Co-founder of Nuburu joins BluGlass Board
Laser diode expert Jean-Michel Pelaprat joins Australian semiconductor developer
Australian semiconductor developer BluGlass has announce that Jean-Michel Pelaprat, has joined the company’s board as a non-executive director.
Pelaprat brings deep photonics industry expertise, with over 30 years’ experience establishing, commercialising and scaling laser and semiconductor businesses. He is co-founder and director of Nuburu - a US-based company recognised as a pioneer in blue GaN lasers for industrial, medical, display and 3D applications.
Pelaprat will continue in his role as director and chief marketing and sales officer with Nuburu.
BluGlass chair, James Walker, said: “Jean-Michel joins the BluGlass board at an important time as we launch our laser diode product portfolio and commence customer acquisition. Attracting someone of Jean-Michel’s calibre to BluGlass is a major step-forward for the business and a recognition of the potential growth opportunities available. Jean-Michel brings a depth of both technical and commercial knowledge in the laser diode market that will prove invaluable to BluGlass.”
Before founding Nuburu, Pelaprat held numerous leadership positions in high-growth photonics businesses, including President and CEO of Vytran, a fiber optics capital equipment company supplying optical communications, fiber lasers, medical devices, sensing and aerospace applications. He led the business to growth and profitability during the 2009-2010 recession and served on the board of Vytran’s parent company, NKT Photonics.
Other senior roles include Chair and CEO of Novalux, Inc. a start-up developing red-green-blue (RGB) semiconductor laser sources for the projection display industry, and director of Nuvonyx, a pioneer in infrared high-powered semiconductor lasers. He is also the founder of A2E, a consulting and advisory firm in Silicon Valley, assisting photonics, semiconductor and deep tech businesses with strategic restructures, merger and acquisition management, and revenue transformation.
Commenting on his appointment, Pelaprat said: “BluGlass’ unique technology approach for high powered GaN lasers has great potential to disrupt this high-demand market, with significant untapped opportunities and very few competitors.
After spending time with the BluGlass leadership team and understanding the technology as well as the company’s future plans, I can see many parallels with my previous successful experiences with emerging technology companies. I look forward to utilising my skills, knowledge and experience navigating the market and applications as the business launches its first commercial lasers to market and enters its production ramp-up and revenue growth phases.”
Pelaprat holds a degree in Physics from the University of Montpellier, France (USTL) and has undertaken sales management and finance education at the Wharton School of Business and studied strategic marketing for the high-tech industry at Stanford University. He previously served as the chair of the Corporate Associates committee for several years and a director of the Optical Society of America.
