Tempow

Tempow operated as a specialized research and design firm focused on advancing Bluetooth technology. The Paris-based company was founded in 2016 by Vincent Nallatamby, Julien Goupy, and Thomas Girardier. The founding team, alumni of prestigious institutions like Ecole Polytechnique, met in Silicon Valley during an entrepreneurship program at UC Berkeley. Their shared passion for music and technology led them to address the limitations of the existing Bluetooth protocol.

The company's core business involved creating software-only solutions to enhance the functionality of Bluetooth-enabled devices for hardware and chipset manufacturers. Tempow's business model was centered on licensing its software to these manufacturers, moving the center of gravity in the Bluetooth value chain from hardware to software. Their flagship product, the Tempow Audio Profile (TAP), was a software protocol that enabled a single source, like a smartphone, to stream synchronized audio to multiple Bluetooth speakers or headphones simultaneously, regardless of the brand. This effectively offered a Sonos-like experience using standard Bluetooth hardware. The technology was adopted by Motorola for its Moto X4 handset, bringing audio sharing features to millions of devices.

Building on its initial success, Tempow expanded its offerings to include solutions for true wireless earbuds, aiming to provide near-zero latency and improved battery life, which was compatible with any Bluetooth chipset. The firm also developed specific software solutions for home theaters and smart home assistants. After raising approximately $5 million in funding, including a $4 million Series A round in 2018 led by Balderton Capital and C4 Ventures, Tempow continued to innovate, filing numerous patents. In 2021, Google acquired Tempow for an estimated $17.4 million, integrating its team and intellectual property to bolster Google's own audio product development, particularly for its Pixel Buds line. Following the acquisition, co-founder Vincent Nallatamby has taken on a role as a Product Manager at Google.

Keywords: Bluetooth protocol, audio software, wireless audio, hardware manufacturers, semiconductor, synchronized audio, true wireless stereo, intellectual property, Google acquisition, audio streaming