Newsweek: America's Greatest Disruptors: Budding Disruptors

Using Diamonds for Internet Access

Courtesy of Felix Ejeckam

FELIX EJECKAM - FOUNDER AND CEO, AKASH SYSTEMS

Career Background

Before launching his start-up Akash Systems in 2016, Ejeckam was head of Defense and Aerospace at Element Six. There he made and sold gallium nitride-on-diamond wafers, a semiconductor material used in automotives and power supplies for wind and solar farms. Beyond its use as expensive jewelry, diamond is nature's most thermally conductive material.

Innovation at Akash Systems

At Akash Systems, Ejeckam grows synthetic diamonds in a lab to use the same gallium nitride-on-diamond technology for a new purpose: internet connection. Ejeckam says the company's satellite radios can deliver ubiquitous internet access for less than $5 a month, compared to the $100 to $150 typical for high-internet access on mobile phones now.

Future Plans and Impact

The first diamond-powered satellites are scheduled to launch next year; Ejeckam says the first users will be those living in rural areas, sea travelers and people flying over international waters. Backstage Capital founder and Akash investor, Arlan Hamilton, says, "There's a lot of talk about billionaires shooting things out into space, but Felix is doing the work." —M.G.

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