Arbor Photonics hires 6 in Ann Arbor, plans a repeat

The Accelerate Michigan Innovation Competition couldn't have come at a better time for Arbor Photonics. The 3-year-old startup plans to use the competition (it's a semi-finalist) as a springboard for its series B round of fundraising in 2011. Winning the $500,000 cash prize for first place would go a long way toward reaching the goal of $3-$5 million.

"Its good money," says Phillip Amaya, CEO of Arbor Photonics. "It fits in well with our financing plan."

The Ann Arbor-based, laser-technology startup has hired six people in the last year, rounding out its staff to 10. The University of Michigan spin-off plans to hire another 5-6 people in 2011 with continued technology commercialization and the start of production.

Arbor Photonics got its start when U-M Prof. Almantas Galvanauskas invented a new way to dramatically improve fiber lasers. The optical fiber structure technology called Chirally-Coupled Core Fiber, or 3C fiber, significantly improves the performance of fiber lasers in industrial manufacturing. Amaya expects that technology to begin appearing in more and more factories within the next year.

"We expect sales to take off in 2012," Amaya says.

Source: Phillip Amaya, CEO of Arbor Photonics
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.