创新企业之星

美国高功率半导体激光器制造商——恩耐公司

公司收入：不详

公司总部：华盛顿州温哥华市

所属行业：激光技术

成立时间：2000年

员工人数：450

    灵活和坚韧不拔是创业家最重要的特质，而斯科特•金尼两者兼备。他曾在麦肯锡（McKinsey）担任顾问。2000年，他募集了大量风险投资，成立了恩耐公司（nLight），生产用于改善光纤电信网络的激光器。一年之后，全球电信市场崩溃。金尼辞退了员工，开发出了半导体激光二极管（右）的新用途。目前，半导体激光二极管主要用于激光脱毛的应用程序和战斗机，用于干扰红外线跟踪式导弹。虽然恩耐公司没有披露收入情况，但是，金尼称，他的公司目前处于盈利状态。而且，他还预计，销售收入今年将上涨50%。市场研究机构Strategies Unlimited的分析师汤姆•豪斯金称，全球激光技术每年的产值约为9亿美元，尽管市场趋于饱和，但还在以超过15%的速度增长。他认为，恩耐公司可以通过销售更综合的激光器系统和组件来不断发展壮大。

    ——理查德•麦吉尔•墨菲

nLight

Revenue: Not available

Headquarters: Vancouver, Wash.

Industry: Laser technology

Founded: 2000

Employees: 450

    Flexibility and tenacity are key entrepreneurial traits, and Scott Keeney has both in spades. In 2000 the former McKinsey consultant raised a boatload of venture capital to launch nLight, which made lasers designed to improve the performance of fiber-optic telecom networks. A year later the global telecom market collapsed. Keeney laid off employees and developed new uses for his semiconductor laser diodes (right), which today are employed in applications like laser hair removal and on fighter jets to confuse heat-seeking missiles. Though nLight doesn't disclose revenue, Keeney says his firm is profitable, and he expects sales to rise 50% this year. It competes in a crowded, roughly $900 million annual market, but one that's growing at more than 15%, according to analyst Tom Hausken of Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm. Hausken thinks nLight can expand by selling more complete laser systems as well as components.

    --R.M.M.