Sula, don't you think POET might have been able to receive a loan from one of these well-heeled players they are working with in your scenario? Certainly not if things weren't going well, but if you assume the tech was shining brightly for them so far. Could have been a convertible debenture, for example. POET couldn't go to the normal sources for a loan, so it may have made sense to ask a "partner."