What Flirc Inc. does

Flirc Inc. is a privately held, bootstrapped consumer electronics company founded in 2011 in Santa Clara, California, operating with a sub-10-person team led by founder Jason Kotzin and co-founder Maggie Kotzin. The company designs and sells universal infrared (IR) remote-control accessories and Raspberry Pi enclosures, with its flagship products being the Flirc USB and Fire TV Edition IR receivers (which emulate keyboard input so any remote can control a computer or media center), the Skip 1s Universal Remote Control launched in 2022, the Flirc Streacom Edition co-developed with HTPC case maker Streacom, and a line of aluminum heat-sink cases for Raspberry Pi Zero through Pi 5 boards. Technically the products center on keyboard-emulation firmware in the receivers, a 50,000+ remote-profile database, and a React Native Desktop pairing application (Flirc GUI / SkipApp) that supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.

The business model is one-time hardware sales via direct-to-consumer e-commerce (flirc.tv), supplemented by a wholesale channel for distributors, OEM/customization services for B2B partners looking to embed or rebrand the technology, and charitable tie-ins (a portion of every sale supports USC Cancer Research). Products range from $6.95 accessories to $49.95 remotes, with standard one-year warranties and a 90-day return policy; there is no recurring subscription revenue. Customer segments are home-theater PC enthusiasts, Raspberry Pi hobbyists and makers, professional presenters, and OEM partners; earned media from Lifehacker, Wired, The Pi Hut, Media Experience, and MagPi has historically driven awareness alongside a digital-first content and community (blog, forum, GitHub) marketing approach.

Operationally Flirc functions as a niche micro-cap D2C hardware brand. Product launches occur on a cadence tied to new Raspberry Pi board releases and OEM partnership opportunities rather than continuous roadmaps, and the company is exploring next-generation form factors (a public "Sail" product teaser exists). No external funding, acquisitions, regulatory actions, or leadership changes beyond the founders are recorded in the data; the company remains founder-owned and operated with headquarters at 1050 Kiely Blvd #2813, Santa Clara.

Name

Flirc Inc.

Legal name

Flirc Inc.

Website

https://flirc.tv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Flirc Inc. is a privately held, bootstrapped consumer electronics company that designs and sells universal IR remote-control receivers (Flirc USB, Fire TV and Streacom editions), the Skip 1s universal remote, aluminum heat-sink Raspberry Pi cases, and the Jeff Probe JTAG debugger, serving home-theater PC enthusiasts, Raspberry Pi hobbyists, embedded developers, and OEM partners through direct-to-consumer e-commerce and wholesale channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Clara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: One-time hardware sales of IR receivers, Raspberry Pi cases, universal remotes, and accessories. Revenue is generated through direct e-commerce sales on flirc.tv and wholesale to distributors. No recurring revenue component as products work without ongoing software subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Flirc Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells consumer electronics including universal infrared remote controls (Skip 1s), USB IR receivers (Flirc USB, Fire TV Edition, Streacom Edition) for media center PCs, and CNC-machined aluminum protective cases for Raspberry Pi single-board computers. The company sells its products directly to consumers through its own e-commerce store at flirc.tv and also offers OEM/customization services and wholesale programs to hardware integrators.

Product overview

Flirc Inc. is a consumer electronics company offering a product line centered on home media center accessories. The portfolio consists of three main categories: (1) Universal IR remotes and receivers — the Skip 1s remote and Flirc USB/Flirc Fire TV Edition/Flirc Streacom Edition receivers that enable any IR remote to control computers, set-top boxes, and media centers; (2) Raspberry Pi cases — aluminum heat-sink cases for Raspberry Pi Zero, 3B, 4, and 5 in both standard and Kodi Edition variants; and (3) Development tools — the Jeff Probe open-source JTAG debugger. Products are managed via cross-platform desktop applications (Flirc GUI and SkipApp built with React Native Desktop). The company also offers customization and OEM integration services for volume buyers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skip 1s Universal Remote

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ remotes supported in database
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Streacom Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Flirc SE was designed in collaboration with Streacom Inc. The Flirc team took all the great features of their Flirc USB device and designed a custom solution for a seamless user experience for Streacom's beautifully designed cases. The Flirc SE is designed to be tucked into the Streacom case and can be used to turn on a machine that's completely powered down.
• Kodi FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKodi Edition Raspberry Pi cases are official Kodi merchandise. A portion of each sale goes directly to supporting the Kodi Foundation. The top design for limited editions is crowd-sourced with the most voted design going into production.
• USC Cancer Research CenterminorOthersFounder Jason Kotzin, a cancer survivor, donates a portion of every sale to Dr. Heinz Lenz's USC Cancer Research Facility as a way to give back to the medical community that supported his recovery.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Streacom: HTPC case manufacturer and Flirc's co-development partner on the Flirc SE. Comparable on premium passive-cooled HTPC enclosures aimed at audiophile/enthusiast media PC builds.
• Logitech: Global consumer electronics incumbent whose Harmony line was the category-leading universal remote before discontinuation. Logitech remains the closest large-scale analog for PC/media-center peripherals and defines the customer expectation Flirc competes against.

Direct peers

• Pimoroni: UK-based Raspberry Pi accessory specialist producing Pi cases, displays, and addon boards. Direct overlap on Pi case SKUs and maker community marketing channels.
• Adafruit: Maker-focused electronics retailer and accessory maker for Raspberry Pi. Sells premium cases, tools, and learning kits to the same DIY/hobbyist audience that buys Flirc Pi cases and IR receivers.
• SunFounder: Sells Raspberry Pi starter kits, cases, and educational electronics. Competes for the same hobbyist buyer with a broader kit-based approach and lower-cost case SKUs.
• Argon Forty: Specializes in Raspberry Pi cases and SSD/NVMe enclosures, including aluminum heatsink designs like the Argon ONE. Direct product overlap with Flirc Pi 4/5 aluminum heat-sink cases.
• Waveshare: Manufacturer of Pi HATs, displays, and embedded development/debug tools. Overlaps with Flirc on Raspberry Pi accessories and JTAG-adjacent developer tooling.
• BroadLink: Smart home hub maker best known for IR/Wi-Fi bridges (RM4 series) that map remotes and apps to AV equipment. Competes for the same universal-control use case as Flirc USB and Skip 1s via a connected/cloud approach.
• Sewell: Consumer electronics accessories retailer with strong presence in IR extenders, HDMI, and AV connectivity. Mirrors Flirc's direct-to-consumer accessory model focused on home theater fixes.
• Black Magic Probe: Open-source JTAG/SWD debug probe project that Flirc's Jeff Probe is explicitly based on. Direct comp for the embedded-developer use case at the low end of professional debug tools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/orgs/flirc/repositories?q=&type=public&language=&sort=
• Xx.com/flirc
• Facebookfacebook.com/261504800602090
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flirc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Flirc Inc.