March 23, 2005 Somerset, NJ -- NanoOpto, a designer and manufacturer of nano-optic devices for optical components and systems, announced that it has closed on $12 million in Series C round venture financing. First Analysis, a leading private growth-equity investor, is leading the round.

Existing equity partners joining in the round are Morgenthaler Ventures, the Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) network (including DFJ Gotham Ventures and New England Ventures), Harris & Harris Group, and U.S. Trust's Excelsior Venture Partners III. According to a press release, total financing raised by the company to date is $42.3 million.

"The combination of high growth markets, novel technology and products, and a proven team makes NanoOpto an exciting investment opportunity for First Analysis," asserts Tracy Marshbanks, vice president and general partner specializing in advanced materials investments at First Analysis.

"Over the past four years, NanoOpto has evolved from a nascent technology platform to shipping real products to customers in real markets," adds Greg Blonder, general partner at Morgenthaler Ventures.

According to the release, the company's product offerings so far this year have included IR cut-off filters for digital imaging applications, waveplates for optical data storage applications, and optical isolators for communications transceivers. The company says these products are realizations of its general production capabilities. According to the company, its technology spans polarizers, phase retarders, filters, and dynamic optics, and the integration of these products with other optical devices, as well as into optical systems, employing UV, visible, and IR wavelengths.

"NanoOpto is now in volume production, shipping its unique optical devices to a broad range of markets, including optical disk drives, digital imaging, projection displays, and communications," concludes Barry Weinbaum, president and CEO of NanoOpto.