# David Friedman

> David Friedman is a Silicon Valley founder and operator whose career has moved from bank M&A and Intel pricing to 3D memory, low-power Wi-Fi, the Internet of Things and now photonic links for AI data centers. He co-founded Ayla Networks in 2010, later advised and operated autonomous-technology ventures, and is currently VP Operations and a founder of Lumilens, where the challenge is turning ambitious optical designs into products that can ship at hyperscaler volume.

- **Role:** VP Operations and founder at Lumilens
- **Organizations:** Lumilens, Ayla Networks, Aquatrino, Venti Technologies, Oyla, ALICE Technologies, Berkeley Catalyst Fund, ZeroG Wireless, Matrix Semiconductor, SanDisk, Intel, Chase Bank
- **Education:** MBA, University of Michigan - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, BA in History, Colgate University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Ayla Networks and led it as CEO from 2010 until 2018., Helped build Ayla around an end-to-end Internet of Things platform spanning embedded software, cloud services and applications., Holds five United States patents, including work related to vertically stacked three-dimensional memory systems.

## Career timeline

- **1993-1995** — Worked as a mergers and acquisitions analyst at Chase Bank.
- **1997-2000** — Worked on microprocessor pricing strategy at Intel.
- **2000-2006** — Held sales and marketing roles at Matrix Semiconductor, which was acquired by SanDisk.
- **2006-2010** — Led business development and strategic marketing work at low-power Wi-Fi company ZeroG Wireless.
- **2010** — Co-founded Ayla Networks and became CEO.
- **2018-2021** — Moved from Ayla CEO to executive chairman and chief strategy officer, later serving as executive chairman.
- **2019-2023** — Held strategy, advisory, board and finance roles across Oyla, ALICE Technologies and Venti Technologies.
- **2023-2024** — Served as a venture partner at Berkeley Catalyst Fund.
- **2024** — Co-founded Lumilens and joined as VP Operations; also listed as a co-founder of Aquatrino.
- **2026** — Lumilens emerged from stealth, announced more than $700 million in Series C funding and said its first optical product was shipping into production AI data centers.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Ayla Networks and led it as CEO from 2010 until 2018.
- Helped build Ayla around an end-to-end Internet of Things platform spanning embedded software, cloud services and applications.
- Holds five United States patents, including work related to vertically stacked three-dimensional memory systems.
- Co-founded Lumilens in 2024 and leads operations as the company moves photonic interconnect products into hyperscaler production.
- Built a career linking finance, pricing, go-to-market work, semiconductor products and startup operations.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Lumilens emerged from stealth and announced more than $700 million in Series C funding at a reported $5.51 billion valuation, bringing announced funding above $900 million.
- **2026-08** — Lumilens said its initial scale-out optical transceiver had completed qualification and begun shipping to a major hyperscaler's production AI data centers under a multi-billion-dollar supply agreement.
- **2026-08** — Lumilens' current leadership page listed Friedman as VP Operations and founder.

## Links

- Website: https://lumilens.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrfriedman/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-friedman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-26