Yafo Networks lands $31 million in venture capital

Henry Yaffe was one of the top engineers at Ciena, the fiber-optic systems company, when it got rolling in the telecommunications world four years ago. But like much of the top talent in the technology industry, Yaffe has charted his own course, starting a fiber-optic equipment company called Yafo Networks, based in Hanover, Md.

Today Yaffe is rolling in venture capital. Yafo Networks just announced an investment of $31 million, bringing the total amount of venture capital to $40 million. Among the investors are MCI WorldCom, ADC Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and Mellon Ventures.

There are larger VC deals out there these days, but consider this:...