News | 08/08/2024

Made in Huntingdonshire: Paragraf

Paragraf was founded in Somersham in 2018 as a spin-out from the Department of Materials Science at Cambridge University. Today, it is the only company in the world with the capability of mass-producing graphene-based electronic devices using standard semiconductors processes. It has collaborated with world-renowned organisations including CERN, the National Physical Laboratory, and Rolls Royce and is widely recognised as an emerging tech leader.

In the next 5 years Paragraf aims to make graphene a standard material in the semiconductor world, leveraging its high performance and low power consumption properties.

Through their proprietary graphene growth process, Paragraf has successfully unlocked the full potential of this remarkable material. Their award-winning products, known for unparalleled sensitivity, robustness, and energy efficiency, are exported globally and address challenges across various industries, including automotive, industrial automation, cryogenics, healthcare, and agri-tech.

Vision and growth

Paragraf co-founder and CEO Dr Simon Thomas believes that developing technologies and new materials like graphene can create transformational products that deliver a greener, brighter more sustainable future.

Bolstered by $85m raised through three rounds of fundraising, the business has experienced rapid growth during the last six years. The company now employs over 110 staff – including semiconductor process and electronic engineers, lab technicians, facilities and all manner of commercial staff – across two main sites in Huntingdonshire, supported by a team in the USA.

In 2023, Paragraf secured new premises in Huntingdon, offering over 43,000 square feet of industrial space — more than double the footprint of their existing facility in Somersham. This new location, earmarked to be one of the first factories in the world producing microchips with super-thin, 2D materials, will significantly boost production capacity. Research and Development will remain in Somersham but will benefit from increased capacity to meet growing customer demand.

Committed to Cambridgeshire

Paragraf remains committed to Cambridgeshire, contributing to the local economy and providing high-value employment. The new Huntingdon location offers better transport links, benefitting staff and visitors alike. Steve Taylor, Head of Corporate Communications, noted, “This location offers more convenient transport links. When people need to go to London for meetings, or people come up to visit us, we’re just a 7-minute drive from the station. Not all staff live locally, but the strong local road and rail links enable those travelling in from further afield, including locations such as Cambridge, Peterborough, London and Northampton, to do so with greater ease.”

Rapid growth

Paragraf underwent its biggest growth period from 2020 to 2023. During this time, the business received a number of awards for their products, established a presence in the USA and raised £48.5m in Series B financing. 18 new starters joined the business in 2020, 22 joined in 2021 and in the first 6 months of 2022, 27 new employees were hired. By the end of 2022 headcount had reached 100. Employees now total 111, with many employees celebrating their five-year anniversaries. With low turnover and the imminent opening of the Huntingdon site, the business is set to continue its trajectory of accelerated growth.

Local and international recruitment

Recruitment for a range of technical colleagues at the new production facility is likely to focus on hiring locally. To help overcome the challenges of the skills required for operating within a niche industry, a bespoke training and development programme is being created.

World-wide, there are few people with the right industry experience, so recruitment for colleagues to join the team often takes place at a global level. However, international hires adapt well to local life in Huntingdonshire with a welcoming and strong team culture supporting them. Steve Taylor, Head of Corporate Communications, explains more: “They try and live fairly locally, because obviously it’s convenient. But more importantly, they enjoy living in close proximity to our beautiful green spaces and waterways. While the city of Cambridge is a big draw for our international employees, many find that being based outside the city, in Huntingdonshire, is more affordable.”

Internships

Paragraf’s internship programme attracts students from across the UK, USA, and Canada. HR Manager Helen Dighton explains how the intern programme brings mutual benefits:

“It was a good way for us to bring in undergrads who are interested, keen and they have a great opportunity to work on an exciting and interesting project for us. They benefit and we benefit too. We get an extra pair of hands and a smart, fresh pair of eyes on something. They're good at challenging the status quo and why we're doing what we're doing.” 10 interns came to Paragraf in the summer of 2023, including two from MIT. Four of the 10 stayed for the year as part of industrial placements.”

Attracting people from across the UK as well as globally, the programme has also inspired local students. Jamie Raddon grew up in Somersham and was introduced to Paragraf via a friend. Taking on a nine-month internship following A Levels, he pursued a degree in electronics and electrical engineering at University Centre Peterborough whilst working for the company. He said, “It’s a demanding schedule but one that I enjoy and embrace. This combination of practical experience and academic learning has been instrumental to my development at Paragraf.”

The future of graphene

Graphene was discovered only 20 years ago and hailed a “miracle material” that would generate an electronics
revolution.

But issues with scaling up production slowed the rate of fulfilling this prediction. Today, production processes created by Paragraf produce enough graphene to make thousands of devices a day. The new facility in Huntingdon is expected to begin production this year, with output ramping to meet customer volume demands in 2025. More equipment, capacity and space for additional staff will follow.

Commenting about the company’s future, Simon Thomas, Paragraf CEO, said: “Paragraf has the ambition and proven ability to lead deep-tech graphene development across multiple industries. The world is just beginning to realise the benefits that graphene-based electronics can bring to a wide range of applications from quantum computing through to electric vehicle power trains. There are massive opportunities for us to help alleviate global problems using graphene to, for example, reduce energy usage, boost product performance, improve safety, accelerate diagnosis in healthcare, and build next-generation advanced material semiconductor technologies.”

Why Huntingdonshire?

“Paragraf has found Huntingdonshire a successful location in which to expand. Improved transportation links locally and nationally, plus an availability of technology manufacturing skills contribute to making Huntingdonshire the right place for Paragraf to grow.”

Chief Operating Officer Tony Pearce

Interview with: Helen Dighton, Steve Taylor and Matt Enderle
Interview date: 17th May 2024