Luminus Devices Founder and Chief Technology Officer Alexei Erchak (Part 4)

SM: What is the price point of your product?

AE: We had the same price as the lamps, and they were $100. We just added one light source per color. That is all it took to illuminate these large-screen televisions. >>>

Top 8 SaaS Stocks

We’ve been looking at SaaS closely for a while now. Let’s do a recap of the Top 8 SaaS Stocks that I am tracking. Also, I want to reiterate that I believe SaaS stocks are recession-proof. >>>

Luminus Devices Founder and Chief Technology Officer Alexei Erchak (Part 3)

SM: Where did you look for business opportunities once you realized traditional LED markets were not viable?

AE: We got connected to InFocus, a projector company. They started talking to us about projection applications and rear-projection television in particular. They said that the lamps they were using in those applications did not last very long, which was the Achilles heel of that market. >>>

Forbes Column 08: Entrepreneurs Flock To Online Travel

My new Forbes Column Entrepreneurs Flock To Online Travel is out. Check it out, if you haven’t already. And of course, make sure you follow Cree Lawson’s bootstrapping advice.

Luminus Devices Founder and Chief Technology Officer Alexei Erchak (Part 2)

SM: You spent your time at MIT doing the theory and physics. When did it start to become a commercial thought?

AE: In five years we really felt that we had an understanding of how these devices work and if there were a way to commercialize this technology or make it beneficial for the industry, we would be able to figure it out. We had the fundamental physics down by the time I left MIT. >>>

Top 15 Tips For Bootstrappers

This past week I talked with Greg Gianforte, founder and CEO of RightNow and author of Bootstrapping Your Business. Today, to go along with my new Forbes column, I have more bootstrapping tips from serial entrepreneur and storyteller extraordinaire Cree Lawson. Cree says: >>>

Luminus Devices Founder and Chief Technology Officer Alexei Erchak (Part 1)

Alexei Erchak founded Luminus in 2002 after being awarded his PhD in materials sciences and engineering from MIT. There he designed and tested photonic lattice LED technology which has evolved into PhlatLight, the most powerful LED in the world. PhlatLight offers a 20,000-hour life span and high production volumes (low cost), which has been enticing to TV manufacturing since Samsung elected to use PhlatLight in 2007 for a range of rear-projection televisions. This success has led to expansion of the PhlatLight product line to a wider range of applications.

SM: Alexei, take us back to where your journey begins. Where are you from and how did you get into Luminus?

AE: I grew up in Saratoga Springs, New York. I went to Skidmore College there, which is a small but fairly renowned liberal arts college. I majored in math and physics. >>>

More SaaS: Concur, Taleo, RightNow

Concur, the expense management software maker, released its earnings for the second quarter of 2008. Subscription revenue growth was the main driving force behind their robust earnings. The company posted net income of $4.5 million or $0.09 a share, compared with $1.8 million or $0.04 a share in the corresponding quarter last year. Total revenue is also up 65% from the same quarter last year and stands at $54.9 million. Non-GAAP operating margin was 21% for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, up 3% from the same quarter last year. >>>