# Cambridge Terahertz

> Cambridge Terahertz is an MIT spinout building a chip-based imaging system that combines the 3D vision of lidar with the see-through power of X-ray, but using human-safe terahertz waves at a thousandth the power of a cell phone. Shrunk from an airport-scale scanner into a palm-sized, two-pound device, its AI-powered sensors detect concealed weapons through clothing and bags, and can see inside sealed packages without opening them. Founded in 2023 by MIT PhD Nathan Monroe, the company raised a $12M seed round led by Felicis with participation from Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** Sunnyvale, California, United States
- **Founders:** Nathan Monroe (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** 14 employees
- **Products:** Compact Terahertz Imaging Sensor, AI Threat Detection Platform, Package & Contents Imaging, Security Workflow APIs
- **Notable:** Raised $12M seed round led by Felicis with Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund participation (2025), One of the only companies globally with an FCC license to operate at terahertz frequencies, backed by a rigorous human-safety analysis, Shrank airport-scale scanning capability into a chip-based, ~2-pound handheld device

## Products & services

- **Compact Terahertz Imaging Sensor** — A roughly two-pound, palm-sized device that mounts like a security camera and uses human-safe terahertz waves to see through clothing, bags, plastic, paper, ceramics and cardboard to detect firearms, knives, explosives and contraband.
- **AI Threat Detection Platform** — Software that interprets terahertz imagery in real time, reducing false positives and issuing anonymized threat alerts without capturing or storing personal identifying information.
- **Package & Contents Imaging** — Chip-based 3D imaging that sees inside sealed, unopened boxes to verify contents - aimed at return-fraud prevention, supply-chain visibility, and non-destructive inspection.
- **Security Workflow APIs** — Standard APIs that integrate the sensor network into existing physical-security systems and workflows.

## Achievements

- Raised $12M seed round led by Felicis with Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund participation (2025)
- One of the only companies globally with an FCC license to operate at terahertz frequencies, backed by a rigorous human-safety analysis
- Shrank airport-scale scanning capability into a chip-based, ~2-pound handheld device
- Developed three generations of custom silicon (RFIC) chips
- Secured four active government contracts including DoD and NSF
- First public demo at ISC West in Las Vegas
- Founder Nathan Monroe demonstrated an early solid-state terahertz radar imager featured in MIT News and TechCrunch

## Latest updates

- **2025-07** — Announced $12M seed round led by Felicis with participation from Amazon's Industrial Innovation Fund, Tishman Speyer, Plug and Play, Good Growth Capital and Stata Capital.
- **2025-07** — CNBC reported Amazon backing the startup to help tackle a $100B+ return-fraud problem by verifying package contents without opening them.
- **2025-06** — Joined the Security Industry Association as a new member; profiled by SIA.
- **2025** — Completed first public product demo at ISC West in Las Vegas; commercial trials planned.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thzcorp.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thzcorp

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/cambridge-terahertz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-06