Resonext PR Campaign Paves the Way for Acquisition

As startups go, Resonext was well positioned for success. The company’s first chipset for 5MHz wireless applications (802.11a) was recognized in the press as a superior solution. Its management team was made up of experienced business leaders. Over half of its engineering staff held advanced degrees. Most impressive of all, it had attracted $38 million in venture funding and secured Norwest Venture Partners as a strategic business advisor.

There was just one problem: in the six months since Resonext had introduced its new 802.11a chipset, a handful of startups and two well-known chipmakers introduced “dual band” chipsets that were just as fast and compatible with the large established base of 802.11b wireless products. Despite the fact that the majority of these competitors couldn’t prove that their products actually worked, they were getting press. Resonext quickly dropped off the editors’ radar screens.

Mar Junge began working with Robert Fan, Resonext VP of marketing and Katie Belding, director of corporate communications for Norwest Venture Partners, to position Resonext as a solid technology leader and introduce their new dual band chipset. In just two months, the team secured valuable new product endorsements from industry analysts and scored more than a dozen positive product reviews in prominent industry publications and online news services. Two weeks after the announcement, Resonext was acquired by RF Micro Devices, giving the young company the production capability and customer base it needs to succeed in the highly competitive wireless chipset market.

Resonext booth staff celebrates new product introduction at Comdex. From left to right: RFMD Sales Manager Milt Miller with Resonext VP Marketing Robert Fan, PR Counsel Mar Junge, Engineer Chandra Viswanathan, CEO David Tahmasebbi, and VP of Business Development Rik Graulus