Nowi

What Nowi does

Nowi is a fabless semiconductor company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, that developed proprietary energy harvesting power management integrated circuit (PMIC) technology. The company's core technology enables connected devices to harvest ambient energy from light, kinetic movement, temperature differentials, and radio frequency signals, allowing IoT and consumer electronics manufacturers to eliminate or extend battery life and reduce battery-replacement maintenance and e-waste. Its key technical differentiators are an inductorless IC architecture that reduces bill-of-materials cost, ultra-fast Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) that adapts within 0.5 seconds, an assembly footprint below 20mm², and cold-start capability suitable for fully batteryless designs as well as hybrid storage configurations.

The company pursued a horizontal go-to-market targeting wireless IoT device manufacturers, electronic shelf label producers, industrial and environmental monitoring firms, smart wearables makers, and consumer electronics OEMs. Pricing was not publicly disclosed. Following investment and acquisition by Nexperia announced in November 2022, Nowi's technology was integrated into Nexperia's product portfolio under the NEH2000BY, NEH7100BU, and NEH7110BU energy harvesting PMIC product lines, with distribution flowing through Nexperia's global sales organization, authorized distributor network, and online storefront at nexperia.com. The company was co-founded by Simon van der Jagt (CEO) and Omar Link (CPO), and was supported through approximately $14.5M of disclosed funding across rounds involving YES!Delft, Disruptive Technology Ventures, and the European Innovation Council between 2016 and 2022.

Name

Nowi

Website

https://nowi-energy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nowi, founded in 2015 in Delft, Netherlands, developed energy harvesting power management ICs enabling batteryless IoT and consumer electronics via ambient energy harvesting. Acquired by Nexperia in November 2022; co-founders Simon van der Jagt (CEO) and Omar Link (CPO).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Harvesting Power Management ICs

NAICS

Capacitor, Resistor, Coil, Transformer, and Other Inductor Manufacturing (334416), Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (335)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Power Management & Power Conversion ICs (PMIC/DC‑DC/AC‑DC/Gate Drivers) (HDAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Power Management & Power ICs (HDAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Energy harvesting ICs
• Power management semiconductors
• Batteryless IoT devices
• Ambient energy harvesting
• PMIC chip design

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Nowi developed and sold ultra-compact energy harvesting Power Management ICs (PMICs) that capture ambient energy from light, kinetic movement, temperature differentials, and RF signals to power IoT sensors and consumer electronics without battery swaps. The proprietary inductorless PMIC architecture, ultra-fast MPPT capability, and sub-20 mm² footprint enable batteryless or battery-extended device designs. Following Nexperia's 2022 acquisition, the technology is sold as the NEH2000BY, NEH7100BU, and NEH7110BU product lines.

Product overview

Nowi was an energy harvesting technology company that Nexperia invested in and subsequently acquired its technology portfolio. Nowi's innovations centered on ultra-compact power management integrated circuits (PMICs) capable of harvesting ambient energy from multiple sources including light, kinetic movement, temperature differentials, and radio frequency signals. These energy harvesting solutions were designed to enable battery-free or battery-extended IoT devices and consumer electronics, contributing to reduced e-waste and enhanced sustainability. Nexperia's energy harvesting PMIC product line (NEH2000BY, NEH7100BU, NEH7110BU) incorporates Nowi's inductorless technology enabling sub-20mm² assembly footprints with ultra-fast Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) within 0.5 seconds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEH2000BY Energy Harvesting PMIC An energy harvesting power management IC in Nexperia's portfolio that uses Nowi's proprietary inductorless architecture to convert ambient light, kinetic, thermal, and RF energy into usable electrical power for IoT sensors and consumer electronics, eliminating battery swaps.
• NEH7100BU Energy Harvesting PMIC An energy harvesting power management IC in Nexperia's portfolio featuring Nowi's inductorless design with ultra-fast MPPT, designed for space-constrained IoT and consumer electronics applications requiring batteryless or battery-extended operation.
• NEH7110BU Energy Harvesting PMIC An energy harvesting power management IC in Nexperia's portfolio featuring Nowi's inductorless architecture with cold start capability, enabling batteryless device designs and compatibility with a wide range of energy storage elements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Assembly area less than 20 mm2
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NexperiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2022Nexperia invested in and acquired Nowi in November 2022 as part of its strategy to develop sustainable alternatives to batteries. Nowi's energy harvesting PMIC technology (including the NEH2000BY and NEH7100BU product lines) was integrated into Nexperia's portfolio, enhancing Nexperia's energy harvesting power management IC offering with Nowi's proprietary inductorless design and ultra-fast MPPT technology. The acquisition strengthened Nexperia's position in sustainable semiconductor solutions for IoT and consumer electronics.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Silicon Labs: Vendor of ultra-low-power wireless SoCs (Bluetooth, Zigbee, Thread) for battery-powered IoT endpoints. Competes indirectly by enabling very low-power battery designs that reduce the urgency of switching to harvested energy.
• STMicroelectronics: Large European IDM with broad PMIC and ultra-low-power MCU/PMIC offerings for IoT and wearables. A direct competitor for low-power IoT power tree sockets and a relevant comparable given Nowi's positioning within Nexperia.
• Maxim Integrated (now part of Analog Devices): Pre-acquisition Maxim offered low-power PMIC and energy harvesting ICs (e.g., MAX17710); now folded into Analog Devices. Relevant incumbent comparator for the same design-win categories.
• Infineon Technologies: Major German power semiconductor and analog IC vendor offering broad PMIC portfolios including low-power solutions for IoT. Competes with Nexperia/Nowi across industrial and consumer power management sockets.
• Texas Instruments: Global analog IC leader offering broad low-power PMIC and energy harvesting solutions (e.g., bq25504) as part of a much wider power management portfolio. Competes in the same low-power IoT power tree design wins that Nowi targets.
• Analog Devices: Major analog and power management IC vendor with low-power PMIC offerings including energy harvesting (ADP5090) products. Competes for the same industrial and IoT low-power design wins as Nowi.

Direct peers

• e-peas: Belgian fabless designer of energy harvesting PMICs (AEM family) for light, thermal, kinetic, and RF sources targeting IoT endpoints. Closest direct competitor to Nowi, with comparable product positioning in batteryless wireless sensors and ESLs.
• EnOcean GmbH: Long-established pioneer in energy harvesting wireless modules (kinetic, light, thermal) for building automation and IoT sensors. Competes in adjacent batteryless wireless design wins, especially in smart buildings.

Emerging players

• Powercast Corporation: Developer of RF energy harvesting receivers and wireless power chipsets for batteryless IoT sensors and ESLs. Comparable in targeting batteryless wireless endpoints using harvested ambient RF energy.
• Atmosic Technologies: Fabless designer of low-power Bluetooth SoCs with integrated energy harvesting support, targeting batteryless IoT and wearables. Adjacent competitor that combines connectivity and harvesting, narrowing standalone PMIC opportunities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nowi_energy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nowi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors3 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 Nowi