BrightLink Networks Adds $52 Million In Third Round Funding; Goldman Sachs Leads Third Round Investment In Optical Switching Start-Up.

Business Editors

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2000

BrightLink Networks, Inc., a new optical switching start-up focused on solving the scaling, provisioning and management issues for long-haul Interexchange Carriers (IXCs), has completed its third round of funding, securing an additional $52 million in capital.

This round brings in several new investors, including The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and its affiliates, Comdisco, Credit Suisse First Boston, Mitsui & Co., and Vision Capital. Other participants in this round include returning earlier-round investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Menlo Ventures and The Sprout Group.

"The explosive growth in communications triggered by the Internet has rendered many existing technologies obsolete," said Joe DiSabato of Goldman Sachs. "Much of the equipment currently available, and even much of what is on the drawing boards just can't keep up with the demand for bandwidth and services required by carriers. This phenomenon has created an unprecedented opportunity for BrightLink. We believe BrightLink has fundamental technology which addresses one of the biggest issues facing carriers today, the ability to scale optical networking at the pace of network demand."

The new investment will help fuel BrightLink's charge into the long-haul optical networking infrastructure space, as the company begins the marketing and manufacturing of its intelligent optical network system.

"We have greatly expanded our investor roster with the addition of Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse First Boston, and the others," said Harry Quackenboss, chairman and CEO of BrightLink. "We are proactively taking steps towards establishing BrightLink as a global company. With investments from Mitsui, we expect to accelerate our presence in Japan, and with Vision Capital, our presence in Europe. I'm very pleased with the quality portfolio of investors we have compiled."

About BrightLink Networks, Inc.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., BrightLink is a pioneer in providing optical switching technology to the long-haul IXC market. The company began operation in 1998 and now has 115 employees with offices in California and Texas.

The company is privately funded and has now secured $71.2 million through three rounds of investment. Investors include The Goldman Sachs Group, Credit Suisse First Boston, Mitsui, Comdisco, Vision Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Menlo Ventures, The Sprout Group, and Global Crossing Ventures.

For more information, contact BrightLink Networks at [phone], or visit the company Web site, www.brightlink.com.