltd, a fabless semiconductor company, has closed its £16 million Series A funding round.

The Cambridge firm has been backed by existing investors BGF and Foresight Group, alongside new VC partners, Octopus Ventures and Cambridge Innovation Capital. 

Its technology, rooted in pioneering research by founder Dr Leo Laughlin, empowers mobile device manufacturers to overcome printed circuit board (PCB) size limitations while supporting more frequency bands with simplified, cost-effective designs.

The company’s first solution is aimed at cellular-enabled wearables, where every millimetre of PCB is critical and expanding frequency band capabilities is essential.

With this investment, the company is set to transition from an early-stage startup to a mature player in RF technology, gearing up for the 2026 launch of its first-generation product, the FFM51010, to the fast growing cellular-enabled smartwatch market.

Why getting down and dirty with your tech is vital

“Securing this Series A funding underscores the strong confidence our investors have in Forefront RF’s vision and market potential,” said Ronald Wilting, CEO. 

“With continued support from Foresight Group and BGF, and new partnerships with Octopus Ventures and Cambridge Innovation Capital, we’re well-positioned to scale rapidly from engineering prototypes to mass production.”

Edward Inns of Cambridge Innovation Capital added: “Forefront RF has created a solution to one of the greatest bottlenecks in mobile data connectivity, based on a decade of advanced research and development. 

“Cambridge Innovation Capital is delighted to partner with Forefront RF as it prepares to launch its highly differentiated product lines into the growing wearables market. We look forward to supporting the team as they scale to deliver global impact across billions of connected devices.”

Former Ericsson leader Neil Wood joins UK Connect