It's only a few words, but this may yield the answers to the sale price slide and the quiet period from POET. The words were something like: "POET can now consider more quality partners in its cap table." The next capital raise that sets a direction for the company may be in the works.

I believe a large partner is considering taking a stake in POET. Someone with a relevant business, like Mitsubishi, Foxconn, or Luxshare. I lean toward Mitsubishi, as they make wafers already, 12 inch at that. The other two are more integrators in their core business. Mitsubishi has a lot at stake given their already large share of the EML market and their aspirations to build 1.6G and 3.2G modules with POET. 

The Japanese have no love for China, so there is that as a reason to help create a great alternative to SPX. Mitsubishi has dozens of business units and equity stakes in its porfolio. They have a large and obvious list of good reasons for themselves, and POET could reap many benefits from the association. It's expensive to create more wafer processing and fabrication capability, so dilution with someone is unavoidable, but it's not a bad thing if it includes a step up on the supply chain by becoming very capable of volumes needed, in the OI chip supplier role, plus the ability to sell modules.

I have always chafed at the fact that POET creates the enabling tech, proves it, and then has to go back to each module maker and prove it again in their designs, so they can then sample it out. It would be great to have a large, credible investment and tight partnership with a global brand, ready to build inventory and sell in great volumes. The other partnerships can continue to serve the myriad of customized modules, respecting what FIT, Luxshare and others bring to the table, but there are millions of modules needed and it will be expensive to scale up. 

Being the first to invent this type of OI is also a lead that should not be squandered by thinking small. POET can take on a large partner, but retain its agility and its lead, and given more resources, compete with all the big players from the pole position they are in.