Meru Grabs $17M

Voice over wireless LAN (VOWLAN)-focused startup Meru Networks Inc. has scored $17 million in its second round of venture funding.

The firm's CEO and co-founder Ujjal Kohli says that Meru will be using the money to support and increase its customer base – although naturally he can't talk about how many customers the company has yet – and add to its product line.

Meru currently offers a wireless LAN "controller" that can be twinned with its dedicated access points to support multi-channel VOIP implementations for enterprise customers (see Meru Takes Flight).

Kohli says the company is planning to offer larger and smaller versions of its controller for corporate customers and versions targeted at the carrier market.

Kohli didn't have much in the way of detail about the carrier-class products but noted that "carriers have a whole different set of requirements."

These may include support for billing and other operational software, as well as different coverage models (last mile/meter rather than office or campus).

Kohli believes this should be Meru's last round of VC funding, but he doesn't rule out the prospect of going back to the well. "Thirty million dollars is a lot of money to do stuff with," he says. BlueStream Ventures is the lead investor in this round and is joined by another new investor, Sierra Ventures.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung