Taking mobile audio to the next level, Austria’s USound raises €25 million

If you’re interacting with a device the requires power to operate right now, you’re looking at CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) and MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) technologies in action. USound is fundamentally changing this game through its application of piezoelectricity, a principle that relies on mineral crystals such as lead zirconate titanate to extend or shrink when an electrical field is passed through them. USound’s €25 million funding round was led by eQventure, and saw participation from ARM co-founder Hermann Hauser and Chinese mobile phone battery maker BYD co-founder Yang Longzhong, as well as a sizeable commitment from the European Investment Bank. “With the steady growth of customers, USound is further extending the manufacturing network that already includes STMicroelectronics for the First Generation of MEMS loudspeaker and TSMC (Taiwan) for the ASIC Audio Amplifier. Collaborating with world-leading manufacturing companies enable us to increase production volume, be more efficient, and improve the logistics process to reach our global customers,” commented USound CEO Ferruccio Bottoni.