For a company, innovation is a key factor when it comes to building customer loyalty or gaining market share. This innovation can be made internally thanks to the research and development teams, but it can also be acquired by buying out other companies. Sonos, a company specializing in wireless hi-fi systems, has therefore decided to buy the startup Mayht for 100 million dollars in order to access the intellectual property of a technology called Heartmotion supposed to reinvent the loudspeaker.
A technological breakthrough
“Mayht’s breakthrough in transducer technology will allow Sonos to take another leap forward in our product portfolio,” said Sonos CEO Patrick Spence. Indeed, the startup would have succeeded in reinventing the heart of the loudspeaker.
This technological advance would allow the manufacture of loudspeakers up to 10 times more compact than with current processes without compromising on sound quality or bass. This acquisition could allow Sonos to accelerate the release of new products and reduce the size of its portable speakers.
Access to the intellectual property included in the agreement will allow Sonos to exploit the full potential of this technology, without fear of legal action such as the one brought against Google. In fact, at the start of the year, the American justice ruled in favor of the loudspeaker manufacturer concerning patent violations which forced Google to downgrade certain functionalities of its products under penalty of a marketing ban.