Industry veteran targets molecular imaging.

POWAY, CA -- The startup firm Daylight Solutions is set to debut its mid-infrared lasers--or "tiny tunables"--and officially announce its transition from R&D into production. But unlike other companies targeting noninvasive molecular detection and imaging, this company features a familiar face: one of its founders is Tim Day, former CTO and co-founder of New Focus (San Jose, CA; now Bookham New Focus).

"At New Focus, it was clear to me that there was a huge market for non-invasive diagnostics and detection--but unfortunately, the whole molecular detection and imaging market was waiting for a laser solution," said Day, who is CEO, CTO, and chairman of Daylight. "But …