Meet Austin Hickman and Reet Chaudhuri, who raised $4 million for Soctera; how their semiconductor startup aims to change radar technology

Soctera announced a $4 million seed funding round on August 11, 2026. The round was backed by Anorak Ventures and Multiball Capital, with participation from 9Yards Capital, Mana Ventures and Red Bear Ventures. The company plans to use the money to develop its radio-frequency (RF) power amplifiers, expand its team and scale manufacturing.

Before this round, it had secured more than $4.3 million in grants and other non-dilutive funding from the National Science Foundation, the US Army, the US Air Force and programmes associated with the CHIPS Act.

Who are Austin Hickman and Reet Chaudhuri?

Hickman is Soctera's co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), while Chaudhuri is its co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO). They were both researchers at Cornell University's Jen-Xing Laboratory.


Soctera emerged from their Cornell research and licensed the technology developed at the university.

Their challenge was to address a longstanding limitation of high-power semiconductor devices.

How does Soctera's technology work?

Soctera says its semiconductor design uses 20 times less gallium nitride per device than its reference technology. The company also says it reduces thermal resistance by 50%. Better thermal performance could allow amplifiers to deliver more power without overheating, or operate at the same power with less heat buildup.

These improvements could potentially reduce cooling requirements, increase reliability and improve signal performance.

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Why could the technology matter for radar and defence?

Better power amplification could support longer-range detection and clearer signals, depending on the complete radar system's design.

Electronic warfare equipment also relies on radio-frequency electronics to detect, disrupt or counter electronic systems.

The technology could have applications in satellite communications, cellular networks and other wireless systems as well.

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What is the company's commercial progress?

The company was preparing to move from device-level research to production-ready RF power amplifiers. According to reports, Soctera expects its first commercial shipments in early 2027.