SiliconBeat

LeRoy Kopp and his Minnesota-based Kopp Investment Advisor funds disclosed holding 11.2 million shares, or about 6 percent, of Oclaro, the San Jose fiber-optics equipment company formed out of the April merger of Bookham and Avanex. The investment cost $7.72 million, or an average of 69 cents a share.

As of March 31, Kopp and his related funds had owned 4.4 million shares of Bookham prior to the merger. Among their other local investments are sizeable stakes in Caliper Life Sciences, Callidus Software, Durect, Harmonic, and RAE Systems, not to mention its ownership of valley bigwigs such as Intel and Cisco Systems.

The investments, which are part of what the investors term their “long-term capital appreciation” strategy, were reported on a Form SC 13D, designed for active investors. Kopp and his funds tend to “analyze the management, operations and markets of companies in which they invest, including (Oclaro) on a continual basis through analysis of research and discussions with industry and market observers and with representatives of such companies.”

In pursuing this investment objective, the Reporting Persons analyze the management, operations and markets of companies in which they invest, including the Company, on a continual basis through analysis of research and discussions with industry and market observers and with representatives of such companies.