New Sacramento Company Specializes in Electromagnetic Components
ROSEVILLE, Calif., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- American River Ventures
(ARV), an early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on new technologies
which support a sustainable future through energy efficiency, energy
intelligence and advanced materials, today announced that it has closed a
seed investment in PlanarMag, Inc., a developer of electromagnetic
components for the computer, data networking and telecommunications
industries. In conjunction with the initial seed investment, Harry Laswell
and Barbara Grant, ARV Managing Directors, joined PlanarMag's Board of
Directors. The initial funding will support the growth of the company as it
focuses on product development and hiring of key employees.
PlanarMag's technology was developed by a cross disciplinary team that
includes Professor Anh-Vu Pham of University of California, Davis (UC
Davis) and industry veterans, such as Lee Harrison, the former Vice
President of Operations at Keyeye Communications.
"PlanarMag is another example of a company innovating by leveraging UC
Davis as a source for incredible technologists," stated Harry Laswell of
American River Ventures. "Based on PlanarMag's innovative technological
approach, we believe the company is well positioned to grab a large share
of a billion dollar electromagnetic component market."
PlanarMag is the second company that American River Ventures has funded
and helped build that has utilized technologists from UC Davis. In 2006,
ARV funded SynapSense, which was co-founded by Dr. Raju Pandey, an
Associate Professor with the Department of Computer Science at UC Davis,
and Peter Van Deventer, a former Intel executive and established veteran of
global technology market development.
"We are pleased to see innovative companies in our area being built,
especially companies that have a research link to the university," stated
Barry Klein, Vice Chancellor for Research for University of California,
Davis. "We look forward to supporting Dr. Anh-Vu Pham and PlanarMag as it
grows to reach its potential."
Company Founders
As President and CEO of PlanarMag, Harrison has a long history of
global technology and business management. Prior to founding PlanarMag,
Harrison was the Vice President of Operations for Keyeye Communications. He
has over 20 years of high-level management experience, including General
Manager of the Optical Ethernet Organization and General Manager of the
Networking Components Division at Intel. Prior to Intel, Harrison was Vice
President of Operations for Level One Communications, which was acquired by
Intel. At Level One, he was responsible for worldwide manufacturing,
logistics, strategic planning, and product/test engineering.
As the Chief Technology Officer for PlanarMag, Anh-Vu Pham is
instrumental in establishing the intellectual property upon which the
company was created. At the University of California at Davis, Pham is
currently an Associate Professor and leads the Microwave Microsystems Lab,
which has been supported for eight years by both industry and government
agencies for research on RF/microwave/millimeter wave circuits and their
integration in organic platforms. In 1997, Pham co-founded RF Solutions, a
fabless semiconductor company providing RFICs for WiFi applications, which
was acquired in 2003 by Anadigics Inc. Pham is the recipient of the
prestigious 2008 IEEE MTT Outstanding Young Engineer award. He has also
published a book, several book chapters and over 90 peer-reviewed papers.
About American River Ventures:
American River Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that
focuses on emerging companies that provide a platform for a sustainable
future through energy efficiency, energy intelligence and advanced
materials. Founded in May of 2001, the firm offers entrepreneurs direct
experience in the day-to-day realities of building great companies.
American River Ventures' general partners have a solid blend of operating
and management experience in both corporate and start-up environments --
they have been directly responsible for successfully starting or running
companies, developing new products, and growing companies into attractive
acquisitions. Located in Sacramento, California, American River Ventures
has $100 million under management. For more information, visit
http://www.arventures.com or call 916-780-2828.
The statements contained in this press release that are not historical
facts are forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ
materially based on market conditions. All brands, products, or service
names are or may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Media Contact
Allyson Wyles
allysonwyles@yahoo.com
916-206-1891
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