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A University of Bristol spin-out fabless semiconductor company has raised £6.7m in a new round of funding.

Forefront RF was established by Dr. Leo Laughlin and Julian Hildersley to make multi-band smartphones, wearables, and IoT devices simpler to design and more globally accessible.

Much of the research that led to the creation of Forefront RF was carried out at the Communication Systems and Networking Laboratory at the University of Bristol.

Now based in Cambridge, Forefront RF raised £1.5m in 2021 to recruit a team to accelerate the launch of its products. The initial round was led by Bristol-based Science Creates Ventures, with BGF and Foresight Group also participating.

It has secured new momentum in an investment led by BGF, along with Science Creates Ventures and Foresight Group.

The latest round will help the company capitalize on industry trends and take advantage of global market dynamics to drive further growth.

Dr. Leo Laughlin, Founder and CTO of Forefront RF, said: “We are delighted to receive further funding to support the delivery of the next stage of Forefront RF’s growth strategy.

“Forefront RF is well positioned to capitalize on strong global growth prospects by addressing an industry-wide challenge with our cutting-edge technology.”

Phil O’Donovan, President of Forefront RF, added: “Forefront RF has built a highly specialized and experienced team to bring its pioneering technology to market.

“We are excited to embark on this next chapter of the company’s mission and are grateful to our investment partners for their continued support.”

Dennis Atkinson, BGF Investor, said: “Forefront RF has developed a leading technology solution and a very attractive proposition for a rapidly growing global customer base.

“We look forward to continuing our work with Ronald and the talented Forefront RF team as they embark on their next stage of growth.”