ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., July 6 -- Zia Laser Inc., developer of quantum dot (QD) semiconductor lasers for the data and telecommunications markets, has received $6 million in seed round funding from Prism Venture Partners and RWI Group. The company will leverage its initial investment to pursue several key hires, build corporate infrastructure and expand product development. Zia Laser was founded by faculty members and research scientists at the Center for High Technology Materials at the University of New Mexico. The founders include Luke F. Lester, Petros M. Varangis, Timothy C. Newell, Kevin J. Malloy, Andreas Stintz, and Allen L. Gray.