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Petaluma laser-maker Raydiance is shining

GROWING COMPANY TAPS LOCAL PHOTONICS TALENT; NEW FUNDING ROUND NEAR

PETALUMA – Less than two years after locating in Petaluma, the developer of an innovative commercial platform for an ultra-short pulse laser has grown from nine to 60 employees and plans to add another 20 before the year is out, tapping a pool of photonics talent created during the North Bay’s telecom boom.

“The photonics talent pool here is something we couldn’t find anywhere else in the U.S.,” said Raydiance Inc. President Scott Davison.

“We’ve been able to build the world’s leading ultra-short pulse-manufacturing plant in Petaluma, and we have the ability – and the intent – to expand as quickly as need be.”

Led by former AOL CEO and Napa resident Barry Schuler, Raydiance is about to close its third major round of venture capital for about $20 million to $25 million, said Mr. Davison, himself a former AOL executive.

Raydiance was founded in Orlando, Fla., five years ago, acquiring technology from the University of Florida’s laser program. The company retains a presence there, as well as offices in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

After early-stage funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Raydiance raised $25 million from the venture community in Series A and B funding to take it to the launch of its first commercial product, the Discovery Series.

“This next round will go toward expansion of the market and further research and development,” said Mr. Davison.

Twenty-four of the desktop-sized, software-controlled systems have been leased by laboratories, research teams and startup companies. Raydiance hopes to add 100 more of what it calls “Discovery Hubs” during 2008.

This year, the company will also complete a more powerful platform for the U.S. Navy, which could be used to detect bombs, scramble radio signals and perform other intelligence-gathering and diagnostics, he said.

Commercial and scientific applications are many, because the extra-short pulses of light, about a trillionth of a second long, destroy the atomic bonds of material on a molecular level and vaporize it without damaging surrounding surfaces.

Software controls enable precise targeting and instant adjustments, and power consumption is much lower than machine- and human-controlled ultra-short pulse lasers typically found in labs.

In the department of geological sciences at New Mexico State University, a research team is using the platform to develop an analytical tool for insurers and appraisers to use on fine gem stones.

“Even the most sophisticated methods of determining whether a gem is genuine damage the stone and lower its value,” said department head and Professor Nancy McMillan, Ph.D.

“We envision a simple box where a gem can be placed and analyzed without sample preparation or material removal and which generates automated reports on the stone’s composition that anyone can decipher,” she said.

The same technology could be used on fossils and “dozens of geological applications as well as chemical and electrical analysis,” she said.

At Rutgers University, researchers are partnering with the nation’s largest tissue bank to use the Raydiance technology to process human tissue.

According to Dr. Zhixiong Guo, principal investigator at Rutgers University, “The Raydiance laser platform is 100 times more powerful than anything I have ever used before. Not only can it separate skin more precisely and effectively, but also it has the unique capability to decontaminate the surface of soft tissue.

“If the tests prove successful, we will be able to disrupt and reinvent dermal tissue processing as we know it,” said Dr. Guo.

How soon will these ground-breaking new applications reach the public? Most likely not right away, said Ajit Shah, CEO of Epiray in Palo Alto.

His startup is investigating dermatological uses, beginning with popular laser applications like hair and tattoo removal and progressing to possible cancer treatment.

“From a scientific standpoint, simpler applications could be ready in a year, including regulatory issues. From a market perspective, two to three years,” said Mr. Shah.

“You have to figure out how, where and who will deliver them, to what market. The science moves more swiftly than a flow of products and services to market,” he said.

Meanwhile, Raydiance is working to make the product even smaller and more powerful, leveraging talent that during the telecom boom focused on the most efficient way to run light through fiber.

“We expect that instead of trying to compete with us, developers of ultra-short pulse laser applications will become Raydiance platform customers.”

For more information, visit www

.raydiance-inc.com.

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