Nuburu gets extra growth capital
Company set to accelerate commercialisation of its blue laser technology
US blue laser company Nuburu has announced it has raised additional growth capital at a valuation of approximately $350M. The company has also brought on experienced technology executive, Brian Faircloth, as chief operating officer, and promoted Andrew Dodd to VP of Global Sales to boost commercialisation efforts for its revolutionary industrial blue laser technology.
Existing investors Anzu Partners, GRAPHA Holdings, and Thomas Wilson participated in the funding round that will be utilized to expand Nuburu’s presence across its target markets, including automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics, and defence. Nuburu’s blue laser technology brings breakthrough speed and quality improvements to welding and metal 3D printing of copper, aluminum, and other reflective metals to increase productivity for manufacturers globally.
New COO Brian Faircloth brings over twenty years of operations, engineering, and marketing experience scaling high-tech companies in the laser and energy industries. Prior to joining Nuburu, Faircloth spent nearly 13 years as a technical leader at high-power laser company, ForoEnergy, where he served as VP of engineering and as CTO. During his tenure, he managed R&D and engineering of high-power laser and optics development for oil, gas, and geothermal applications.
Earlier in his career, he held executive and director roles at leading laser technology companies, Nuvonyx and Coherent. Mr. Faircloth holds master’s degrees in electrical engineering and applied physics from Washington University in St. Louis and Six Sigma from Villanova, as well as master certificates in business management and marketing from Tulane.
“Nuburu’s blue laser technology brings improvements in metal processing, unlocking critical advantages to manufacturers across industries,” said Brian Faircloth. “I am thrilled to be joining the team during this period of growth and look forward to using my industry expertise to further commercialize this technology.”
Andrew Dodd, a 30-year veteran of the laser development and material processing industries, joined Nuburu in 2019 as the North American Market Development Manager and has recently been promoted to Vice President of Global Sales as the company enters this new growth phase. Dodd has been instrumental to laying the foundations for commercial expansion since joining Nuburu and brings significant global sales leadership and strong track record from his tenures at GSI Lumonics, Amada WeldTech, and BLM Group North America.
“As electrification and advances in manufacturing drive growth in our target markets, this capital infusion, appointment of Mr. Faircloth as COO and Mr. Dodd’s promotion to VP of Global Sales ensures continued momentum for Nuburu,” said Mark Zediker, CEO, co-founder, and chairman at Nuburu. “Looking ahead, we are focused on growing our customer base, expanding our distribution channels, accelerating development of our ultra-high brightness product family and scaling our manufacturing operations to meet demand globally.”
