LaserMotive Co-Founders Named Among 2010 Top Innovators of the Year by Seattle Business Magazine

Kent, Wash. (October 27, 2010) – LaserMotive, an independent R&D company specializing in laser power beaming and winner of the 2009 NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Competition, announced that Seattle Business Magazine has named its three co-founders –Tom Nugent, Jordin Kare and Dave Bashford – among its Top Innovators of the Year.

The annual awards are given by Seattle Business, a monthly magazine that is read by more than 100,000 business executives across the state, to honor the region’s leading entrepreneurs, inventors and academics.

Nugent, Kare and Bashford were honored for their work in the development of the emerging technology known as laser power beaming – the wireless transfer of energy over distances using laser light – that has the potential to provide a virtually endless supply of power to a variety of applications.  This year, LaserMotive set the world record for laser-powered flight with a remote-controlled helicopter that ran continuously up to six hours a day for four days.  The system was based on technology the company developed for its winning entry in the 2009 NASA-sponsored Power Beaming Competition for a purse prize of nearly $1 million, marking the first time any team ever won the Competition.

“We’re pleased and delighted to be honored by magazine, which plays an important role in covering the region’s business community,” said Tom Nugent, president and co-founder of LaserMotive.

LaserMotive and 14 other companies were selected from a list of more than 50 nominees.  The top 15 companies were honored at an awards ceremony, and will be featured in the November issue of the magazine, which can be found at http://www.seattlebusinessmag.com.

Headquartered in Kent, Wash., LaserMotive is a privately-held R&D company specializing in laser power beaming for commercial applications.  The company was co-founded in 2006 by Dr. Jordin Kare, one of the foremost experts on laser propulsion, and Tom Nugent, former Research Director for LiftPort Group.  Its industry partners include some of the leading companies in aerospace and lasers, including The Boeing Company, DILAS, MS Kennedy, Ophir Spiricon, Zaber Technologies, and In-Tec.  For more information, please visit the company website at www.lasermotive.com.