Phononic Vibes Raises $27M to Make Noise Control Lighter

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-23

You know that annoying hum from trains or factories? Milan-based Phononic Vibes just raised €25 million (about $27 million) to quiet things down without adding bulk. The company makes noise and vibration products for rail, energy, industry, construction, and mobility. And it's not just about quieter machines—it's about doing it with less material, which is a big deal for infrastructure. The round was led by Jolt Capital, a Paris-based private equity firm that focuses on deep tech. Jolt Capital V, the fund behind the investment, is targeting €1 billion (around $1.08 billion) and is nearing its final close. Other participants included Eureka! Venture SGR, CDP Venture Capital SGR, and Simest SpA. As part of the deal, 360 Capital's stake, held since the seed round, was acquired. Back in 2020, Phononic Vibes closed a €2.3 million (about $2.5 million) round. ### Why Noise Control Is at a Turning Point Andrea Traversone, Managing Partner at Jolt Capital, put it simply: "Noise control is reaching a turning point. Conventional products have hit their physical limit, and infrastructure needs quieter assets with less weight and space." He added that Phononic Vibes combines breakthrough science, a patented design engine, and manufacturing at scale. This is Jolt Capital V's first investment in Italy, which Traversone calls "a country with an increasingly dynamic and vibrant deeptech ecosystem." ### The Science of Quiet Founded in 2018 by Luca D'Alessandro, Giovanni Capellari, and Stefano Caverni as a spin-off from Politecnico di Milano, Phononic Vibes manufactures in Italy and leads a group of established European manufacturers, including Matis, founded in 1979. So what's the big idea? Traditional noise barriers, enclosures, and silencers all follow the mass law: more quiet means more material. Phononic Vibes breaks that rule with metamaterials—structures whose shape does the work that mass used to do. The result? Products that weigh up to 30% less while delivering the same acoustic performance, or perform better at the same weight. At the heart of the company is a proprietary design engine protected by 18 patent families. As the company explains, "It turns the physics of metamaterials into certified products, drawing on application libraries that grow with every project, so each new market starts from proven designs rather than a blank sheet." ### Big Names Already on Board Deutsche Bahn certified Phononic Vibes' transparent noise barrier for the German rail network—the first see-through panel it rates as highly absorbing. Mercedes-Benz uses the technology in series production, which the company says is the first metamaterial in a series-production car. Contractors like Webuild and Eteria choose its barriers because they install faster. Revenue has doubled every year since 2018, and the company reached break-even in 2025. > "Weight has always been the price of quiet. We have shown it is a design choice, with two of Europe's most demanding customers." — Luca D'Alessandro, CEO and co-founder He also thanked 360 Capital for believing in them from the early days, when they were still working at desks at Politecnico di Milano. ### What's Next for Phononic Vibes With the fresh capital, the company plans to scale its design engine internationally, expand into new applications, and strengthen delivery capabilities. Targeted acquisitions will complement this strategy by extending the reach of its technology and bringing additional industrial capabilities. So next time you're near a train line or a data center, think about it: the future of quiet might just be lighter, thanks to a Milanese startup that's turning physics into peace.