Nanostart AG, a German venture capital investment firm in the nanotechnology arena, is to increase its ownership in Mircolight Sensors to 31%. The Singapore based Microlight Sensors was founded in 2006. It develops, manufactures and sells optical systems, instruments and the components in optical sensor technologies.
Nanostart’s investment is part of the second tranche of fund raising that was agreed to in 2010. The new funds will be utilized in commercial expansion of the company in marketing and sales structures in Asia besides acting as seed for orders and projects. It will also contribute to the development of new and innovative sensor technologies. The Asia Paccific region market is slated to grow by 8.5% this year.
Andreas Kröll, Managing Director of Nanostart subsidiary Nanostart Asia Pte Ltd in Singapore said that they were delighted with Microlight’s performance since the initial investment at the end of 2010. With this in mind, they were pleased to be able to build up their stake.
The Frankfurt based company is the world leader in nanotechnology investments. They have a portfolio of companies across the world from Silicon Valley to Singapore. They provide venture capital financing for nanotechnology companies in various growth phases with a focus on innovation-driven industries of the future such as cleantech, life sciences and IT/electronics.