PALO ALTO, Calif. -- More than a half dozen fiber optics component companies backed by Storm Ventures, a Palo Alto venture capital firm, will be exhibitors next week at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibit in Anaheim, California, the industry's biggest trade show. This showing underscores Storm's unmitigated belief that optics remains a compelling investment arena despite today's industry glut. Among the Storm-backed companies at OFC is Ample Communications. Ample, founded in September 2000, designs and manufactures high-bandwidth, high-performance semiconductors for next-generation equipment serving the optical access, metro and core markets. Another, DowsLake Microsystems, founded in October 2000, designs and makes smart optical subsystems built around network applications instead of specific optical devices. Ignis Optics, founded in January 2001, makes small and highly cost-effective optical subsystems for next-generation optical networks. Novx, founded in March 2001, is developing an all-optical switch that will offer system manufacturers low cost and sharply reduced signal loss. Additional exhibitors include Nufern, which makes application specific optical fiber for light amplification, polarization and other applications. Sierra Monolithics, founded in 1986 as a maker of microwave modules, today makes semiconductors that provide an interface linking the optical and electrical portions of a network. Sparkolor, founded in February 2001, makes tunable optical components for telecommunications and data communications applications. Storm VenturesFor more information on OFC 2002, please visit: www.nottheofc.com