Celona
Component
Turnkey private 4G/5G LAN platform on CBRS spectrum, sold as enterprise IT and resold by Verizon and NTT.
Celona sells private 4G/5G LANs as an enterprise IT product. The system combines CBRS-spectrum radios, a cloud-native core, SIM management and network-planning software into one turnkey deployment an IT team can install without a carrier, sold on subscription. It implements O-RAN and 3GPP interfaces so third-party radios and components can integrate, and has extended into an 'edgeless enterprise' architecture that converges RAN, security tooling and applications on cloud-native edge platforms. The route to market is direct and through carriers: Verizon Business resells Celona as a turnkey private networking service and NTT partners on enterprise private 5G. Customers include hospital systems, universities and manufacturing sites.
Research mapping
Physical AI / Connectivity, RF & Positioning (L6) / Component
Evidence boundary
Original analysis and independent corroboration remain under development. Commercial scale and durable technical advantage remain under review.
What makes it defensible
A software-defined, CBRS-based private 5G stack simple enough for enterprise IT to self-deploy — carrier-grade integration and spectrum automation are the barrier, not the radio.
Position in the stack: Connectivity layer for factories and robot fleets: deterministic private wireless is the precondition for mobile robots and AGVs at scale, and Celona sits between carrier spectrum and the enterprise network.
Who buys it
Named customers: Verizon, NTT Ltd, SBA Communications, St. Luke's Hospital System, Purdue Research Foundation
Founding team
Rajeev Shah — Co-founder & CEO — 12 years at Aruba Networks; also worked at Federated Wireless; worked directly on enterprise wireless networking.
Mehmet Yavuz — Co-founder & CTO — Former CTO of Ruckus Networks and former VP of engineering at Qualcomm specialising in private networks; conceived the company with Shah in Barcelona.
Vinay Anneboina — Co-founder — Aruba Networks engineer; co-founded Celona in 2019.
Ravi Mulam — Co-founder — Aruba Networks engineer; co-founded Celona in 2019.
SourceFinancing detail
- Last round
- Series C
Investors: DigitalBridge Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, NTTVC, Qualcomm Ventures, Cervin Ventures
Mapped funds and investors
Direct relationships supported by published evidence.
Reported holdings as-of
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Disclosed investment history
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Showing up to four relationships in each group. ETF weights describe the fund’s portfolio, not ownership of this company. Private investment history does not establish current ownership.