Jssdmm ASM -->was at the meeting and tour and thought it went well. A few takeaways:
Lab Tour: A lot more people work there than are listed on LinkedIn. Exceptional team. Nice looking lab. Small but efficient. Would fare well when audited by customers (a theme Lebby brought up).
2000/5000k Test: At some level this is one of the final stages of acceptance that may be required. People always ask if we are engaging with customers. Well this is exactly the result of those engagements. Keep in mind, these are not single tests, but require a sample size of say n= 25 to 45. Tests are performed in house. We have the tools and personnel. Also, the tests are not just straight shots. Sometimes the data will be collected while within the testing environment and running. Other times, the material will be removed and tested. So timing is not cut and dry. But the parameters are known. It's not a guessing game. But you can imagine the rigor going into the testing strategy as there are many moving parts.
Manufacturing: Lightwave could handle manufacturing in house for some customers. For someone like Intel (just an example), it would require partnering. These options are being managed.
Innovation: The next step will be innovative not iterative. Radical change is required to address market needs and they certainly believe that Lightwave is the only company that can currently provide a solution. They are defending their status via IP and are aware of competition.
Business Strategy: They have enough money via the funding for a 3 year ramp. Should be plenty. Interest is very high from the community (the award is evidence). The new advisory board will be integrated with the LWLG team so they can get the most out of their expertise.
Fred Leonberger: Great to see him there. He was very enthusiastic and said the data will come and "it will be great."
Yes, a bit more patience is required. But they are moving very quickly, even though it may not seem this way. They are an advanced polymer device company that controls the entire development chain. Keep in mind it was only this year that they put it all together and acquired all of the specialized equipment and team to enable a process of optimization and validation.
It was nice meeting a few new board folks and those I'd met 2 years prior.
~~Jssdmm
