Touchstone Receives 12 Million Series A Funding; Announces Immediate Availability of Second-Source Maxim Analog Comparators
Touchstone Semiconductor, Inc., a developer of high-performance analog integrated circuit solutions, announced that it has received $12 million in Series A funding. Silicon Valley venture capital firms Opus Capital and Khosla Ventures were the primary investors. Touchstone Semiconductor was the only semiconductor company in Silicon Valley to receive Series A funding in the year 2010. The investment is being used for research and development, marketing, and sales for Touchstone’s growing family of high-performance analog integrated circuits.
A group of industry experts from Maxim Integrated Products, Linear Technology and Analog Devices formed Touchstone in 2010 to build a high-performance analog company. Touchstone states that its proprietary products offer a unique combination of features and performance that cannot be found elsewhere in the analog market. Touchstone’s second-source products are pin-compatible and specification identical to competitive offerings, providing an ideal alternative for hard-to-secure sole-sourced products.
"We are proud to be the only semiconductor company in the Silicon Valley to receive Series A funding last year. Our investors recognized that the highly fragmented $40 billion analog market offers a tremendous opportunity for sustained growth," said Brett Fox, President and CEO of Touchstone Semiconductor. "We believe the combination of our extremely talented and committed team, industry expertise and proven business strategy will enable us to build a highly profitable company."
Touchstone also announced the availability of its TSM9117-TSM9120 and TSM917 family of analog comparators plus reference. These low-power, single-supply comparators are pin-compatible, specification-identical, and functionally identical to Maxim Integrated Product’s MAX9117–MAX9120 and MAX917 low-power, single-supply comparators. These products are in stock and available to ship immediately.
Touchstone’s new TSM9117-TSM9120 and TSM917 comparator family provides manufacturers an assurance of supply they cannot achieve with hard-to-get sole sourced products. Manufacturers can use Touchstone’s devices in conjunction with the original source to ensure their product ships on schedule to their customers.
The TSM9117 and the TSM9118 are drop-in-replacements for the MAX9117 and MAX9118. They operate from a single +1.6V supply, have an internal 1.245V ±1.5% voltage reference and only draw 750nA of supply current.
The TSM9119 and the TSM9120 are drop-in-replacements for the MAX9119 and MAX9120. They are comparator only versions of the TSM9117 and the TSM9118 and consume less than 400nA of supply current.
The TSM917 is a drop-in-replacement for the MAX917 nanopower comparator. It operates from a single +1.8V supply, incorporates an internal 1.245V ±1.5% voltage reference, and consumes no more than 750nA of supply current.
The TSM9117-TSM9120 family is available in space-saving 5-pin SC70 packages. In addition, the TSM9117 and the TSM9120 are available in 8-pin SOIC packages. The TSM917 is offered in space-saving 5-pin SOT23 and 8-pin SOIC packages. TSM917 and TSM9117 prices start at $0.95 each in 1000 piece quantities. TSM9118-TSM9120 prices start at $0.66 each in 1,000 piece quantities.
