UWB Firms Staccato And Artimi Merge
STACCATO COMMUNICATIONS, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless technology company, announced that it has completed a merger with Artimi, Inc., a developer of UWB and wireless- Universal-Serial-Bus (WUSB) software and hardware solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, the combined entity will maintain the Staccato Communications name. Marty Colombatto will keep the role of Chief Executive Officer for Staccato while Andrew Vought, previously Chief Executive Officer of Artimi, will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer.
Staccato also has closed $20 million in a new round of equity financing. This backing will allow the firm to productize the integrated portfolio of both companies' hardware and software solutions as well as continue the expansion of its roadmap. Investors included Allegis Capital, Amadeus Capital Partners, Bay Partners, Charles River Ventures, Formative Ventures, Intel Capital, Interwest Partners, Khosla Ventures, Noble Venture Finance, Oak Investment Partners, and Vision Capital. All were investors in either Staccato or Artimi at the time of the merger.
The new Staccato entity plans to deliver innovative products to the market by leveraging Staccato's Ripcord2 65-nm CMOS integrated-circuit (IC) family , a single-chip solution certified in Band Groups 1, 3, and 6 for worldwide operation, and Artimi's Zero Install technology and Wireless USB solutions. As a result, Staccato will have a broad portfolio of end-to-end system solutions to service the PC, PC-peripheral, consumer-electronic, and mobile-handset markets.
Artimi's WiMedia-compliant, software- based architecture strives to deliver fast and simple wireless connectivity across all of the major protocols including Wireless USB, high-speed Bluetooth, and WiMedia Logical Link Control Protocol (WLP). Staccato's second-generation Ripcord2 family is the industry's first implementation utilizing 65-nm CMOS process technology. It is the first and only single-chip solution to achieve WiMedia PHY certification for Band Groups 1, 3, and 6. The Ripcord2 family also supports the capability for detection and avoidance (DAA), providing a worldwide-compatible solution in a single device. Recently, Ripcord2 was named CES 2009 Best Enabling Technology by the Consumer Electronics Association.