Julie Jacobson · December 31, 2012
Some important mergers and acquisitions in the custom electronics industry occurred in 2012. It wasn’t the biggest year in M&As for the industry, but it was a significant one, as some of the most iconic brands—including LiteTouch, HAI and Thiel—were snapped up by insiders and outside investors.
In addition, some of the industry faithfuls left their day jobs to launch new companies.
Below are some of the notable acquisitions and start-ups of 2012, complementing our feature story: “Biggest CE Stories of 2012.”
Former SpeakerCraft Execs Launch TDG Audio. After SpeakerCraft’s Nirv whole-house audio/video/control system was dropped this year, product manager Daniel Kippycash was left without a professional home. Recently, he co-founded The DaVinci Group (TDG) with former SpeakerCraft colleague Alex Chiou. The first line of products, in-wall speakers, will debut at CES 2013 under the TDG Audio brand. In addition, Kippycash was named executive director of the Digital Delivery Group, following the departure of David Kaplan.
About the Author
Julie Jacobson, recipient of the 2014 CEA TechHome Leadership Award, is co-founder of EH Publishing, producer of CE Pro, Electronic House, Commercial Integrator, Security Sales and other leading technology publications. She currently spends most of her time writing for CE Pro in the areas of home automation, security, networked A/V and the business of home systems integration. Julie majored in Economics at the University of Michigan, spent a year abroad at Cambridge University, earned an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, and has never taken a journalism class in her life. She’s a washed-up Ultimate Frisbee player currently residing in Carlsbad, Calif. Email Julie at jjacobson@ehpub.com