InPhase Technologies
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, Data storage |
| Founded | 1 January 2000 in Longmont, Colorado, United States |
| Founder | Bell Labs (offshoot) |
| Defunct | March 1, 2012 |
| Fate | Assets acquired by Akonia Holographics |
| Headquarters | Longmont , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Nelson Diaz (CEO), Steven Socolof (Lead investor) |
| Products | Holographic storage media and reader/writer units (e.g. Tapestry 300r) |
Number of employees | Unknown |
| Parent | Signal Lake Venture Capital (from 2010) |
| Website | inphase-technologies |
InPhase Technologies was a Colorado-based technology firm located in Longmont, dedicated to the innovation of holographic storage solutions and related media. Established in 2000 as an offshoot of Bell Labs, the company’s mission was to bring high-capacity storage technology to market, achieving storage densities of multiple terabytes by 2009—exceeding the capabilities of magnetic storage devices available at that time.
Between 2001 and 2004, InPhase concentrated on overcoming engineering and production hurdles to create a commercial product that integrated reader/writer units with storage media within automated library systems. In 2005, under CEO Nelson Diaz’s leadership, the company altered its approach by collaborating with StorageTek to develop a 5¼-inch form factor reader/writer and compatible media disks. This move increased technical complexity but aligned the product with prevailing industry standards. Despite engineering teams advising a development period of three to five years, lead investor Steven Socolof insisted on a product launch within one year—a demand the Board repeatedly upheld against technical counsel.
The Tapestry 300r reader was launched in May 2008, featuring a capacity of 300 GB and data transfer speeds of 20 MB/s, with intentions to enhance these specifications substantially in future iterations. Nevertheless, ongoing postponements in product availability resulted in staff layoffs and left the market without a definitive release timeline.
InPhase jointly held patents with Nintendo for advanced scanner technologies that enabled angle multiplexing in holographic systems. The company’s control over both the storage media and reader/writer hardware—backed by approximately 200 patents—provided considerable flexibility in product development.
In March 2010, Signal Lake Venture Capital acquired a controlling interest in InPhase. Subsequently, the company expanded internationally by purchasing digital holographic storage manufacturing equipment from Hitachi Maxell in Japan and acquiring DSM AG’s assets in Germany. These acquisitions enhanced their ability to design and produce digital libraries incorporating robotic media handling systems.
On October 17, 2011, InPhase filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, largely attributed to management shortcomings. A significant cause was the Board and lead investor Socolof’s insistence on an unrealistic one-year product launch schedule, which conflicted with engineering evaluations. During this period, CEO Nelson Diaz continued to receive full compensation while other employees experienced salary reductions.
In March 2012, Akonia Holographics purchased InPhase’s assets through an auction, obtaining essential equipment, intellectual property rights, and expertise. After securing $10.8 million in funding, Akonia officially commenced operations in August 2012. Later, on August 30, 2018, Apple Inc. announced its acquisition of Akonia Holographics, integrating its augmented reality technology into Apple’s offerings.
External links
- 2000 establishments in Colorado
- 2012 disestablishments in Colorado
- American companies established in 2000
- American companies disestablished in 2012
- Apple Inc. acquisitions
- Computer companies established in 2000
- Computer companies disestablished in 2012
- Defunct computer companies of the United States
- Defunct computer hardware companies
- Holographic data storage
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment