Celona, the first dedicated networking platform provider bridging the divide between 5G and enterprise infrastructures, announced today that it has closed $10 million in Series A funding. The new investment will be used to accelerate the development of its end-to-end solution architecture and support initial customer deployments.

"Celona was founded on the principle that a modern technology stack powered by cloud software can in fact make cellular wireless accessible to enterprises," said Rajeev Shah, Celona CEO. "We will deliver a network service edge to ensure guaranteed service levels for business critical applications, and an AI-powered cloud platform to automate network operations. With Celona, enterprise IT and OT teams will be able to adopt a new generation of network dependent apps and take the initial steps in getting ready for the use of 5G within their organization."

Rise of 5G Wireless

Across industries, investments into digital transformation projects are poised to accelerate with the arrival of 5G. There is an increasing demand in the enterprise for the unprecedented wireless coverage and reliability that 5G delivers. Also leveraging today's announcement for the initial commercial deployment (ICD) of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) frequency band in the United States as a catalyst, Celona will significantly simplify the adoption of cellular wireless by enterprises thanks to its end-to-end solution architecture powered by cloud software.

Celona's integrated product offer prevents the need to purchase, install and operate multiple disparate products and enables the level of agility in innovation that enterprises demand. It also enables service providers to improve their enterprise friendly business and go to market models, and start planning a migration towards converged 5G wireless services at the edge.

"We're proud to back the Celona team, who bring exceptional experience with the right skills to lead the enterprise 5G networking space at such a pivotal time," said Matthew Howard, general partner at Norwest Venture Partners. "The combination of 5G and CBRS will create tremendous opportunity for innovation and Celona is uniquely positioned to guide IT organizations and service providers through this new era of digital transformation."

To enable the next-generation of edge compute and AI driven experiences in the enterprise, Celona's unique IP lies in its ability to deliver wireless connectivity to apps that demand ultra-low latency communications and highest levels of availability. With CBRS, it is also now possible to enable dedicated clean spectrum usage within the enterprise boundaries further improving reliability metrics for wireless connectivity en route to deliver guaranteed service levels.

"Celona is at the forefront of the next generation wireless revolution. Looking forward, Celona's AI-powered platform will enable all sorts of new enterprise applications," said Arif Janmohamed, partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. "This incredibly talented team is rethinking the paradigm for how enterprise developers will work with the network."

Beta Program Kicks Off

During its journey to take enterprise wireless to where it has not yet been, Celona is looking forward to partnering with businesses, solution partners and service providers along the way. Visit Celona at celona.io to join the conversation by registering for its technology webinar series, or by submitting an application for Celona's beta program to take an active part in the development of its technology.

About Celona

Celona, the enterprise 5G company, is focused on enabling new generation of AI-powered business critical apps in the enterprise and helping organizations accelerate their digital transformation journey. Taking advantage of the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum, Celona's solution architecture is designed to simplify and automate deployment of cellular wireless technology by enterprise IT organizations and managed service providers. For more information, please visit celona.io. Follow Celona on Twitter @celonaio.

About Norwest Venture Partners

Norwest is a premier multi-stage investment firm managing more than $7.5 billion in capital. Since our inception, Norwest has invested in more than 600 companies and partner with over 140 active companies across our venture and growth equity portfolio. The firm invests in early to late stage companies across a wide range of sectors with a focus on consumer, enterprise, and healthcare. Norwest has offices in Palo Alto and San Francisco, with subsidiaries in India and Israel. For more information, please visit nvp.com. Follow Norwest on Twitter @NorwestVP.

About Lightspeed Venture Partners

Lightspeed Venture Partners is a venture capital firm focused on accelerating disruptive innovations and trends in the Enterprise and Consumer sectors. Over the past two decades, the Lightspeed team has backed hundreds of entrepreneurs and helped build more than 350 companies globally. The firm currently manages over $9 billion of committed capital and invests in the U.S. and internationally, with investment professionals and advisors in Silicon Valley, Israel, India and China. For more information, please visit lsvp.com. Follow Lightspeed on Twitter @LightspeedVP.

About Cervin Ventures

Cervin Ventures is a seed and early stage venture firm, focusing solely on opportunities in the B2B software space. They have pioneered a dual path seed for high-growth companies that either choose a traditional VC or a capital-efficient path. For more information, please visit cervinventures.com.