OptiWorks Inc. Secures $13 Million in Financing
Fremont, California, December 11, 2001

OptiWorks Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of fiber optic passive components has secured its third round of funding in 2001.  The completion of this $13 million investment-funding project is led by PouChen Group. PouChen, a leading manufacturer of brand name footwear.  PouChen's investment was joined with additional investments from Sycamore Ventures, and previous investors, BizLink Holding.

The funding will enhance OptiWorks’ development and production capability. OptiWorks’ new products include optical switches, motor/electrical attenuators, interleavers, circulators, OADMs, and isolators. Furthermore, OptiWorks will utilize the investment to broaden its presence in the optical marketplace, establishing a solid position as a major supplier of these products.

Roger Liang, founder and CEO of OptiWorks, noted, “our cutting-edge technology will bring speed, bandwidth capacity, reliability, and optimal performance to the future generation of fiber optical networking solutions. This third round of funding will enable us to accelerate production, research and development as well as enable us to deliver the ultimate service solution to our domestic and overseas customers.”

Facing an inevitable demand for advanced technologies and better services in the telecommunication, data transmission, and Internet marketplace, optical networking offers the optimum solution and vast opportunities.  “Our investment in OptiWorks is a testament to the level of confidence we have in this company’s ability to compete in a very tough marketplace,” noted Steve Chiao, Partner of Sycamore Ventures. 

OptiWorks was established in March 2000, and the company has experienced rapid growth in its workforce both in China and the United States. OptiWorks has broadened its capabilities from manufacturing commodity products, such as isolators and couplers, to designing, prototyping, and manufacturing complex components such as attenuators, optical switches, and multiplexers. This latest investment will help OptiWorks penetrate the fiber-networking arena and shape its ascension to a leadership position in the industry.

About OptiWorks Inc.
OptiWorks Inc. offers "The Total Solution" to our valued customers by combining competitive pricing with highest quality, innovative design, integrated manufacturing and excellent customer service. OptiWorks is well positioned for mass production and time-to-market delivery in an effort to better serve an ever-increasing demand for passive components. We supply products worldwide to subsystems, active component manufacturers, distributors, and resellers in the optical network community. OptiWorks is ISO 9001 Certified, and our product lines are Telcordia  Compliant.
 
 
About Sycamore Ventures
Sycamore Ventures is a team of dedicated investment professionals with a broad range of industry experiences in communication, software, and life sciences. We bring expertise in technical, managerial and strategic issues directly to the companies we invest.

In August 1995 Sycamore's managing partners were spun off from Citicorp Venture Capital Ltd. where they had aggregate investment experience of more than 45 years. Today, we continue to enjoy the backing of the worldwide network of Citigroup, which remains one of our largest investors.

From its offices in Princeton, San Francisco and Hong Kong, Sycamore manages more than $550 million in committed capital. Our typical investment ranges from $5 million to $15 million, distributed over several rounds of financing as a company achieves key milestones.

We leverage our entrenched relationships in Asia to provide unparalleled access to Asian markets and leading Asian corporations. While providing superior return to our limited partners is the top priority for us, we also strive to bring our culture of fairness and consistency to every situation.  
www.sycamorevc.com
 
About Pouchen Group
Pouchen was established in 1969 and has become the world's largest footwear manufacturer with over 150,000 employees worldwide.  Within the Group, we have more than 180 production lines to serve our customers. The factories are located in Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and the United States.  In addition to footwear, we devote ourselves to other industries.  This vertical integration helps us to be more competitive. We do and always put the customer's need at the first place.  
w3ee.pouchen.com.tw