Why a Premium-Priced Capital Raise Could Change the Story for POET

With 14 hedge funds having stakes in the stock, POET Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:POET) is among the 10 Under-the-Radar AI Stocks to Buy in 2026. 

On May 18, POET Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:POET) completed a registered direct offering that generated approximately $400 million in gross proceeds through the sale of common shares and warrants to a single institutional investor. Notably, the transaction was priced at a premium to the company’s prevailing market price, reflecting strong investor confidence in POET’s long-term prospects. Management plans to use the proceeds to expand manufacturing capacity, accelerate research and development initiatives, pursue strategic acquisitions, grow its light-source business, and support broader operational expansion.

A few days earlier, on May 14, POET Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:POET) and Lumilens announced a strategic supply and joint-development agreement focused on advancing wafer-level photonic integration for next-generation AI infrastructure. As part of the partnership, Lumilens placed an initial purchase order valued at $50 million for POET’s optical interposer-based engines. The companies indicated that the relationship could ultimately scale to more than $500 million in cumulative purchases over five years, providing substantial commercial visibility for POET’s technology platform.

POET Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:POET) develops high-speed optical engines, light sources, and photonic integrated circuits designed for artificial intelligence, hyperscale data center, and telecommunications applications. Founded in 1985 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the company focuses on enabling faster and more energy-efficient optical connectivity solutions for the rapidly expanding AI infrastructure market.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of POET as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than POET and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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