NextInput

Name

NextInput

Legal name

NextInput, Inc.

Website

https://nextinput.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

MEMS Force Sensors

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Sensors, MEMS & Imaging ICs (HDAHAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sensor Fusion, Interface ICs & Modules (AFE/Readout/Packaging/Calibration) (HDAHALAO), Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors) (IMAGAJAO)

Keywords

• MEMS force sensors
• Human machine interface
• Solid-state buttons
• Automotive HMI
• Force sensing technology

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. MEMS Force Sensors: Sale of proprietary MEMS-based force sensors (FT-4000, FT-7000, DF-8000 families) to OEM customers for integration into their products
2. Analog ASICs: Sale of AF-3000 and AF-3068 analog front-end ICs that interface force sensors with microcontrollers
3. Turnkey Modules: Sale of EZ-Module turnkey solutions combining sensors, AFE, and software for simplified customer adoption in automotive and industrial applications
4. IR Sensing Solutions: Sale of digital IR sensor portfolio for proximity detection and touchless applications in TWS, smartphones, personal care, automotive and IoT

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NextInput designs, develops and sells proprietary MEMS-based force sensing solutions — including discrete force sensors, analog front-end ICs, integrated digital force sensors, and turnkey force-sensing modules — that enable OEMs to replace mechanical buttons with solid-state, waterproof, high-reliability human-machine interfaces in mobile, wearable, automotive, consumer, industrial, medical and IoT products. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of sensor chips and ASICs to OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers.

Product overview

NextInput provides a comprehensive portfolio of MEMS-based force-sensing solutions under the ForceTouch and ForceGauge brands. The product line includes multiple sensor families (FT-4000, FT-5000, FT-7000, FT-8000, DF-8000) and supporting Analog Front-End ICs (AF-3000, AF-3068), plus the NX-10000 software-defined button solution and digital IR sensor portfolio. The portfolio spans from discrete force sensors (FT-4000/7000 families) to fully integrated digital solutions (DF-8600) and turnkey modules (EZ-Module), enabling applications across Mobile, Automotive, Consumer, Industrial, Medical, and IoT markets. The company also offers Just Bond-It development kits for rapid prototyping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ForceTouch: MEMS-based force sensing technology enabling 1D, 2D, and 3D touch experience in consumer, industrial and automotive markets.
• ForceGauge

Products and services

• FT-4000 Family Force Sensors MEMS force sensor family optimized for indirect force-sensing applications where the sensor sits at the perimeter of the touch area (e.g., LCD displays). Features 1.33mm x 1.33mm x 0.57mm footprint. Sold to OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers for mobile, automotive, consumer and industrial integration.
• FT-7000 Family Force Sensors MEMS force sensor family optimized for applications where the sensor is directly applied to a touch interface surface such as glass, OLED display, leather, plastic or metal. Ultra-small 1.33mm x 1.33mm x 0.22mm height with no pre-load required. Sold to OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers for mobile, wearable, automotive and consumer integration.
• FT-4500 Series Automotive-Grade Force Sensors MEMS force sensors in chip-scale package that were the world's first to achieve AEC-Q100 automotive qualification. Includes FT-4500B (Grade 3: -40C to +85C) and FT-4500C (Grade 2: -40C to +105C) variants. Targeted at automotive applications including steering wheel, center console, infotainment, climate, door locks, seats, mirrors and remote keyless entry.
• DF-8600 Series Digital Force Sensor World's first digital force sensor in 1.77mm² CSP integrating a precision MEMS force sensor and an ultra-low power DSP. Achieves a 76% footprint reduction versus the smallest discrete solution. Targets mechanical-button replacement and capacitive-touch displacement in mobile, automotive and IoT applications.
• EZ-Module Turnkey Force-Sensing Module World's smallest micropower turnkey force-sensing module that combines sensor, AFE and software to simplify customer adoption in automotive and industrial markets. Attaches to any touch surface and offers a wide dynamic range from grams to kilograms.
• NX-10000 Software-Defined Button Solution Patent-pending software-defined button solution for mobile platforms that uses intent recognition to eliminate false positives and deliver a robust virtual button interface. Determines user intent and exact input location. Targeted at smartphone OEMs replacing physical side buttons.
• FT-7800 ForceGauge Sensor Third-generation high-sensitivity ForceGauge MEMS force sensor providing 100x higher sensitivity than metal strain gauges and 20x higher sensitivity than printed-ink devices. Targeted at consumer electronics, automotive and industrial applications.
• Digital IR Sensor Portfolio Entry product line into infrared sensing for proximity detection and touchless/gesture-based controls. Ultra-low 20µA active current consumption with 0.75mm³ volume, providing 83% lower power and 25% smaller size than competing IR sensors. Targeted at TWS, smartphones, personal care, automotive and IoT.
• AF-3068 Analog Front-End IC Ultra-low power, high-SNR single-channel analog front-end ASIC (1.16mm x 1.16mm x 0.475mm) with sensor duty-cycle control and I2C interface. Designed to work with a broad range of industry sensors, including all NextInput force sensors, and sold to OEMs to interface force sensors with microcontrollers.
• Just Bond-It Development Kit Peel-and-stick development kit comprising an application-specific flex PCB with a NextInput force sensor and analog front-end. Enables rapid OEM evaluation of force-sensing on metal, plastic, glass and wood interfaces via the company's website Dev Kit request form.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10-100 million cycle lifespan vs 200,000-500,000 for mechanical buttons
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature9 records

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Synaptics: Synaptics is a direct peer in human-machine interface sensing, offering capacitive touch, force, and fingerprint solutions for smartphones, PCs, and automotive displays — directly overlapping with NextInput's mobile and automotive HMI focus.
• Goodix Technology: Goodix is a leading Chinese fabless supplier of fingerprint, touch, and in-display force sensing solutions for smartphones — directly competing with NextInput's ForceTouch technology in the same Chinese OEM sockets (Xiaomi, Meizu).

Broad incumbents

• STMicroelectronics: STMicroelectronics is a broad-line MEMS sensor and automotive semiconductor incumbent offering accelerometers, gyroscopes, and touch/force solutions — overlapping with NextInput's industrial, automotive, and consumer HMI footprint.
• Microchip Technology: Microchip's capacitive touch and proximity sensing controllers (including mTouch solutions) compete with NextInput's MEMS force sensing approach across industrial, medical, and consumer button-replacement use cases.
• Qorvo: Qorvo acquired NextInput in May 2021 and operates it as the Sensor Fusion business unit. As a Tier-1 RF semiconductor incumbent, Qorvo now houses and scales NextInput's MEMS force sensing technology across its mobile and automotive customer base.
• Texas Instruments: TI offers FDC (capacitance-to-digital) converters, haptic drivers, and analog front-end ICs used in HMI applications — directly comparable to NextInput's AF-3000/AF-3068 analog front-end family and broader force-sensing signal chain.
• Bosch Sensortec: Bosch Sensortec is one of the largest MEMS sensor manufacturers globally, serving automotive, consumer, and IoT with accelerometers, pressure sensors, and environmental sensors — directly comparable as a high-volume MEMS incumbent in NextInput's target end markets.
• TDK InvenSense: TDK InvenSense is a major MEMS sensor supplier (accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones) — NextInput CEO Ali Foughi previously served as VP at InvenSense. Comparable as a broad MEMS incumbent now overlapping in automotive and consumer MEMS portfolios.
• NXP Semiconductors: NXP is a major automotive semiconductor supplier whose touch and HMI controllers (including capacitive solutions for steering wheels and consoles) compete with NextInput's automotive force sensing portfolio.

Emerging players

• Cirrus Logic: Cirrus Logic is a mixed-signal semiconductor supplier with strength in low-power audio and haptics for mobile and TWS — adjacent to NextInput's AF-3000/AF-3068 analog front-ends and TWS button-replacement use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NextInput
• Facebookfacebook.com/NextInput
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nextinput

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds12 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NextInput