About Products Applications Resources Latest Contact Us Buy Login About Vesper: The World’s Most Advanced Acoustic Sensors Overview Vesper offers the first MEMS microphones that withstand real-world use in smartphones and other connected devices. Vesper’s are the only MEMS microphones rugged enough to withstand water, dust and particle contaminants. They’re high-performance and enable acoustically rich experiences for any application – from smartphones and wearables to Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connected automobiles. What We Do Technology changes, but the natural human preference for communicating by voice is constant. As the number of electronic devices in our world grows, our need for natural communication is even greater. And whether we are communicating with people or machines, the quality and reliability of the voice interface becomes increasingly critical. Microphones are the gateway between the digital world and the natural world of human voice. Vesper’s mission is to dramatically improve the reliability of the voice user interface for smart speakers, connected automobiles, smartphones and any connected device using our proprietary piezoelectric MEMS technology invented by our founders at the University of Michigan. The Piezoelectric Difference Vesper piezoelectric microphones operate on a completely different physical principle from all other MEMS and electret condenser-style audio devices. Using the piezoelectric effect, first discovered by Jacques and Pierre Curie, Vesper’s MEMS microphones directly convert sound wave energy into an electrical signal. Beyond just delivering an excellent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), Vesper microphones are stably matched, making them uniquely suited for large array applications in smartphones, tablets, smart home devices and other connected products. Vesper’s are the most durable, waterproof, shockproof, and both dust- and particle-resistant microphones on the market. About Us With roots at the University of Michigan and initial funding from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF), Vesper’s leadership team has is one of the most experienced in the MEMS industry. Based in Boston, MA, the company is privately held and is funded by Accomplice, AAC Technologies, XinGang Electronics, Hyperplane and strategic partners. Meet the Vesper Team. Collectively, Vesper’s management team has developed over 20 MEMS products, shipped hundreds of millions of MEMS devices, pioneered the commercialization of piezoelectric MEMS, secured dozens of patents and raised tens of millions of dollars and sold hundreds of millions of components to the world’s largest and most respected OEMs. Together we are reinventing sound. Drag photos to navigate. Click to view bio. Bobby Littrell CTO and Co-Founder Matt Crowley CEO Trudy Coleman CFO Lorenzo Ponzanelli SVP, Sales and Business Development Craig Core VP, Engineering and Operations Karl Grosh CSO and Co-Founder Board of Directors Robert Littrell Bobby Littrell is the recognized thought leader in piezoelectric MEMS acoustic transducers, is widely published and holds numerous patent filings in the area. He developed Vesper’s piezoelectric-acoustic MEMS transducer design, based on his PhD thesis at the University of Michigan. Bobby is also a successful entrepreneur. At Vesper, he raised significant funding from NASA, NSF and NIH to perfect his microphone design, supporting the manufacture of several generations of prototype devices. Bobby received both a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a Department of Homeland Security Graduate Research Fellowship. He earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton. He holds dual MS degrees in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Matt Crowley Matt Crowley’s passion for bringing disruptive technologies to market is fully evident at Vesper, which pioneered groundbreaking technology by developing the world’s first piezoelectric MEMS microphone. With five rapid product rollouts in just five years and millions of units shipping to tier one clients across the globe, Matt has grown Vesper from a research-oriented startup to a bonafide commercial business. Matt and his team are at the forefront of the sensing revolution. Under his leadership, Vesper has earned an impressive collection of awards including a 2019 “Best of Sensors” Award; recognition as Company of the Year in Hardware, Robotics and Transportation at the New England Venture Capital Association’s 2018 NEVY Awards; CES 2018 and 2019 Innovation Award nods by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™; an IHS Markit Innovation Award for the home audio category; and two Annual Creativity in Electronics (ACE) Awards for Innovator of the Year and Ultimate Products. Before Vesper, Matt was founder and vice president of business development at Sand 9 where he pioneered the mass commercialization of piezoelectric MEMS devices. Prior, at the Boston University Office of Technology Development, he was responsible for evaluating new inventions, forming new companies to commercialize those technologies and managing a venture capital program. Matt also worked at Mars & Co strategy consulting, where he advised Fortune 500 companies on operational and strategic issues. An industry thought leader, Matt has been quoted extensively in the media, including The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and countless electronic trades. Matt received an interdisciplinary degree in Physics and the Philosophy of Science from Princeton University. He is proficient in Japanese, having lived in Japan. Charles Swoboda In his role as President of Cape Point Advisors, Chuck Swoboda offers management consulting focused on growth and technology challenges. As former Chairman and CEO of Cree (NASDAQ: CREE), a worldwide manufacturer of LED and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications, Swoboda helped turn a $177 million company into a $1.6 billion global market leader. His 30 years of experience in technology, semiconductors, industrial, automotive and e-commerce in addition to management expertise in strategy, marketing, manufacturing and intellectual property make him an ideal fit for Vesper’s board. Swoboda holds a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Marquette University. Hassen Ahmed Hassan Ahmed has more than 30 years of experience in engineering and management. He currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Affirmed Networks, a cloud-native mobile core solution company. Prior to Affirmed Networks, Ahmed worked as a senior advisor at Charles River Ventures and spent 10 years as Chairman and CEO of Sonus Networks (NASDAQ: SONS), a global leader in secure and intelligent cloud communications. Ahmed is known for growing Sonus from an idea into a publicly traded company focused on enabling the transformation of telephony to IP. Before Sonus, he served as EVP and GM of the Core Switching division of Ascend Communications and VP Engineering and Chief Technology Officer of Cascade Communications. He has also held key leadership positions at Motorola and Analog Devices. Ahmed holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Carleton University as well as a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Jeff Fagnan Jeff Fagnan is a founder of Accomplice, where he focuses on emerging companies in enterprise and Internet infrastructure. Jeff is well known as a founding investor, working with most of his portfolio since inception, sometimes as a co-founder including Veracode (Sold to CA Technologies‍). Jeff sits on the board of many scaling startups including AngelList, CoinList, Carbon Black (CBLK), dataxu, Earnest (sold to Navient), Edgewise, Freshbooks, Hopper, InsightSquared, Integral Ad Science (sold to Vista Equity Partners), Perch, PillPack (sold to AMZN), Recorded Future, Teachable, Vesper, Willing, and Threat Stack. He is the founder of Spearhead, a program that provides funding and mentorship for new angel investors; Maiden Lane, the first investment vehicle built on top of AngelList; Boston Syndicates (BOSS), a federated movement to create stronger angel substrate in New England; and TUGG (Technology Underwriting Greater Good), a nonprofit foundation harnessing the power of the tech ecosystem to catalyze social innovation in New England. In 2016 he received the National Venture Capital Association annual American Spirit Award. In 2017 he received the Boston Business Journal’s CEO Social Leadership Award. Vesper Technologies, Inc. 77 Summer Street, Floor 8 & 9 Boston, MA 02110 Get In Touch +1 (857) 350-4666 info@vespermems.com Newsletter Signup © 2021 Vesper Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Site by Metropolis Privacy Policy Terms of Use Cookie Policy ISO9001:2015 Sustainability Declaration