Cisco, Corning fund optical maker

SAN DIEGO: Cisco Systems Inc. and a unit of Corning Inc. joined other

investors in providing $33 million to LightPointe for its global expansion, the

start-up manufacturer of optical transmission equipment said on Monday.

San Diego, California-based LightPointe, which now has raised $51 million in

under ten months, designs and makes products allowing telecommunications

carriers to speed deployments of optical systems in metropolitan areas, where

establishing fiber-optic networks is both complex and expensive.

Optical component makers lately have drawn growing attention and funding from

venture capital firms and corporate venture units. Earlier this month, Corning,

joined by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Intel Corp., took part in a $45

million financing of year-old Richardson, Texas-based optical component maker

Celion Networks.

Joining Cisco and Corning in LightPointe's latest funding round were Sevin

Rosen Funds, Ampersand Ventures, and Telecom Partners.

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