Enterprise Partners Welcomes Kalon Semiconductor to Portfolio
Sent on June 27, 2006
Bob Conn, managing director of Enterprise Partners, announced that Enterprise Partners has led a $10.9 million Series A round with Kalon Semiconductor. The round also includes Mission Ventures, Avalon Ventures, and Cisco Systems, Inc. Ali Hedayati, former general manager of Intel's Centrino Wireless Product Division, an Enterprise Partners entrepreneur-in-residence, and Kalon co-founder, has been named Kalon's CEO. The company will use proceeds of the financing to bring its high data rate wireless technology to market. Kalon Semiconductor develops high data rate, standards-agnostic connectivity products for wireless and wired applications. Kalon‘s patented ultra-wideband (UWB) architecture delivers optimal cost and performance for a broad range of applications including in-home multimedia, wireless USB, wireless high definition video (HDMI), and Bluetooth 3.0. The Kalon executive team brings exceptional technical and market knowledge to the field of wireless connectivity via their years of experience with industry leaders including Intel, Mitsubishi, and Qualcomm.
Ali Hedayati, Kalon's CEO said, "We are especially excited about how our architecture enables consumers worldwide to enjoy digital multimedia and high definition video with all the convenience and versatility offered by wireless connectivity."
Bob Conn, Enterprise Partners managing director and lead investor, added, "Ultra wideband has been talked up for some time, and the impression may be that its impact is still far off. We believe that Kalon has the potential to enter the market at exactly the right time and break through in a big way."
(Note to investors; Kalon Semiconductor is a member of the Enterprise EPVI fund.)
Enterprise Forum
E.F. Ali Hedayati has been named CEO of Kalon and immediately prior to that he was an entrepreneur-in residence with Enterprise. How did Kalon evolve?
B.C. Ali was a member of the Enterprise Partners entrepreneur-in-residence program, helping us locate people, technologies and business opportunities that fit our investment strategy. He connected with Ismail Lakkis and together they formed the company. Enterprise provided the seed capital and within a matter of months put together a really strong syndicate that includes Avalon Ventures, Cisco and Mission Ventures and raised this $10.9 million round. Enterprise's EIR program enables us to build companies from the ground floor with talented people whose track record we know.
E.F. You have invested in two semiconductor companies' recently- Tarari and now Kalon Semiconductor. What do these investments have in common?
B.C. Both companies employ intelligent, software-enabled silicon. Where Tarari addresses the needs of enterprise clients-who increasingly need greater, more intelligent and fast security controls on Internet traffic-Kalon develops solutions that ultimately reach a consumer audience and address the market's appetite for unwired services. It goes without saying that both companies have extremely strong leadership teams.
E.F. How will Kalon ultimately make a difference to consumers?
B.C. Kalon is selling its products to the largest, most prestigious consumer electronics and networking companies in the world. As those companies begin deploying Kalon's solutions, consumers will begin to reap the benefits of watching, say, streaming video on their large, high definition TV screens.
About Kalon Semiconductor
Kalon Semiconductor was founded in 2005 with offices in San Diego and Taipei. The company delivers high data rate, standards-agnostic connectivity products for wireless and wired applications. Kalon's patented ultra wideband (UWB) technology brings low cost connectivity to a broad range of applications including in-home multimedia, wireless USB, wireless high definition video (HDMI), and Bluetooth 3.0. www.kalonsemi.com
About Enterprise Partners
Enterprise Partners was founded in 1985 and is the largest venture firm headquartered in Southern California, with over $1.1 billion in capital under management. Enterprise focuses on seed, early stage and promising later stage companies across a broad spectrum of technologies and the life sciences. The firm is currently investing its sixth fund and is headquartered in San Diego. www.epvc.com