Swiss IoT module maker u-blox has acquired the Bluetooth module business of Oregon startup Rigado for an undisclosed fee.
Rigado, founded in 2010, provides edge-as-a-service gateways for commercial IoT solutions. Rigado’s portfolio of Bluetooth modules will be re-branded under the u‑blox name. The deal will allow u-blox to extend its range of Bluetooth low energy (BLE), Zigbee and Thread devices, and access additional market segments and channels, it said.
The combined short-range radio offering adds new modules targeting consumer-oriented markets, notably the sport and fitness sector. Rigado’s customers will get access to all u-blox Wi-Fi, cellular, and positioning solutions for their IoT applications, and benefit from u-blox’s support capabilities.
Rigado has raised $20 million in venture funding since it was founded in 2010. It started offering wireless modules in 2015. The company claims to have sold over five million commercial IoT devices, including sensors, monitors, and asset trackers; it has 300 customers around the world, it said, covering the enterprise, retail, and logistics markets.
Rigado is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It has overseas offices in London, in the UK, and Shenzhen, in China. Its office in Salem, Oregon, will become u-blox’s short range radio engineering centre in North America. Ben Corrado, former chief executive at Rigado, will be part of u-blox’s short range radio product strategy team. Other key staff from Rigado’s modules division have also joined u-blox.
Herbert Blaser, head of u-blox’s product centre for short range radio, said: “Rigado’s Bluetooth modules business complements our already extensive portfolio and gives us access to more channels and new interesting customers in the area of smart home, wearables, as well as fitness. We’re also looking forward to the ongoing collaboration with distribution partners like Digi-key or Future Electronics, where we’ll be able to offer a seamless transition.”
Greg Rau, president of Rigado, said: “The value we capture from the acquisition of the modules division will allow us to further accelerate Rigado’s growth in the gateway market – especially in key solution areas such as smart building and asset tracking.”
