LOS ANGELES, December 14, 2016 – Marlin Equity Partners (“Marlin”), a global investment firm, today unveiled Elenion Technologies, Inc. (“Elenion”), a company focused on driving innovation in silicon photonics technology and the development of associated products. The company, which has been operating in stealth mode since 2014, was originally incubated alongside another Marlin-owned company, Coriant, a global supplier of packet optical networking and data center interconnect solutions. Elenion continues as a separate business led by its own seasoned executive team and world-class experts in silicon photonics, lasers, electronics and advanced packaging.
Silicon photonics is an emerging technology that dramatically reduces the cost and increases the performance of optical communications by repurposing the silicon microelectronics ecosystem to build silicon chips that can manipulate light as well as electrical signals.
“Following over two years of focused R&D, including extensive coordination with Coriant, we are excited with the progress Elenion’s experienced team has demonstrated in the development of next-generation photonic integrated circuit products,” said Doug Bayerd, a principal at Marlin. “Elenion is uniquely positioned to capitalize on one of the industry’s most promising technologies and accelerate the introduction of commercially-ready advanced communications solutions.”
Larry Schwerin, a proven executive with more than 25 years of experience in the telecommunications and photonics industries, will continue to head the business in the role of CEO of Elenion. Mr. Schwerin’s former positions include CEO of Silicon Lightwave Services, a ground-breaking silicon photonics design services company, and Capella Intelligent Subsystems, a leading supplier of Wavelength Selective Switch technology acquired by Alcatel-Lucent in 2013. In addition, Michael Hochberg, a renowned silicon photonics expert and co-founder of Luxtera, will continue to serve as the CTO.
“Silicon photonics is redefining the economics of interconnect technologies and enabling the use of optics in exciting new markets and applications,” said Schwerin. “We look forward to working with our customers to deliver innovative photonic integrated circuit solutions that are far more complex and capable than previously possible.”
“As a systems provider, silicon photonics brings tremendous value and competitive differentiation to the solutions we offer our customers,” said Uwe Fischer, Executive Vice President of R&D and PLM, and CTO, of Coriant. “Ongoing collaboration with innovators like Elenion provides opportunities to strengthen our industry-leading solutions by pushing the boundaries in system density, flexibility and power efficiency.”
For more information, please visit www.elenion.com.
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $3 billion of capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthens a company’s outlook and enhances value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 100 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.
For additional information, please contact Peter Spasov at (310) 364-0100 or via e-mail at pspasov@marlinequity.com