# Andrei Iancu

> Andrei Teodor Iancu is the Romanian-born engineer, founder, and CEO behind Halo Industries, a Stanford spinout using laser-based processes to turn hard, brittle materials into semiconductor wafers with less material loss. His path runs from an asylum journey and a Midwestern education through Boeing aerospace programs and Stanford research to a Santa Clara manufacturing company that raised up to $80 million in Series B funding in 2024.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Halo Industries, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Halo Industries, Inc., The Boeing Company, Stanford University, Prime Movers Lab, StartX
- **Education:** BS degrees in electrical engineering and aerospace engineering, Iowa State University, MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, PhD in Mechanical Engineering with electrical engineering study, Stanford University, Stanford Ignite, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Halo Industries and developed it from a Stanford spinout into a silicon carbide wafer manufacturer in volume production., Raised an oversubscribed Series B of up to $80 million for Halo Industries in 2024., Named the 2008 recipient of Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics' Nicholas J. Hoff Award for Outstanding Master's Degree Student.

## Career timeline

- **2006-2011** — Worked at Boeing as an engineer, scientist, and software engineer; he has said his projects included classified satellites, the X-37 program, and Future Combat Systems.
- **2008** — Received Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics' Nicholas J. Hoff Award for Outstanding Master's Degree Student.
- **2008-2014** — Worked as a research and teaching assistant at Stanford while studying advanced materials, energy devices, and semiconductors.
- **2014** — Co-founded Halo Industries as a Stanford spinout and became its CEO; the founding team also joined the StartX community.
- **2015** — Halo received U.S. Department of Energy support to develop a semi-automated, low-waste silicon wafering system.
- **2020** — Led a $1 million DOE-backed project to advance silicon carbide wafer manufacturing for power electronics in solar applications.
- **2024** — Halo announced an oversubscribed Series B of up to $80 million led by U.S. Innovative Technology Fund, with participation from 8VC and SAIC.
- **2025** — Appeared on the Line of Sight podcast to discuss his journey from Romania to Stanford, Halo, and a possible future focus on childcare and early education.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Halo Industries and developed it from a Stanford spinout into a silicon carbide wafer manufacturer in volume production.
- Raised an oversubscribed Series B of up to $80 million for Halo Industries in 2024.
- Named the 2008 recipient of Stanford Aeronautics and Astronautics' Nicholas J. Hoff Award for Outstanding Master's Degree Student.
- Served as principal investigator on U.S. Department of Energy projects for lower-waste silicon and silicon carbide wafer manufacturing.
- Named as an inventor on patents covering controlled crack propagation, capacitive clamping, semiconductor thin films, and laser-induced subsurface damage for material cleavage.

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — The Line of Sight podcast published a 52-minute conversation about Iancu's journey from communist Romania to Halo Industries and his interest in childcare and early childhood education.
- **2024-07** — Halo Industries announced an oversubscribed Series B of up to $80 million led by U.S. Innovative Technology Fund, with participation from 8VC and SAIC.

## Links

- Website: https://www.halo-industries.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrei-iancu

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andrei-iancu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-17