Trellis Photonics Secures Strategic Investment of $25 Million; Carlyle, Agilent, Enron Broadband and Anschutz Invest in Latest Optical Switching Technology.
COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 16, 2000
Trellis Photonics announced today that it has secured a strategic investment of $25 million.
trellis-photonics.com
The financing round was led by Carlyle Internet Partners Europe with participation from Agilent Technologies Inc., Enron Broadband Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enron Corp. (NYSE:ENE) and Anschutz Investment Company. Trellis' existing shareholders contributed additional capital.
The company recently introduced its Intelligent Lambda Switch, the industry's first all-optical switch for high-speed Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing networks being built around the world today.
Trellis' revolutionary core technology, called Electroholography(TM), eliminates the need to convert optical signals into electrical signals at each node.
"The additional capital allows us to dramatically increase the pace of development in the company," said Timothy Cahall, CEO of Trellis Photonics. "This funding will allow us to shorten our time to market, enabling us to begin shipping product in 2001. Enron, Anschutz Investment Company, and Agilent provide important strategic relationships with leading service providers and manufacturers. We are also very proud to have a high profile fund such as Carlyle investing in our innovative technology."
"Trellis Photonics represents the next stage in the development of fiber optic networks," said Hossam Galal, a director at Carlyle Internet Partners Europe. "Its strong intellectual product position, combined with its drive to turn technology into product, makes Trellis an ideal candidate for our portfolio."
"Enron is committed to developing its broadband network infrastructure to support the most advanced technology available," said Michael Golden, vice president, network engineering and operations, Enron Broadband Services. "Trellis' crystal-based technology has the potential to dramatically enhance the future capabilities of optical switching."
The announcement today represents another significant investment round for Trellis Photonics. The company is supported by a host of public and private investors including Yozma 2 Fund, Skypoint, a Canadian venture capital fund, Chase Equity Associates, a division of Chase Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Capital and Crescendo Ventures.
About Trellis Photonics
Trellis Photonics, a privately held start-up company, introduces a breakthrough in switching technology for the dynamic routing of multiple wavelengths between optical networks. The company's core switching technology, Electroholography(TM), was developed during years of research conducted by Professor Aharon J. Agranat at the California Institute of Technology and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Electroholography is based on an innovation in the field of solid-state physics that eliminates the need to convert optics to electronics at each node. For more information on Trellis Photonics, visit its Web site at www.trellis-photonics.com.
About Electroholography
Electroholography is an innovative, all-optical solution for Wavelength Selective Photonic Switching. The foundation of Electroholography is the KLTN crystal. A wavelength specific hologram is written into the crystal. When no voltage is present, the crystal is essentially transparent. However, when voltage is applied, the hologram within the crystal becomes reflective to a specific wavelength of light. By assembling crystals into a matrix of rows and columns (columns representing incoming lambdas, rows representing exiting fibers) any wavelength can be routed to any fiber. In addition, inherent to Electroholographic technology is the ability to test, measure and dynamically attenuate wavelengths without interfering with the signal.
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