LONDON — Strathdon Investments plc has led an investment of £250,000 (about $440,000) in Nanosight Ltd., a startup company offering technology for the optical detection and real-time analysis of nanometer-scale particles and molecular structures.

Nanosight (Salisbury, England) has received £90,000 (about $160,000) from Strathdon and £150,000 (about $260,000) from the South West Ventures Fund with the balance coming from an unnamed private investor. Strathdon said it has a one-year option to invest a further £250,000 on the same terms. The money is intended to drive sales, Strathdon said.

Nanosight’s analysis process costs less than a tenth of electron microscopy techniques traditionally used for measuring these types of particles, according to Strathdon.

The technology is relevant to the analysis of silicon wafer production slurries as well as other areas of the electronics, biotechnology, cosmetics and energy industries. Nanosight's customers include BASF, Seagate and Micro Emissive Displays Ltd. as well as the English universities of Birmingham, Surrey and Liverpool.

The latest funding follows a £1.2 million (about $2.1 million) award from the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry in September 2004. That award was made in support of collaboration with Smiths Detection-Watford Ltd., which manufactures detection equipment for civil and military markets.

The investment in Nanosight was led by Dominic Marinelli, an investment director with Strathdon, who commented in a statement: “I have long held an interest in nanotechnology, and am close to completion of a postgraduate diploma on the subject.”