Cailabs
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersRennes, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Cailabs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cailabs
- Legal name
- CAILABS
- Website
- https://cailabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cailabs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photonics Systems
- NAICS
- Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing (335921)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fiber Optic Cabling (Singlemode/Multimode) (HDAFALAB), Optical Transponders & Muxponders (Coherent/Pluggable) (HDAFADAB), Optical Transceivers (SFP/SFP+/SFP28/QSFP/QSFP-DD/OSFP) (HDAFAEAE), Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)
Keywords
Where Cailabs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rennes
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cailabs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Optical Ground Station Sales: Sale of turnkey TILBA-OGS optical ground stations for satellite laser communications. Cailabs manufactures and sells these systems directly to satellite operators, defense organizations, and government agencies, scaling production to up to 50 units per year.
- Industrial Laser Processing Equipment: Sale of CANUNDA beam shaping modules (PULSE, HP, AXICON, SPLIT) for industrial laser applications including welding, additive manufacturing, and micro-processing in manufacturing sectors.
- Fiber Network Solutions: Sale of AROONA and PROTEUS products for upgrading legacy multimode fiber networks and future optical networks.
- Transportable Optical Terminals: Strategic partnership with DataPath valued up to $60.82 million for development and deployment of transportable optical SATCOM terminals for defense applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Turnkey Optical Ground Stations |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | CANUNDA Industrial Laser Modules |
| Other | One time/ perpetual license | AROONA Fiber Network Upgrades |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cailabs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cailabs designs, manufactures, and sells photonic products based on its proprietary Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) laser beam shaping technology. Its main product lines are: (1) TILBA-OGS turnkey optical ground stations for satellite-to-ground laser communications used by satellite operators and defense organizations; (2) the CANUNDA family of industrial laser beam shaping modules for welding, additive manufacturing, and micro-processing; and (3) AROONA and PROTEUS fiber network solutions for upgrading legacy multimode fiber and enabling next-generation optical networks.
Product overview
Cailabs is a French deep tech company specializing in laser light shaping technology across three main business segments: Aerospace & Defense (laser communications for space including Optical Ground Stations and line-of-sight terminals), Industrial Laser Processing (CANUNDA beam shaping modules for welding, additive manufacturing, and micro-processing), and Fiber Networks (AROONA for LAN upgrades and PROTEUS for future optical networks). The company's proprietary Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) technology platform underlies all products, enabling atmospheric turbulence compensation for space communications and high-power laser beam shaping for industrial applications. The product portfolio includes TILBA-OGS turnkey optical ground stations, the CANUNDA product family (HP, AXICON, PULSE, SPLIT) for industrial laser processing, and AROONA/PROTEUS for fiber network optimization. Cailabs has raised over €83 million total (€26M in 2023, €57M in 2025) and operates from Rennes, Paris, and Arlington, VA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TILBA: Technology brand for optical communication components including TILBA-OGS optical ground stations and TILBA-ATMO for atmospheric turbulence mitigation.
- CANUNDA
- AROONA
- PROTEUS
- ONEMODE
Products and services
- TILBA-OGS Optical Ground Stations
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 10 Pb/s data transmission in single optical fiber (world record with KDDI)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Cailabs
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cailabs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Cailabs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Kepler CommunicationsmajorPartnership demonstrated optical communications across space-to-space, space-to-ground, and space-to-air domains. Included in list of 21 European AI and deep tech startups reshaping the landscape.
- Dassault AviationmajorMentioned among French defense tech ecosystem forming partnerships with defense incumbents. Cailabs identified among top defense tech startups in France alongside Harmattan AI, ThrustMe, Lynred.
- CONTECcoreSpace service company Contec partnered with Cailabs to establish its second optical ground station for satellite data reception by laser in South Korea. Located at Asian Space Park in Sangdae-Ri on Jeju Island. Cailabs provides technical assistance for optical ground station deployment.
- Fraunhofer ILTcorePartnership focused on wire-based laser material deposition technology. Cailabs contributes a new compact process head based on its MPLC beam shaping technology for industrial laser applications.
- Kepler CommunicationsmajorKepler is preparing to launch world's first operational optical network in LEO (January 2026). Cailabs technology used for space-to-ground optical communications as part of Kepler's data relay network.
- SESmajorPartnership to test next-generation laser communication technology. SES is a major satellite operator exploring optical communication capabilities for enhanced bandwidth.
- Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP)minorVEDP supported Cailabs US relocation to Arlington, Virginia for Department of Defense and US-based client support.
- DataPathcoreStrategic partnership valued up to $60.82 million to develop and deploy transportable optical ground stations. First unit expected operational in 2026. Stations designed for rapid deployment in challenging environments with enhanced resistance to detection, jamming, and interception.
- University of New Mexico's COSMIACminorPartnership agreement to support optical communications research with research institution focusing on space and communications technology.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves2 records
Cailabs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Mynaric: Mynaric is a direct competitor in free-space optical communications terminals for airborne and space-to-ground applications. Both companies target LEO satellite constellation operators and defense customers with laser communication products, making them the closest peer in Cailabs' core OGS market.
- BridgeComm: BridgeComm provides free-space optical communications solutions for satellite, airborne, and terrestrial applications. Like Cailabs, it serves aerospace and defense customers with high-bandwidth optical links and competes in the same OGS and space-to-ground communications market.
- Tesat-Spacecom: Tesat-Spacecom (an Airbus subsidiary) manufactures space-to-ground laser communication terminals used by major satellite operators. It is a direct competitor in optical SATCOM terminals and ground station components serving similar aerospace/defense customers as Cailabs.
Broad incumbents
- Ball Aerospace: Ball Aerospace is a major US defense and space incumbent with capabilities in laser communications and optical systems. As a broad incumbent, it competes in the same defense space-to-ground optical communications market as Cailabs but across a much wider portfolio.
- General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems: General Atomics develops laser communications and space-to-ground optical systems for US DoD and intelligence customers. As a broad incumbent, it competes for defense laser comms contracts where Cailabs' DataPath partnership operates.
- nLight: nLight manufactures high-power semiconductor lasers and beam shaping solutions for industrial and defense applications. It is a broad incumbent serving the same industrial laser processing market as Cailabs' CANUNDA product line.
- IPG Photonics: IPG Photonics is a leading global manufacturer of high-power fiber lasers and beam delivery systems. As a broad incumbent in industrial laser processing, it competes with CANUNDA in laser welding and additive manufacturing applications.
- Coherent Corp: Coherent (formerly II-VI) is a major global photonics and laser materials company serving industrial, communications, and defense markets. It is a broad incumbent competing across fiber networking components, laser processing tools, and aerospace/defense optics, and is also a Cailabs customer for CANUNDA-AXICON applications.
- Ciena: Ciena is a leading provider of optical networking solutions including coherent transponders and WDM systems. As a broad incumbent in fiber networks, it is a potential competitor for Cailabs' PROTEUS SDM solutions targeting next-generation telecom infrastructure.
Emerging players
- Astrolight: Astrolight is an emerging European player in optical communications with partnerships with Cailabs for Space-to-Earth demonstrations. It overlaps in laser communications technology but focuses on different parts of the stack (satellite-side terminals).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cailabs social profiles
Digital presenceCailabs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cailabs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Cailabs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cailabs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cailabs
What does Cailabs do?
Cailabs designs, manufactures, and sells photonic products based on its proprietary Multi-Plane Light Conversion (MPLC) laser beam shaping technology. Its main product lines are: (1) TILBA-OGS turnkey optical ground stations for satellite-to-ground laser communications used by satellite operators and defense organizations; (2) the CANUNDA family of industrial laser beam shaping modules for welding, additive manufacturing, and micro-processing; and (3) AROONA and PROTEUS fiber network solutions for upgrading legacy multimode fiber and enabling next-generation optical networks.
Is Cailabs a public or private company?
Cailabs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Cailabs founded?
Cailabs was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cailabs based?
Cailabs is headquartered in Rennes, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cailabs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Optical Ground Station Sales are the primary driver. The others are industrial Laser Processing Equipment, fiber Network Solutions and transportable Optical Terminals.
Who are Cailabs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Mynaric, BridgeComm and Tesat-Spacecom. Broad incumbents are Ball Aerospace, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, nLight, IPG Photonics, Coherent Corp and Ciena. Astrolight is listed as an emerging player.
Does Cailabs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cailabs.
What industry is Cailabs in?
Cailabs's product category is Photonics Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAM, Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules), with a secondary code of HDAFALAB, Fiber Optic Cabling (Singlemode/Multimode). Its NAICS code is 335921 and its SIC code is 3827.