Buying and selling UWB companies

Political and finanancial machinations continue to affect the world of UWB (Ultra Wideband) technology.

I reported in the last issue of Incisor that WiQuest had gone to the wall, and also that word on the grapevine was that other UWB companies were in big trouble as a result of not being able to raise 'next round' financing. Well, the latest I hear is that two of the UWB traiblazers - Staccato Communications and Artimi - are to merge. This followed stories elsewhere in the media a couple of weeks ago that Artimi had in fact closed the doors and was also out of business.

So, I say merge, but this seems more of an acquisition than a merger. Staccato has managed to raise $20 million in new round of funding, and the organisation that will continue to trade post-merger will be called Staccato Communications.

Is this the last of the big changes in the world of UWB? It seems unlikely, and there is still the High Speed Bluetooth relationship to be resolved. We will just have to maintain a watching brief. In the meantime, we (Incisor) have a new UWB-based project. We will travel to Las Vegas for CES, where we will film a movie for the WiMedia Alliance that will position UWB today, and which is intended to publicise the many, and entirely valid messages that the UWB companies want to distribute to the world.

Las Vegas again then ..... More late nights, endless jingling slot machines .....

Ho hum - it's all in a day's work!

Somebody throw UWB a line!

Heck! What is going on in the world of Ultra-wideband at the moment? Not only did we hear a bunch of handset companies at the Bluetooth Evolution Conference saying they have little interest in UWB at the moment (Wi-Fi is the flavour of the month), but now we have a bunch of UWB companies in trouble. You can read about this in my feature in this month's issue of Incisor - it can be downloaded from the site -- http://www.incisor.tv/ .

WiQuest we know has closed its doors, which is a great shame. It was a good company, with some great people. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Greg Christison, Pam Johnson and Alun Roberts.

Now I hear that another two - possibly three - UWB companies are also in dire straits. I've been given names, but it's absolutely not right to say here who they are. The Wimedia Alliance is rallying behind them, but there is only so much it can do.

These are awful times for any company seeking financing. Most of the ambitious, pushy and trail-blazing UWB companies are (were) VC-funded. Any one of them that is at or near the point of needing its next-round of funding is going to find it very tough. That is what has bitten WiQuest and may affect others too. It is nothing to do with the merits of UWB as a technology. This is finance and commerce.

Let's hope that recent developments in the US political environment really do initiate some paradigm changes, and that some level of confidence returns to the global financial community. Focusing on the funding needs of a few wireless companies is maybe just a bit too narrow - we all need to feel that a turnaround is possible, so that we all have a glimmer of hope.

Yo, go Obama!