Sort of. While Nanosys and their IPO may be grabbing the headlines, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are the more likely exit route for nanotech companies.
The Philadelphia Business company Ametek Inc., a Paoli, Pa., maker of electronic instruments and electric motors, has bought Taylor Hobson Holdings Ltd for GBP51 million from UK-based private equity firm Permira.
TaylorHobson, formerly Rank Taylor Hobson, are best known as a manufacturer of profilometers, devices for measuring surface roughness and morphology that are routinely used in industry.
Over the last ten years this part of the business has become closer to scanning probe microscopy, as engineering tolerances have decreased, requiring ever more accurate measurements.