Cycle

What Cycle does

Cycle GmbH is a Hamburg, Germany-based precision photonics company that designs and manufactures fiber-optic timing distribution and synchronization systems, femtosecond fiber lasers, and synchronization modules for large-scale scientific facilities, space agencies, and industrial laser users. Founded in 2015 as a spin-off from the DESY research institute and headquartered on the DESY campus at Start-Up Labs Bahrenfeld, the company commercializes patented balanced optical cross-correlator (BOC), two-color balanced optical cross-correlator (TCBOC), and balanced optical microwave phase detector (BOMPD) technologies developed in the ultrafast optics group led by founder Prof. Franz X. Kärtner. The integrated product portfolio spans the PULSE optical timing distribution system (sub-5 fs RMS jitter over up to 10 km fiber links), the WAVE-100 stabilized RF-over-fiber link, F&T Systems and MTGEN frequency-and-time generation platforms, the SONATA (1030 nm) and SOPRANO (1560 nm and 2 μm) femtosecond fiber lasers, BOMPD/TCBOC/BOC/Waveguide-BOC synchronization modules, and the ESYNC locking electronics and PFM phase-frequency meter.

The company operates a direct enterprise sales model, quoting on a project basis with free pre-sales consultation, turnkey delivery including installation, site acceptance testing, and user training, and lifetime service support for mission-critical 24/7 operations. Customers are concentrated in the scientific-research and space-ground-segment segments, with installed systems at DESY, SACLA, FERMI, SwissFEL, the Dalian Coherent Light Source, Shanghai XFEL, LCLS-II, and as an official ESA partner for deep space tracking stations across Europe, Australia, and Latin America. With approximately 21 employees, more than 40 systems installed across 30+ facilities, and a stated global delivery footprint covering Europe, North America, and Asia, Cycle functions as a focused, science-grade OEM monetizing turnkey sub-femtosecond timing infrastructure for institutional customers.

Revenue mechanics are anchored on one-time system sales with bundled professional services; multiple product launches in 2025–2026 (SONATA, SOPRANO MINI variants, PFM, DIS1PPS, Waveguide-BOC) and the April 2026 CEO transition to Rafal Wilk indicate ongoing investment in product breadth and commercial scaling. The company has disclosed one early-stage funding round (2016, HTGF and IFB Innovationsstarter, amount undisclosed), has accumulated industry recognition including the 2022 IEEE Laser Instrumentation Award and 2023 UNIPRENEURS award to the founder, and operates without public revenue disclosure or external capital signals beyond its early seed history.

Name

Cycle

Legal name

Cycle GmbH

Website

https://cyclelasers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cycle GmbH is a Hamburg-based precision photonics company that designs femtosecond-precision fiber-optic timing distribution systems, synchronization modules, and ultrafast fiber lasers for large-scale scientific facilities, space agencies, and industrial laser users worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Photonics / Femtosecond Timing Systems

NAICS

Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing (335921)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Time Distribution & Signal Conversion (1PPS/10MHz/IRIG-B/ToD) (HDAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oscillators & Frequency Standards (OCXO/Rubidium/Cesium/Chip-Scale Atomic) (HDAFAKAG), Timing, Frequency & Oscillator Components (Crystals, oscillators, resonators, clock generators) (IMAGAJAH)

Keywords

• Precision timing systems
• Femtosecond fiber lasers
• Optical synchronization modules
• Frequency distribution systems
• Fiber optic timing

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Precision Timing Systems: Sale of complete timing distribution systems (PULSE, WAVE, F&T Systems) to large-scale scientific facilities. These are turn-key, fully redundant systems delivered with installation, site-tests and user training.
2. Femtosecond Lasers: Sale of femtosecond fiber lasers including SONATA (1030 nm) and SOPRANO (1560 nm, 2 μm) product lines. Turn-key systems for industrial and scientific applications.
3. Synchronization Modules: Sale of synchronization modules including BOMPD, BOC, TCBOC, ESYNC, Waveguide-BOC, and PFM. Standalone modules that can be used with timing systems or integrated into customer setups.
4. Optical Fibers and Components: Sale of specialty fibers including PM-DCF (polarization maintaining dispersion compensating fiber) and SM-DCF (single mode dispersion compensating fiber).
5. Service and Support: Expert installation, site-tests, user training, and ongoing service support to guarantee maximum availability of technology. Customized products with close customer collaboration throughout projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cycle manufactures and sells fiber-optic timing distribution and synchronization systems (PULSE, WAVE-100, F&T Systems, MTGEN, DIS1PPS) that deliver optical and RF timing signals with sub-femtosecond precision over distances up to 10 km. The portfolio also includes femtosecond fiber lasers (SONATA at 1030 nm; SOPRANO series at 1560 nm and 2 µm) and synchronization/measurement modules (BOMPD, TCBOC, BOC, Waveguide-BOC, PFM, ESYNC) used to phase-lock lasers and microwave sources in scientific and industrial settings.

Product overview

Cycle manufactures precision fiber-optic timing distribution and synchronization systems, femtosecond fiber lasers, and optical/electronic modules. The portfolio centers on three product families: (1) Frequency & Timing Generation and Distribution Systems (PULSE, WAVE-100, F&T Systems, MTGEN, DIS1PPS) for distributing timing signals over fiber with femtosecond precision; (2) Synchronization Modules (BOMPD, TCBOC, BOC, Waveguide-BOC, PFM, ESYNC) that synchronize lasers and microwave sources with attosecond resolution; and (3) Femtosecond Lasers (SONATA at 1030 nm, SOPRANO series at 1560 nm and 2 μm) providing turnkey ultrafast laser sources. Components include dispersion compensating fibers. All products work together as an integrated precision timing ecosystem, with PULSE serving as the flagship timing distribution platform, BOMPD/TCBOC/BOC as measurement synchronization modules, and ESYNC providing electronic control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PULSE Timing Distribution System

Quantifiable outcome

• Timing jitter < 5 fs RMS with timing drift < 5 fs over extended periods
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ESA (European Space Agency)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2022Cycle developed and installed the first Frequency & Timing Distribution System at ESA's Ground Segment Reference Facility (GSRF) of ESOC in Darmstadt. Now manufacturing three more systems for ESA's Deep Space Stations in Cebreros (Spain), New Norcia (Australia), and Malargüe (Argentina). This is an official ESA partnership for next-generation deep space tracking station timing systems.
• Lange-Electronic GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2020Partner company in the ESA contract to equip ESTRACK Deep Space ground stations with second generation Frequency and Timing Distribution Systems. Lange-Electronic provides complementary RF and timing equipment for the integrated solution.
• Menhir PhotonicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2020Partner company in the ESA contract for Deep Space ground station timing systems. Menhir Photonics provides ultrafast laser technology complementing Cycle's timing distribution systems.
• DESY (Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Cycle was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from DESY research institute in Hamburg, Germany. The company maintains close ties with DESY's ultrafast laser physics research group led by founder Franz Kärtner. Located on the DESY campus in Start-Up Labs Bahrenfeld.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TimeTech GmbH: German precision timing and synchronization systems vendor serving CERN, GSI, and other large-scale physics facilities. Directly comparable because it sells event timing, RF distribution, and clock systems into the same XFEL/synchrotron/accelerator customer base as Cycle's PULSE, WAVE, and F&T Systems.
• Menhir Photonics: Swiss maker of ultra-low-noise femtosecond lasers used as references for microwave and optical clocks. Directly comparable — and a Cycle partner on the ESA ESTRACK contract — providing complementary ultrafast laser sources that pair with Cycle's timing distribution electronics.
• TOPTICA Photonics AG: German manufacturer of femtosecond fiber lasers, frequency combs, and diode lasers for scientific and industrial applications. Directly comparable to Cycle's SONATA/SOPRANO lines; Cycle's incoming CEO Rafal Wilk previously held senior roles at TOPTICA.
• Vescent Photonics: US-based vendor of precision laser control electronics, including offset phase-locks and frequency comb servos for cold-atom and timing systems. Directly comparable to Cycle's ESYNC and synchronization modules in serving the same quantum/precision-timing customer base.
• Stable Laser Systems: US vendor of ultra-stable cavity-locked lasers and reference systems for optical clocks, atomic physics, and precision measurement. Comparable to Cycle's WAVE reference frequency transfer and SONATA platform in delivering frequency references at the limits of stability.
• KMLabs (Kapteyn-Murnane Laboratories): US maker of femtosecond Ti:Sapphire lasers and attosecond sources for science and microscopy. Comparable in product class (high-end ultrafast lasers) and overlapping customer base with Cycle's SOPRANO/SONATA in ultrafast spectroscopy and attosecond research.
• OEwaves: US developer of ultra-low-noise photonic oscillators and whispering-gallery-mode references for radar, sensing, and timing. Comparable to Cycle's WAVE-100 RF-over-fiber stabilized reference in pushing frequency stability beyond conventional atomic standards.
• Lange-Electronic GmbH: German RF/timing hardware vendor partnering with Cycle on the ESA ESTRACK deep space station contract. Directly comparable as a complementary supplier of RF distribution and timing electronics sold into the same scientific and space-ground-segment installations.

Broad incumbents

• Safran (Orolia): Large European navigation/timing group (formerly Orolia) supplying atomic clocks, GNSS simulators, and time servers to defense and aerospace. Comparable as a broad incumbent in precision timing but covering rubidium/CSAC clocks and wider timing infrastructure, not femtosecond laser distribution.
• Microchip Technology: Large semiconductor vendor (acquired Microsemi) offering chip-scale atomic clocks, PTP grandmasters, and time synchronization solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent in precision timing distribution at the network layer, but at commodity scale rather than Cycle's femtosecond scientific niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cycle