What Lepton Systems does

Lepton Systems manufactures large-density physical Layer 1 switches and test automation solutions for enterprise and AI infrastructure laboratories. Founded in 2016 by former Ixia and MRV engineers Yossi Maish (CEO) and Eli Laufer (VP of Technologies), the company is headquartered in Agoura Hills, California. Its core technology is OEO (Optical-Electrical-Optical) switching, which provides protocol-agnostic, bit-transparent physical connectivity across any media type — multimode fiber, singlemode fiber, AOC, DAC, and RJ45 copper — at data rates from 10Mbps to 128Gbps within a single chassis.

The product portfolio centers on the ColdFusion family, available in an 8-slot 12RU chassis (up to 256 QSFP28 or 1024 SFP ports via breakout) and a 2-slot 4RU chassis for smaller deployments, with interchangeable 32 QSFP and 64 SFP interface blades. In 2025 the company expanded into pure optical switching with the LightFusion OSP-96 platform, a 96x96 MEMS-based all-optical matrix switch targeting 100Gb-800Gb+ applications. Primary customers are Network Equipment Manufacturers needing test lab automation, data centers and AI training facilities requiring high-bandwidth low-latency interconnects, and automotive Ethernet labs.

The business model is direct enterprise hardware sales with quote-based multi-year contracts and no disclosed reseller channel. Revenue is generated through chassis and interface blade sales, with MSA-compliant optics sourced from third-party vendors. The company sells through field sales, industry conferences (notably OFC), webinars, and technical content marketing. An MRV MCC migration trade-in program is used as a customer acquisition channel, leveraging the founders' lineage to the original MRV Media Cross Connect product. No external funding rounds have been disclosed.

Name

Lepton Systems

Website

https://leptonsys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lepton Systems designs and manufactures high-density Layer 1 OEO and MEMS optical switches for test lab automation, serving network equipment manufacturers, AI/HPC data centers, and automotive Ethernet labs via direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Test Equipment / Layer 1 Switching Hardware

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

PHYs, Retimers & Gearbox Components (Signal Conditioning) (HDAFAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Copper Transceivers & Direct Attach (RJ45 Modules/DAC Cables) (HDAFAEAF), Interface ICs (USB/HDMI/SerDes/Level Shifters) (HDAHAIAD)

Keywords

• Layer 1 switching
• Physical layer switches
• Test lab automation
• OEO optical switching
• Network test equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Agoura Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - ColdFusion Switches: Sale of Layer 1 OEO switches including 8-slot chassis, 2-slot chassis, and interface blades (32 QSFP, 64 SFP)
2. Hardware Sales - LightFusion Switches: Sale of optical switching platform products including OSP-96 and OSP-192 chassis based on MEMS technology
3. Interface Blades and Accessories: Sale of interface blades (32 QSFP Interface Blade, 64 SFP Interface Blade) and SFP/QSFP modules for expansion

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lepton Systems manufactures high-density Layer 1 (physical layer) switches and test lab automation solutions built on proprietary OEO (Optical-Electrical-Optical) and MEMS-based optical switching technologies. Its ColdFusion and LightFusion product families provide software-defined physical connectivity for network equipment test labs, data centers, and automotive Ethernet test environments, supporting media from 10Mbps to 128Gbps in a single chassis.

Product overview

Lepton Systems offers a portfolio of Layer 1 (physical layer) switching products centered on the ColdFusion family, which includes two chassis sizes (8-slot 12RU and 2-slot 4RU) that accept interchangeable Interface Blades. The ColdFusion switches are OEO (Optical-Electrical-Optical) technology switches supporting data rates from 10Mbps to 128Gbps in the same chassis. The product family also includes the LightFusion Optical Switch Platform (OSP-96), based on MEMS technology for all-optical switching in next-generation networks. Interface Blades (32 QSFP and 64 SFP variants) can be mixed and matched in any chassis slot to provide flexible port configurations supporting Ethernet, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, and other protocols across various media types.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ColdFusion: Layer 1 switch product family for test lab automation, supporting 10mb to 128Gbps in the same chassis. Available in 8-slot (12RU) and 2-slot (4RU) chassis configurations.
• LightFusion

Products and services

• ColdFusion 8-Slot Chassis A 12 RU chassis that houses up to eight Interface Blades for the ColdFusion Layer 1 switch family, supporting up to 256 QSFP 128Gbps ports or 512 SFP 32Gbps ports in a single chassis. Designed for large-scale test lab automation.
• ColdFusion 2-Slot Chassis A compact 4 RU chassis with two Interface Blade slots designed for smaller labs or edge deployments, supporting up to 64 QSFP 128Gbps ports or 128 SFP 28Gbps ports.
• ColdFusion 32 QSFP Interface Blade An interface blade with 32 configurable QSFP28/SFP28 ports supporting data rates up to 128Gbps; each port can partition into four 1-28Gbps data lanes using breakout cables.
• ColdFusion 64 SFP Interface Blade An interface blade with 64 configurable SFP-based ports supporting data rates up to 28Gbps (32Gbps Fibre Channel) and RJ45 copper modules up to 10G.
• LightFusion OSP-96 An optical switch platform using MEMS technology providing 96x96 non-blocking all-optical matrix switching, supporting 100Gb-800Gb speeds with ultra-low optical loss for carrier and enterprise networks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Test configurations executed in seconds vs. hours
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MRV MCC CustomerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lepton Systems offers a migration and trade-in program for customers affected by the End-of-Life announcement of the MRV Media Cross Connect (MCC). Lepton's ColdFusion is designed as a drop-in replacement and works in 100% collaboration with existing MCC switches. The Lepton team previously developed the MCC at MRV, enabling smooth transitions while extending functionality to 128Gbps and doubling port density.
• MSA Compliant SFP/QSFP Module VendorscoreTechnology or IntegrationColdFusion supports any MSA (Multi-Source Agreement) compliant SFP or QSFP module, enabling customers to use transceivers from any vendor that adheres to MSA standards. This includes support for 10/100/1000/2.5G/5G/10G RJ45 copper, Ethernet to 25Gbps, Fibre Channel up to 32Gbps, 1394 Firewire, and various fiber types.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spirent Communications: Direct competitor in lab test automation with deep ties to NEMs. Lepton's ColdFusion integrates with Spirent Velocity, reflecting how Spirent frames the lab orchestration layer that Lepton's L1 switch plugs into.

Broad incumbents

• EXFO: Manufactures fiber optic test, measurement, and monitoring instruments used by carriers, NEMs, and data centers. Comparable in the fiber/media test domain that Lepton's multimode/singlemode OEO switching serves.
• Anritsu: Global test and measurement vendor with strong positions in optical, RF, and Ethernet testing. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose NEM and service-provider customers overlap with Lepton's target base.
• Teledyne LeCroy (Teledyne Test Tools): Provides oscilloscopes, protocol analyzers, and Ethernet test equipment used in chip, board, and system validation. Comparable in the electrical signal testing domain Lepton's switches serve within test labs.
• Viavi Solutions: Provides network test, assurance, and fiber optic instrumentation used by NEMs and service providers. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same physical-layer and Ethernet test category that Lepton targets.
• Keysight Technologies: Acquired Ixia and now offers end-to-end network test platforms spanning L1-L7. Highly comparable because Keysight owns the IxLoad franchise that Lepton's CEO built, and competes head-on in physical and higher-layer network test.
• Rohde & Schwarz: Major T&M player with growing footprint in Ethernet and automotive Ethernet testing. Comparable because both serve automotive Ethernet labs, one of Lepton's stated verticals.
• ADVA Optical Networking (formerly MRV): Acquired MRV Communications and announced End-of-Life of the Media Cross Connect (MCC). Directly comparable because their MCC is the product Lepton's ColdFusion is explicitly designed to replace.

Emerging players

• GL Communications: Smaller specialist in voice, data, and network test tools with strong telecom and NEM relationships. Comparable as a focused, niche test-vendor with overlapping customers in lab automation.
• Calnex Solutions: Specialist in network synchronization and timing test, including IEEE 1588 and SyncE. Comparable as a focused, smaller-scale physical-layer test vendor serving telecom and NEM customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/leptonsys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Lepton Systems