University of Michigan Frankel fund to invest in Arbor Photonics' fiber lasers

November 26, 2007, Ann Arbor, MI--The Frankel Commercialization Fund, a student-managed venture capital seed fund at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, has made its first investment, $85,000 in Arbor Photonics, an Ann Arbor, MI company commercializing fiber laser technology that originated in the U-M's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Ann Arbor-based RPM Ventures, which invests in university spinouts and technology-focused companies that target customers based in the Midwest, led the initial round of financing.

Arbor Photonics and its chief science officer, EECS Professor Almantas Galvanauskas, have developed a scalable optical fiber technology that enables high-power fiber lasers to be used in a variety of new materials-processing applications in the automotive, electronics and aerospace industries while offering a lower-cost replacement to existing bulky laser systems. Led by Phillip Amaya, a 20-year veteran of the laser industry, Arbor Photonics intends to use the Frankel seed money for customer identification, prototype development and assembly, and the development of engineering and manufacturing plans for the company.

Established in 2005, the fund is believed to be the only student venture capital fund of its kind with a focus on the commercialization of ideas and formation stage of new companies.

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