Infinera closes $53 million series D funding round
"Infinera s disruptive technology, strong customer endorsements, and world-class team make for a uniquely compelling investment opportunity," said Gary Rieschel of Mobius Venture Capital. "We are excited to play a key role in the company s ongoing success."
Infinera s activities are shrouded in secrecy. The company has made woolly statements saying, for example, that it is "developing building blocks for a radically different perspective on optical networks. These building blocks introduce disruptive innovations, resulting in strategic competitive advantages to [Infinera s] customers."
What is known about Infinera is that it has a fab in Sunnyvale, CA and is developing InP-based photonic circuits that combine multiple functions on the same chip. Among its staff are industry luminaries such as Dave Welch, former CTO with SDL, and Fred Kish, an LED expert formerly with Agilent who is now Infinera s VP of manufacturing.
In an interview in 2002 with Red Herring magazine, CEO and founder Jagdeep Singh said that the company s first product represents the first optical integrated circuit. "We do not underestimate what it takes to go from proof-of-concept to shipping product," he said. "It will be some time before we can perfect the process to produce and package these devices."
The company says that is looking to hire people with expertise in telecom systems engineering, hardware, software, passive and active optical components, semiconductor and packaging technologies, as well as candidates for its development center in India.