SAN FRANCISCO -- Blueprint Ventures, one of Silicon Valley's leadingnext-generation venture capital firms, announced today that Brian Kinard hasjoined as Partner to lead the firm's intensified focus on the fiber opticssector.Brian Kinard has a 15-year career in the communications industry and bringsdeep technology experience in the optics components and systems areas.Prior to joining Blueprint Ventures, Brian was Vice President of BusinessDevelopment and General Counsel at Avanex Corporation (Nasdaq: AVNX), adeveloper of optical components and photonic processors for thetelecommunications industry. Brian helped build Avanex, a start-up backedby several leading VCs, into a leading public company in the opticalcommunications sector."We are fortunate to have Brian join us," said General Partner BartSchachter. "His unique combination of deep technology and deal-makingexperience adds tremendous strength to our bench. As many venture firms arestill sifting through the rubble and looking in the rear-view mirror, we aremoving aggressively into what we believe is a unique investment window forpromising communications companies."Blueprint Ventures