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As a public company, we had many financing options available to us. We were very impressed with how WTI worked with us on the $15 million debt instrument that we announced in conjunction with our recent follow-on offering.

Tim Lynch
CFO, Tercica

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WTI is a terrific and exceptionally responsive partner. Throughout the relationship I dealt with a decision-maker who provided me quick and candid feedback, which enabled me to maximize the time I devoted to running my business. Given my positive experience with the firm, I highly recommend WTI to any company seeking the highest quality capital partner.

Victor Jablokov
President & COO, Yap

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WTI's $25 million commitment was a key component of our financing strategy on the runway to an IPO. The strength of the firm's history and reliability of its capital were keys to selecting WTI as our debt partner.

William Moffitt
President and CEO, Nanosphere [NSPH]

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Our long-standing relationship with WTI has given us first-hand experience with how consistent and valuable they are as a partner, especially in challenging macroeconomic times.  WTI has been a strategic source of capital that we have relied on to help grow our business.

Jim Imbler
CEO, ZeaChem

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During Juniper's earliest days, it was comforting to know we were working with a debt partner of the same caliber and mindset as our VC investors.

Scott Kriens
President & CEO, Juniper Networks (NASDAQ: JNPR)

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WTI's growth capital has been an important part of the capital structure, and strategic planning, of several of our portfolio companies.

Beckie Robertson
Partner, Versant Ventures

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We chose to work with WTI rather than a bank because their deal structure was more flexible and it really allowed us to use the money.

Vivek Ragavan
CEO, Atrica

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WTI has provided funding to more than ten Founders Fund companies. We consider them to be a valuable partner and love working with them.

Luke Nosek
Managing Partner, Founders Fund

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WTI has been a valuable partner to Youku as we have grown over the years.  They really took the time to understand our business, which was important to us since we are a China-based company.

Victor Koo
CEO, Youku.com (NYSE: YOKU)

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I have worked with WTI in two of my companies, and their capital works as advertised; it is truly usable and provides real value. The WTI team is used to the challenges of operating in a start-up environment, so they have steady hands. I would be pleased to work with them again.

Bernard Harguindeguy
CEO, Atlantis Computing and GreenBorder Technologies

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WTI played an integral role in financing the early development at Ablation Frontiers in conjunction with our Series A equity. They are a great partner.

Keegan Harper
CEO, Ablation Frontiers

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WTI made a commitment to Brocade when the company was still unproven; their capital had a meaningful impact on growing the business.

Bruce Bergman
Former CEO, Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD)

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WTI committed meaningful capital to Polyserve at a time when our business was nearing an inflection point and we were also outgrowing our incumbent debt source. The additional time allowed us to benefit from the solid progress we were making in the business by raising our final round at a significantly increased valuation. The firm's stability and scalability make them a strong partner for venture backed companies of all sizes.

Michael Stankey
Former CEO & President, PolyServe, Inc. (acquired by Hewlett-Packard Company)

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This is the third company that I have founded, and in each case, I have worked with WTI because of their integrity and flexibility.

Christopher McCleary
Chairman & CEO, Evergreen Assurance

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It can be challenging as a first time CEO to navigate venture waters, and WTI has consistently provided strong support and seasoned guidance at each stage of our growth. WTI has been an excellent partner and integral part of the FanBridge story.

Spencer Richardson
CEO & Co-founder, FanBridge.com

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WTI's capital came at a critical juncture for the company as we began our initial product launch. The runway the facility provided gave us additional time to demonstrate our technology, culminating in our acquisition by AOL.

Eric Engstrom
CEO, Wildseed

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WTI provided valuable capital to Sierra Logic as our company continued to grow. Their three commitments (totaling $7.8 million) provided the additional runway we needed to get to profitability without having to raise additional equity.

Bob Whitson
CEO, Sierra Logic (acquired by Emulex)

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Over the past 4 years we have worked with WTI on 3 separate lending transactions totaling $15.5 million. They have proven to be strong financial partners and particularly responsive at critical times when we most needed their support.

Michael Maulick
CEO, Platform Solutions

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WTI appreciates how businesses change over time. Their flexibility was important to our initial relationship together. As Molecular Imprints has grown, WTI has scaled with us and provided substantial follow-on financing to meet our evolving needs.

Norman E. Schumaker
President and CEO, Molecular Imprints

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It was important for Neutral Tandem to choose a reliable financing partner who could scale with us.  WTI provided us with financing early in our development, and has continually been able to meet our funding needs as our business grew.

Rob Junkroski
CFO, Neutral Tandem (NASDAQ: TNDM)

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I have had a positive experience working with WTI at three different companies. WTI consistently delivered as promised and showed considerable flexibility to meet our unique business requirements. After 25-years of working in Silicon Valley, I can attest to the importance of smart money.

Steve Wong
CFO, Rainfinity (acquired by EMC)

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WTI was a great, dependable partner to Plaxo, from the early days of our build out through our successful sale to Comcast. Through multiple stages of debt financing, we found them to be level-headed, flexible and responsive. Not only was their venture debt model a terrific fit - their people have all the right characteristics for a dynamic industry such as ours.

Ben Golub
CEO, Plaxo (acquired by Comcast)

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WTI provided $11 million to WWP at a critical inflection point for the company. We had a new product we were bringing to market which became the foundation of our successful acquisition by Ciena. The debt capital and support from our existing investors allowed us more time to win large carrier contracts and improve our position with potential acquirers.

Matt Frey
COO, World Wide Packets (acquired by Ciena)

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WTI's capital came into IronPort at an important time early in the company's development - we really enjoyed working with the WTI team.

Scott Weiss
CEO, IronPort Systems (acquired by Cisco Systems)

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This is my second start-up and my second time working with WTI.  WTI certainly provides capital that is helpful in growing a business. But even more so, being able to do business with people you can trust is critical to us.  We work with WTI because of the value of our relationship.

Brent Dusing
Founder & CEO, Hexify

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In every company I've started or been a part of, I come across a subset of folks that I know I'll call without hesitation in my next company, and WTI is one of those companies.

Doug Camplejohn
CEO, Mi5 Networks

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Given the strong trajectory of our business, we were fortunate to have a number of firms interested in working with us.  After a fair amount of referencing with our existing investors and other entrepreneurs, we chose to work with WTI given their long history as a firm with the patience and risk tolerance for long-term value creation.  WTI understands our business at a fundamental level and has been terrific to work with from first meeting to funding.

Jasper Malcolmson
CEO, Bloomspot

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As Skystream entered the critical expansion phase of its growth as a private company, WTI provided us the capital cushion we needed to maximize our market opportunity

Joseph Geesman
CFO and Vice President of Operations, SkyStream Networks (acquired by Tandberg Television)

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We chose WTI over other lenders because they had great local references in the New York City metro area and are well known for their ability to scale with companies over time.  We always dealt with a highly responsive decision maker from first engagement through funding, and would highly recommend them to any of our business partners.

Gauthereau Guillaume
CEO, Totsy

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WTI played a pivotal role in working with our team and investors. Without their assistance, we would not be the successful, publicly traded company we are today.

William (B.J.) Lehmann
President and COO, Athersys (NASDAQ: ATHX)

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WTI's growth capital gave us extra time to assemble the best possible investors in our Series B financing.

Keegan Harper
CEO, Cameron Health (Acquired by Boston Scientific)

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Press Releases


LED Innovator Relume Technologies Closes $7.0 million Financing Round



OXFORD, Mich. – Relume Technologies, a leading manufacturer of light-emitting diode (LED) products and smart grid control systems for outdoor lighting applications, has closed its $7.0 million Series D financing round. Farmington Hills-based Beringea, which led the round, invested $3.2 million. San Jose, Calif.-based Western Technology Investment and other existing investors comprised the remainder of the round.

"Relume has seen tremendous growth over the past year, as evidenced by recent sales in multiple municipalities, new product launches and several key additions to our engineering team," said Crawford Lipsey, CEO for Relume. "These funds will allow us to build up our sales and manufacturing infrastructure and further expand our team."

Relume's LED products and lighting control systems are used in street and area lighting, commercial signage, outdoor advertising, transportation and U.S. military applications and improve a city's operating costs, commerce and resident safety. Relume's LED luminaries feature superior thermal management and low LED junction temperatures - key to long LED life - and enables Relume to offer a market-leading seven year product warranty.

"Relume is growing rapidly -- roughly doubling its revenue in 2011 -- and through its innovative technology and world-class management team, Relume is poised to secure a dominant position in the outdoor LED lighting market," said Jeff Bocan, managing director for Beringea. "We are pleased to offer continued support as the company re-lights more cities and spaces with its superior long-lasting and energy efficient LED technology."

"Given the company's marquee customer base and accelerating sales traction, WTI is pleased to support Relume's impressive ongoing growth," said Maurice Werdegar, Partner of Western Technology Investment.

Relume has installed outdoor lighting solutions in more than 1,000 outdoor facilities, producing up to a 50 percent energy savings per product. The company's customers include Starbucks Coffee, US Cellular, McDonalds, Chase, Best Buy, and Lexus, among others. In addition, Relume has re-lit many cities across the country, including Ann Arbor, Mich.; Arlington, Va.; Canton, Ohio, and West Nottingham Township, Pennsylvania.

About Relume Technologies

Relume Technologies is a Michigan-based manufacturer of highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective LED lighting products and control systems. The company's innovative technology is used in municipal lighting, commercial signage, outdoor advertising, transportation, and U.S. military applications. Relume's products are American-made, ISO 9001:2008 certified and carry an industry leading seven year warranty.

Relume is a founding member of the Michigan Solid State Lighting Association, and supports the organization's mission of ensuring that Michigan is a global leader in solid-state lighting, research and development, and manufacturing. Relume was recently recognized as one of Michigan's 50 Companies to Watch by the Edward Lowe Foundation. For more information, visit www.relume.com.

About Beringea

Beringea offers advice, guidance and capital to support growing businesses. With capital, experience and offices in the U.S. and UK, Beringea's award-winning team offers its portfolio companies the resources to develop strategy, evaluate growth opportunities, solve problems and build value in a range of sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, media, internet technologies and specialized consumer products. Beringea is the co-manager of the InvestMichigan! Growth Capital and Mezzanine Funds in the U.S., as well as the ProVen VCT family of funds in the UK, among others. For more information, www.beringea.com.

About Western Technology Investment

Western Technology Investment (WTI) is a Silicon Valley-based venture debt firm that invests globally in a wide range of technology and life science companies ranging from seed-stage start-ups to publicly-held companies. For over more than 30 years, WTI has provided in excess of $3 billion of growth capital to exceptional teams building market leading companies, including Facebook, Google, 3PAR, Ablation Frontiers, Brocade Communications, Cerent, IDEC Pharmaceuticals, InvenSense, IronPort Systems, Juniper Networks, Neutral Tandem, Postini, and Youku.com. Please visit www.westerntech.com for more information.

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For more information please visit www.relume.com