NovaWave Technologies is a designer and manufacturer of advanced chemical sensors for both the military and commercial industries. The company’s proprietary technology revolves around its use of laser and photonic optical technologies to enhance sensor sensitivity, precision, and accuracy. According to NovaWave, the company’s core competencies include optical spectroscopies, laser physics, chemical detection, and microfluidics. Moreover, its staff has “pioneered numerous developments in absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, non-linear spectroscopies, and optical scattering methods.” Given the extreme accuracy and sensitivity of NovaWave’s laser-enhanced sensors, the technology has numerous potential applications including: chemical/biological agent detection, trace explosives detection, greenhouse gas/pollution monitoring, for homeland security, metrology, biomedical applications and applied research. NovaWave offers its customers high scalability, low-cost, customizable products with rapid time-to-market. Not surprisingly, the US government, specifically the Department of Defense, has taken great interest in NovaWave’s optical technology. From 2000-2007 NovaWave has received just over $5.1 million in defense contracts and research funding. While the military certainly represents a huge market potential for NovaWave, the commercial sector is also rife with opportunities. Given the highly adaptive nature of NovaWave’s products and the vast number of potential applications of optical sensors in various industries, assessing the market value proves difficult. However, according to the-infoshop.com, by 2012 the value of the chemical sensor industry in the US will reach $5 billion. Moreover, “Demand for chemical sensors based on emerging technologies, such as optical sensors, will see the fastest gains.” Clearly, NovaWave has a long-term market lush with opportunities for investment and development.

NovaWave Technology is an advanced photonics company based in Redwood city, California. Founded in 2002, the company’s mission is to develop optically-based chemical detection instrumentation, primarily for the military but also for civilian markets. Recently NovaWave expanded research into microfluidics for biomedical applications in clinical diagnostics. NovaWave is in the process of securing partnerships with key industry leaders in order to streamline its manufacturing processes and best serve its customers.