Ciena was founded in 1992 under the name HydraLite by electrical engineer David R. Huber. Huber served as Chief Executive Officer, while Optelecom, a company building optical networking products, provided "management assistance and production facilities," and Kevin Kimberlin "provided initial equity capital during the formation of the Company". The company subsequently received crucial funding from Sevin Rosen Funds as a result of a demonstration at its laboratory attended by Jon Bayless, a partner at the firm, who saw the value in applying HydraLite's fiber-optic technology to cable television. Bayless offered funding immediately.