The Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech

Name

The Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech

Legal name

California Institute of Technology

Website

https://kni.caltech.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Institute and Nanofabrication Facility Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Nanotechnology (541713), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

R&D / Prototyping & MPW Shuttle Foundries (HDAHACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engineering & Technology Institutes (Comprehensive) (EDAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Nanofabrication facility
• Cleanroom characterization services
• Nanoscience research
• Lithography and etching
• Electron microscopy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. The Kavli Foundation Funding: The Kavli Foundation, established by Fred Kavli in 2000, provides core funding to KNI as the first Kavli Institute dedicated to nanoscience. The foundation's mission focuses on stimulating basic research for long-term benefit to humanity.
2. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Co-Funding: Additional support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation helped establish and fund the KNI Laboratory facility.
3. Fletcher Jones Foundation Support: The Fletcher Jones Foundation supports the Director position of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute.
4. Laboratory Usage Fees: The KNI Laboratory operates as a campus recharge center, billing hourly general cleanroom and equipment usage rates. External users (academic, government, industry) pay additional membership fees.
5. Endowed Prize Programs: KNI manages endowed programs including the Nils Asplund FAST Prize ($30,000 for materials + up to $10,000 for lab fees), KNI-Wheatley Scholars ($30,000 seed funding), and KNI Catalyst Award ($1,000 prize).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Kavli Nanoscience Institute (KNI) operates a 7,500 sq ft multi-user nanofabrication and characterization cleanroom facility at Caltech, providing researchers access to advanced instrumentation for electron beam lithography, ion beam lithography, optical and two-photon lithography, deposition (e-beam evaporation, sputtering, PECVD, ALD), ICP-RIE etching, and electron, ion, and scanning probe microscopy. It also funds and administers nanoscience research programs, including seed-grant prizes, fellowships, and catalyst awards that support early-career researchers and cross-disciplinary nanoscience work.

Product overview

The Kavli Nanoscience Institute (KNI) at Caltech is a research institute and shared facility, not a traditional software or product company. It operates the KNI Laboratory, a 7,500 sq ft multi-user nanofabrication and characterization facility that provides access to advanced instrumentation including lithography tools (electron beam, ion beam, optical, two-photon), deposition systems (electron beam evaporators, sputtering, PECVD, atomic layer deposition), etching equipment (ICP-RIE), and microscopy (SEM, FIB, TEM, AFM). The KNI also manages educational and research support programs including the KNI Superusers Program, KNI Catalyst Award, KNI-Wheatley Scholars, Nils Asplund FAST Prize, and SURF-the-WAVE Fellowships. Research areas span Evolution of the Solar System, Nano-architected Materials, Quantum Nanophotonics, Quantum Straintronics, and Subtractive Manufacturing for Quantum Materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KNI Laboratory A 7,500 sq ft multi-user nanofabrication and characterization cleanroom facility providing researchers access to advanced instrumentation for electron beam lithography, ion beam lithography, optical and two-photon lithography, deposition (e-beam evaporation, sputtering, PECVD, ALD), ICP-RIE etching, and electron, ion, and scanning probe microscopy (TEM, SEM, FIB, AFM), serving Caltech, JPL, Southern California university, and external industry users.
• KNI-Wheatley Scholars An endowed program providing $30,000 of seed funding to one tenure-track Caltech faculty member annually to pursue novel proof-of-concept demonstrations in nanoscience.
• Nils Asplund FAST Prize A $30,000 materials prize plus up to $10,000 in KNI Lab fees supporting collaborative projects that create new tools and techniques for nanoscience research, awarded across multi-year project periods.
• SURF-the-WAVE Fellowships Summer research fellowships supporting undergraduate students from marginalized and non-traditional backgrounds to conduct nanoscience research at Caltech through KNI-affiliated labs.
• KNI Superusers Program A program leveraging advanced researchers' expertise to support the broader user base and cleanroom operations through knowledge sharing, user training, and tool maintenance, offering graduate-student participants $4,000/year supplemental income.
• KNI Catalyst Award An annual $1,000 shared prize recognizing change agents who advance inclusion, equity, and accessibility in STEM through KNI.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over two decades of breakthrough discoveries in nanoscale photonics, materials science, and biotechnology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJPL, managed by Caltech, is a key partner where researchers utilize the KNI Laboratory for space-related nanoscience research. JPL researchers work alongside Caltech faculty across multiple research initiatives.
• Center for Teaching, Learning & Outreach (CTLO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus resource center partnering with KNI for education and outreach initiatives supporting students and the local community.
• Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with KNI on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives including outreach programs and student support.
• Student-Faculty Programs Office (SFP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with KNI on fellowship programs including SURF, WAVE, and the Caltech Connection mentorship program.
• Caltech YminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with KNI on community engagement and outreach programs for students and local community.
• Caltech ConnectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNear-peer mentorship program pairing undergraduate students from community colleges and minority-serving institutions with Caltech grad student and postdoc mentors, supported by KNI.
• NSF ATE Micro- and Nano-Technology Education Center (MNTEC) at Pasadena City CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF ATE center providing resources and opportunities for students and educators in nanoscience. KNI is a contributor and partner.
• Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at UC BerkeleyminorOthersAdditional Kavli Institute dedicated to energy nanoscience, part of the global network of Kavli nanoscience institutes.
• Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science (KIC)minorOthersPart of the global network of Kavli nanoscience institutes, dedicated to nanoscale science research.
• Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery at University of OxfordminorOthersPart of the global network of Kavli nanoscience institutes, dedicated to nanoscience discovery.
• Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of TechnologyminorOthersPart of the global network of Kavli nanoscience institutes, dedicated to nanoscience research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science: Sister Kavli nanoscience institute embedded in a university nanofabrication ecosystem; comparable in mission, foundation backing, and multi-user facility model.
• Center for Nanoscale Materials (Argonne National Laboratory): DOE Office of Science user facility offering nanofabrication, characterization, and cleanroom access; comparable mission and multi-user operating model.
• Center for Functional Nanomaterials (Brookhaven National Laboratory): DOE Office of Science user facility providing open-access nanofabrication and characterization tools to academic and industry researchers; comparable facility-user model and toolset.
• Marvell Nanolab at UC Berkeley: University nanofabrication facility at Berkeley serving hundreds of researchers with similar lithography, deposition, and etch capabilities.
• MIT.nano: MIT's flagship nanotechnology facility; comparable multi-user cleanroom infrastructure, cross-disciplinary research scope, and recharge-based access model.
• Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery at University of Oxford: Sister Kavli nanoscience institute at Oxford; same foundation network and nanoscience research mission, providing a useful international benchmark.
• Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at Delft University of Technology: Sister Kavli nanoscience institute at TU Delft; same foundation network and research focus on nanoscale devices and quantum nanoscience.
• Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at UC Berkeley: Sister Kavli nanoscience institute; both operate as multi-user research facilities with foundation funding and shared focus on nanoscale science, though Berkeley's center emphasizes energy nanoscience.
• Columbia Nano Initiative: University-wide nanoscale research initiative at Columbia providing shared nanofabrication tools and cross-disciplinary research programs comparable to KNI's model.
• Stanford Nanofabrication Facility (SNF): University multi-user nanofabrication facility serving Stanford researchers; comparable toolset, recharge-center business model, and academic open-access user base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWbGhTKjT6wv7T4sZ23E7WQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/kavli-nanoscience-institute-caltech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 The Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech