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Laser Tech startups receive funding from UAVenture Capital

Posted at 6:23 AM, Oct 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-14 09:23:08-04

TUCSON, Ariz. — Anything dealing with light has optical science.

"Going from entertainment to application that are helping the society for better technologies for medical, communication, detection, and identification," said Mahmoud Fallahi a UA professor.

Three conjoined startup companies are working on creating a new generation of lasers. They have a patent to make the wavelengths they produce on-demand.

Fallahi and Chris Hessenius invented the tech while also teaching in the James C. Waynt College of Optical Sciences.

"You tell us what color you want, what performance you want and we can generate it. Rather than you going and buying that specific laser that is available and you have to adapt it to your application," said Fallahi.

The three startups each specialize in their own type of wavelength and all have different applications that can be used in different industries. This patent, along with the companies' new inventions, received funding from UA Venture Capital - a Tuscon-based venture capital fund that supports tech that come out of UA.

"What helps one then kind of follows down the food chain and every one gets to see the benefits from it. That's one of the reasons why we like working with UAVC and the university. You know, every one is kind of supporting each other try to do the best we can," said Hessenius.

The startups are now preparing for one of the biggest optics trade shows held in San Francisco.