Inphi raises $36 million. (Media & Technology).High-speed components maker Inphi Corp. of Westlake Village has raised $24 million in its second round of equity funding Equity funding An investment consisting of a life insurance policy and a mutual fund. The insurance policy is paid by the collateral value of fund shares, giving the investor the advantages of insurance protection with the growth potential of a mutual fund. . The nearly two-year-old company has so far raised $36 million in its efforts to develop high-speed integrated circuits Integrated circuits Miniature electronic circuits produced within and upon a single semiconductor crystal, usually silicon. Integrated circuits range in complexity from simple logic circuits and amplifiers, about 1/20 in. (1. for optical networks. Lead investor San Francisco-based Walden International was joined by Menlo Park-based Dali-Hook Partners and Tallwood Venture Capital, both of which had invested in Inphi previously, in December 2000 when it raised $12 million. The company makes broadband and so-called "electro-optical" components for intracity and long-haul telecommunications providers. The company's products include multiplexers, modulator Modulator Any device or circuit by means of which a desired signal is impressed upon a higher-frequency periodic wave known as a carrier. The process is called modulation. The modulator may vary the amplitude, frequency, or phase of the carrier. drivers and amplifiers for speeds of 10 gigabits and 40 gigabits per second. "Given the current economic environment and reduced investment in telecommunications-related startups, our ability to close such a significant round with a lead investor... validates our achievements over the past 18 months," said Tim Semones, Inphi CFO See Chief Financial Officer. . Lip Bu Tan, chairman of Walden, said Inphi's growth potential and technology were the main reasons for investing in the startup. "We looked at a number of promising companies in the optical networking Communications between computers, telephones and other electronic devices using light. An optical network is far more reliable and has far greater potential transmission capacity than networking in the electrical domain. See optical fiber. industry, but ultimately we were sold on Inphi' s leading-edge technology and demonstrated customer traction," he said. |
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