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Case Study

IR Microsystems (B): Taking tunable diode laser spectrometry (TDLS) to market in 2006

By Benoit F. Leleux

9 pages

December 2006

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Reference: IMD-3-1731

By 2006, IR Microsystems (IRM) had 8 employees on the payroll, all of them with technical/engineering backgrounds. The first major external funding had come in 2003 from a collection of investors, including a local VC fund, which was attracted by the growth potential of IRM’s technological products. Initially, the company had focused its resources on developing a low-cost solution for infrared detection and gas/liquid analysis. However, sales did not take off and after a few years it was clear that IRM needed a new product. So the company refocused its efforts on the development of tunable diode laser spectrometry (TDLS), a laser gas detection technology with great promise. By 2006, pressure from investors to start generating serious revenues from TDLS, or at least to sign the first significant sales contract, was increasing. How could the company move forward with this novel technology base? Could it capitalize on the learning of the last four years?

Learning Objective

Market entry in high technology fields
Managing the early phases of growth
Dealing with investors

Keywords

Technology Development, Market Positioning, Start-up, Growth Management, Market Entry, Original Equipment Manufacturer, Subcontracting, Spectrometry

Settings

Europe, Switzerland

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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This case study is part of a series

IR Microsystems (A): June 2002
IR Microsystems (B): Taking tunable diode laser spectrometry (TDLS) to market in 2006
IR Microsystems (C): 2006 epilogue

This case study is part of a series

IR Microsystems (A): June 2002
IR Microsystems (B): Taking tunable diode laser spectrometry (TDLS) to market in 2006
IR Microsystems (C): 2006 epilogue

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