INCJ invests $4.7m in Trigence Semiconductor

Existing investor Intel Capital also made an undisclosed commitment.

Established in 2006, Tokyo-based Trigence develops and licenses audio technology that converts analogue signals in digital signals and vice-versa. The technology is used in consumer electronics ranging from personal computers to car stereo systems.

The company's flagship product is Dnote, a proprietary digital signal processing technology which enables better audio quality while reducing power consumption. It is intended the technology will supplant existing analog audio systems.

Intel Capital made an undisclosed investment in the company in May 2012. This latest investment will be used by the business to further expand Dnote integration in mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones, according to a release.

INCJ is a public-private partnership launched in 2009 with the remit of promoting business innovation in the Japan. The fund has JPY280 billion of capital with the Japanese government injecting JPY266 billion and the rest coming from a consortium of 26 private corporations. The government also guarantees up to JPY1.8 trillion of additional capital.

This is INCJ's third early-stage technology investment in the space of three weeks. Prior to this it committed JPY900 million to New, a start-up that develops tools for creating motion comics, and acquired a 20% stake in Squse - a Kyoto-based company that makes robotic hands - for JPY500 million.

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• Topics
• North Asia
• Technology
• Early-stage
• Investments
• Japan
• Technology
• Innovation Network Corp. of Japan (INCJ)