Boréas Technologies – a pioneer in haptic semiconductor platforms – recently announced the closing of a US$12 million Series B financing round. And Boréas will use the funding round to accelerate the high-volume production of its ultra-low-power piezo haptic semiconductors in mobile, PC, and automotive applications.
This funding round is the culmination of a strong year, which saw the company secure major design wins with global brands in all three target segments and increase revenue by nearly 300% yearly. And Boréas is targeting a lucrative market for emerging haptic technologies.
Boréas’ flagship technology — its CapDrive piezo drivers — enables crisp, localized haptic feedback and integrated force sensing in applications such as smartphones, where customized and highly responsive solid-state buttons replace legacy mechanical buttons and significantly enrich the user experience. Along with their remarkable performance, Boréas CapDrive piezo drivers provide the unique energy-recovery capability to enable 10x power savings over competing piezo driver products in a footprint that is 4x smaller—satisfying the stringent power/size demands of small, battery-powered devices.
Boréas also announced two new members of its executive team: Todd Whitaker, VP of products and strategy; and Hans Tian, VP of sales.
Whitaker is a seasoned general manager and marketing executive who previously oversaw the global marketing function for two multibillion-dollar semiconductor companies. And he will integrate strategy, product management, sales and marketing to drive Boréas’ business growth. Drawing from over two decades in semiconductors and sensors, Tian is the former vice president of sales at TDK InvenSense China and held a leadership role in sales at Knowles.
KEY QUOTES:
“Boréas Technologies has proven its ability to deliver localized haptic effects and force sensing in a small, ultra-power-efficient form factor suited to multiple markets. This infusion of capital will help catapult our company to the next level, ensuring that we can meet the high-volume demand for our chips in smartphones, PC trackpads and automotive cockpits.”
“Todd Whitaker and Hans Tian have built their careers working at some of the most influential companies in the microelectronics industry. I’m thrilled that Boréas is now the beneficiary of their business acumen and technology expertise, and I welcome them to our executive team.”
— Simon Chaput, founder & CEO, Boréas Technologies
