What Konarka Technologies does

Konarka Technologies, Inc. is a venture-backed developer of third-generation polymer photovoltaic materials spun out of the University of Massachusetts Lowell in July 2001. The company's core technology combines dye-sensitized solar cell architecture — licensed exclusively from EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) — with proprietary cold-sintering and roll-to-roll manufacturing processes that enable photovoltaic cells to be printed onto flexible plastic substrates rather than traditional glass or silicon. Through the 2003 acquisition of Quantum Solar Energy Linz (QSEL), Konarka added conducting polymer-based organic photovoltaic technology, making it the worldwide leader in organic photovoltaics and enabling hybrid solar cell designs that combine nanocrystalline titanium dioxide with conducting polymers. Konarka's prototype cells achieved 7-8% efficiency in full-size production cells, with stated targets above 10%, and the technology operates across both sunlight and indoor artificial light spectra.

The company's product portfolio includes flexible photovoltaic modules, soldier roll-out solar charging units for military applications, and photovoltaic fibers for integration into clothing, with planned commercial launch by December 2004. Konarka serves four target segments: military and government (U.S. Army, Navy, DARPA), consumer electronics, commercial/industrial buildings, and off-grid/remote applications. Its business model is anchored in three revenue streams: photovoltaic product sales, licensing of its IP portfolio (including exclusive licenses from EPFL and UMass Lowell, plus acquired patents from Chalmers University and DuPont), and government R&D contracts. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to defense agencies, OEM/embedded partnerships for product integration, and strategic alliances with large energy and chemical companies such as EDF, ChevronTexaco Technology Ventures, and Eastman Chemical for global market development.

By mid-2004, Konarka had raised more than $32 million across seed, Series B, and Series C rounds from investors including Zero Stage Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, New Enterprise Associates, ChevronTexaco, Eastman Ventures, Good Energies, and Partech International, supplemented by over $6 million in DARPA contracts and additional Army, Navy, and Massachusetts state funding. The company operated from Lowell, Massachusetts with wholly-owned R&D subsidiaries in Linz, Austria and Zug, Switzerland, and was led by Chairman & CEO Howard Berke with a management team recruited from Polaroid, E Ink, Hyperion Catalysis, IGEN International, and Sanmina-SCI.

Name

Konarka Technologies

Legal name

Konarka Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://konarkatech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Konarka Technologies develops nano-enabled, third-generation polymer photovoltaic materials using dye-sensitized and organic PV technology manufactured via proprietary roll-to-roll processes on flexible plastic substrates, serving military, consumer electronics, building-integrated, and off-grid applications globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photovoltaic Solar Energy Products

NAICS

Power, Distribution, and Specialty Transformer Manufacturing (335311)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Motors & Generators (3621)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar PV Module & Cell Manufacturing (Crystalline, Thin-Film) (EUAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Solar PV Module Manufacturing (Cells, Modules, Thin-Film) (EUAMABAD)

Keywords

• Polymer photovoltaic products
• Dye-sensitized solar cells
• Flexible solar cells
• Organic photovoltaic technology
• Roll-to-roll solar manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Photovoltaic Product Sales: Sales of flexible, lightweight photovoltaic products for military, commercial, industrial, government and consumer applications. Products include portable solar chargers, solar-integrated materials for buildings, and flexible solar panels.
2. Licensing of Technology: Licensing of proprietary photovoltaic technology and processes to other manufacturers. The company holds patents and technology licenses including exclusive worldwide licensing rights from UMass Lowell and EPFL.
3. Government Contracts: R&D contracts and grants from government agencies including U.S. Army, Navy, DARPA, and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for developing photovoltaic technology for military applications.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Konarka develops and manufactures polymer photovoltaic products — flexible, lightweight solar cells that convert sunlight and indoor artificial light into electrical energy. The cells are built using dye-sensitized nanocrystalline titanium dioxide and organic conducting polymer materials coated on rolls of plastic via a proprietary low-temperature cold-sintering and roll-to-roll process. Target applications include military field power, portable electronics charging, building-integrated photovoltaics, and off-grid power.

Product overview

Konarka Technologies develops and manufactures polymer photovoltaic products that convert light to electrical energy. The company's core offerings include flexible, lightweight photovoltaic cells built using proprietary dye-sensitized nanocrystalline titanium dioxide technology and organic photovoltaic technology, both suitable for roll-to-roll manufacturing on plastic substrates. Products include third-generation photovoltaic cells achieving approximately 8% efficiency, soldier roll-out solar charging units for military applications, and photovoltaic fibers for integration into clothing. The company positions these as alternatives to traditional glass or silicon-based solar panels, targeting military, portable electronics, construction, and consumer applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Polymer Photovoltaic Products
• Soldier Roll-Out Solar Charging Units Portable, flexible photovoltaic units that soldiers can unroll from their backpacks to charge batteries and power communications, sensing, and other field equipment. Developed for U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center to reduce the heavy battery burden carried by soldiers.
• Photovoltaic Fibers Energy-generating fibers woven into fabric to create cloth-based photovoltaics that convert light into electrical energy. Targeted at soldier uniforms for in-field power generation and at consumer apparel and other textile applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7-8% efficiency achieved in production cells, targeting >10%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden)majorTechnology or Integration · 27 April 2004Konarka acquired patent assets from Chalmers University of Technology related to photovoltaic product development, adding to Konarka's intellectual property estate.
• Oak Ridge National LaboratorycoreTechnology or Integration · 21 April 2004Konarka is collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory for further technology development of photovoltaic products. Oak Ridge selected Konarka as its exclusive partner for R&D of chemistry related to solar cells.
• European Union Photovoltaic ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2004Konarka's European subsidiaries (Konarka Austria and Konarka Technologies AG) were selected to participate in a European consortium of leading photovoltaic research agencies. The goal is wide-spread adoption of high-efficiency, low-cost photovoltaic cells at less than €1 Euro per watt.
• DuPont Electronic & Communication TechnologiesmajorTechnology or Integration · 24 February 2004Konarka licensed certain intellectual property from DuPont to compliment its organic photovoltaic program and further leadership in third-generation photovoltaic technology.
• Groupe Electricité de France (EDF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2003EDF, the world's largest utility company operating 120,000+ MW of generation capacity and serving 45 million customers, partnered with Konarka to develop and launch polymer photovoltaic products globally. Working through EDF's Easenergy team in Silicon Valley, the companies collaborate on commercial, industrial, government and consumer applications.
• U.S. Army Natick Soldier CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2003U.S. Army funded Konarka to develop photovoltaic technology providing lightweight, flexible, scalable and renewable power for military applications. The Army's Natick Soldier Center coordinates with Konarka on prototype development for soldier power systems.
• Eastman Ventures (Eastman Chemical Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 May 2003Eastman Ventures, the venture capital arm of Eastman Chemical Company, entered into a strategic relationship with Konarka to leverage Konarka's technology for exploring new markets such as photovoltaics. Eastman Chemical is also an investor in Konarka's funding rounds.
• Quantum Solar Energy Linz (QSEL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2003Konarka acquired QSEL from Linz AG, making Konarka the worldwide leader in organic photovoltaics. The Austrian company was renamed Konarka Austria Forschungs- u. EntwicklungsgesmbH. Dr. N. Serdar Sariciftci joined Konarka's Scientific Advisory Board.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors16 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 Konarka Technologies