Simma Software

What Simma Software does

Simma Software, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned technology company headquartered in Terre Haute, Indiana, founded in 2004 by JR Simma. It specializes in safety-critical, real-time embedded software development, delivering platform-independent ANSI C source code for vehicle and industrial communication protocols. Its core product lines include protocol stacks for SAE J1939, CANopen, UDS (ISO 14229), LIN, NMEA 2000, ISO 15765, ISO 14230 (KWP2000), ISO 13400 (DoIP), and XCP, alongside CAN and CAN-FD device drivers ported to more than 60 microcontrollers and DSPs across 10 RTOSes, and flash bootloader solutions supporting firmware updates over CAN, UDS, LIN, Ethernet (10BASE-T1S), RS-232, USB, and wireless interfaces. The company also designs and sells hardware under the VNA brand (VNA-USB, VNA-232, VNA-WiFi) plus J1939, J1708, and OBD-II diagnostic cables.

The firm sells primarily to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, military and defense contractors, industrial automation companies, marine electronics manufacturers, and safety-critical medical device makers. Named customers include Ford, Boeing, the US Military, Freightliner/Daimler, Toyota, Audi, Saab, Cummins, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics. The company reports more than 1000 global customers, software embedded in millions of electronic control units, 700+ designs, and 100+ flash bootloader projects delivered.

Simma Software operates a sales-led, direct go-to-market model. Software licenses (development plus per-unit runtime) are sold quote-based, hardware is sold through a web store with fixed shipping costs, and professional services (consulting, training, support) round out the mix. The company is a partner or preferred supplier with Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, NXP, and Microchip, channeling referrals into Tier 1 customers from MCU vendor field organizations. It remains bootstrapped with no external institutional funding and is led by founder JR Simma (Director of Engineering) with Patrick Browne as Director of Business Development.

Name

Simma Software

Legal name

Simma Software, Inc.

Website

https://www.simmasoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simma Software is a privately held, founder-owned embedded software company delivering real-time communication protocol stacks (J1939, UDS, CANopen, LIN, NMEA 2000, DoIP) and flash bootloaders for automotive, military, industrial, marine, and medical device OEMs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real-time embedded software for automotive communication protocols

NAICS

Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334290), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Computer Communications Equipment (3576), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Storage & Interface Controllers (SSD/NVMe/UFS/USB/PCIe) (HDAHABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data Center SmartNICs & DPU Adapters (HDAFAEAB)

Keywords

• Embedded software development
• Automotive protocol stacks
• CAN device drivers
• Flash bootloader solutions
• Vehicle network adapters

Headquarters

HQ city

Riley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing: Simma Software licenses protocol stacks, device drivers, and flash bootloaders as ANSI C source code. Customers pay for development licenses and runtime licenses per unit. The company has developed 100+ bootloader projects and supports protocol stacks for 60+ microcontrollers.
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of vehicle network adapters (VNA-USB, VNA-232, VNA-WiFi) and diagnostic cables (J1939, J1708, OBD2). Hardware products are sold through the company's e-commerce store with shipping options (Ground $19.95, Overnight $49.95, International $99.95).
3. Professional Services: Consulting, training, and support services for embedded software development. The company provides technical consultation and has delivered software packages with one year of support included.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Simma Software develops platform-independent ANSI C source code for safety-critical real-time embedded systems, specializing in CAN-based communication protocol stacks (SAE J1939, CANopen, UDS, LIN, XCP, NMEA 2000, DoIP, ISO 15765, ISO 14230), CAN/CAN-FD device drivers, and protocol-specific flash bootloaders for firmware updates. The software supports more than 60 microcontrollers and DSPs from Texas Instruments, Microchip, STMicroelectronics, NXP, and Renesas across 10 RTOSes (FreeRTOS, uC/OS-II, eCos, Linux, Windows, Windows CE). The company also sells hardware Vehicle Network Adapters (VNA-USB, VNA-232, VNA-WiFi) with proprietary Binary Boost technology and J1939/J1708 diagnostic cables for automotive, military, industrial automation, marine, and medical device OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

Product overview

Simma Software is an embedded systems software company specializing in real-time communication protocols and flash bootloaders for the automotive, military, and industrial automation industries. Their product portfolio centers on Controller Area Network (CAN) based protocol stacks including SAE J1939 for heavy-duty vehicles, CANopen for industrial automation, and UDS (Unified Diagnostic Services) for vehicle diagnostics. The product line includes core software products (protocol stacks for J1939, CANopen, UDS, LIN, XCP, NMEA 2000, DoIP), CAN/CAN-FD device drivers supporting over 40 microcontrollers from Texas Instruments, Microchip, STMicro, NXP, and Renesas, and flash bootloaders for firmware updates. They also offer hardware products including Vehicle Network Adapters (VNA) in USB, RS-232, and WiFi variants, plus vehicle diagnostic cables. The software products are delivered as platform-independent ANSI C source code with optional bootloader, encryption, and security features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VNA (Vehicle Network Adapter): Hardware product line including VNA-USB, VNA-232, VNA-WiFi adapters for vehicle network communication
• Binary Boost
• RealFuel

Products and services

• J1939 Protocol Stack SAE J1939 protocol stack for commercial and heavy-duty vehicle communication, delivered as platform-independent ANSI C source code for electronic control units in trucks and commercial vehicles.
• CANopen Protocol Stack CANopen protocol stack for automation and industrial control applications. Designed for automotive, industrial automation, and safety-critical medical devices.
• UDS Protocol Stack Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) protocol stack providing software and ANSI C source code for vehicle diagnostics, ECU programming, and fault code management, with an in-progress ASIL-B conformance project for functional safety compliance.
• CAN Bus Device Drivers Controller Area Network (CAN) and CAN-FD device drivers providing an API for sending and receiving CAN messages, validated for 100% bus utilization and ported to more than 40 microcontrollers from Texas Instruments, Microchip, STMicroelectronics, NXP, and Renesas.
• Flash Bootloader Solutions Flash bootloader solutions for firmware updates supporting multiple interfaces including CAN (J1939 and UDS), LIN, CAN/CAN-FD, Ethernet (10BASE-T1S), RS232, USB, and wireless, with optional encryption, authentication, and secure boot features.
• LIN Protocol Stack LIN-Master and LIN-Slave protocol stacks for Local Interconnect Network communication, providing a low-cost serial network protocol for automotive peripherals.
• XCP Protocol Stack XCP (Universal Measurement and Calibration Protocol) stack for uploading and downloading data in real-time over CAN, CAN-FD, and Ethernet, enabling parameter calibration, memory variable access, and firmware imaging.
• ISO 14230 (KWP2000) Protocol Stack KWP2000 (Keyword Protocol 2000) protocol stack for diagnostic communication over CAN, supporting more than 40 different microcontrollers.
• NMEA 2000 Protocol Stack NMEA 2000 protocol stack for marine electronic devices including GPS receivers, autopilots, depth sounders, and chart plotters, handling both single frame and multi-frame messages.
• ISO 15765 Protocol Stack ISO 15765 protocol stack for OBD-II over CAN diagnostics, implementing the CAN transport protocol for diagnostic communication in light-duty vehicles.
• DoIP (ISO 13400) Software Stack Diagnostic over Internet Protocol (DoIP) ISO 13400 software stack enabling UDS communication over TCP/IP or UDP/IP for higher data rates and seamless edge-to-cloud connection.
• 10BASE-T1S Bootloader Flash bootloader for 10BASE-T1S Ethernet supporting multi-drop automotive Ethernet networks with Physical Layer Collision Avoidance (PLCA).
• VNA-USB Vehicle Network Adapter J1939 to USB vehicle network adapter (VNA-USB) with Binary Boost technology, dual J1939/CAN interfaces with auto baud detection, a single J1587/J1708 interface, and Hi-Speed USB at 480Mbps.
• VNA-232 Vehicle Network Adapter J1939 to RS-232 vehicle network adapter (VNA-232) with Binary Boost technology, providing high-performance low-latency communication from 9.6 Kbps to 1 Mbps.
• VNA-WiFi Vehicle Network Adapter Wireless J1939/J1708 to WiFi adapter supporting 802.11b, enabling PDAs and mobile devices to connect to vehicle networks for diagnostics and data gathering.
• J1939/J1708 Vehicle Diagnostic Cables J1939 and J1587/J1708 vehicle diagnostic cables including 9-pin, 6-pin, and dual-head connectors for connecting adapters to vehicles.
• RealFuel OBD-II based technology for calculating fuel economy, odometer values, and trip distance for vehicles using specialized math for 10x accuracy over floating point solutions.
• J1939 Diagnostic Manager (ssJ1939-DiagnosticManager) Supplemental J1939 diagnostic message software module (ssJ1939-DiagnosticManager) serving as a template for sending and receiving various types of J1939 diagnostic messages.

Quantifiable outcome

• NMEA 2000 protocol stack shown to be 800% more efficient than other commercially available solutions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• STMicroelectronicscoreTechnology or Integration · 15 May 2018Simma Software joined the STMicroelectronics Partner Program to make CAN software solutions available to customers globally. Simma Software supports all ST microcontrollers including STM8, STM32, and SPC5 families. This partnership validates Simma's 10+ years of experience working with STMicroelectronics microcontrollers.
• NXPcoreTechnology or Integration · 2 September 2015Simma Software is a member of the NXP Partner Program, supporting all NXP microcontrollers including LPC, SJA1000, HCS08, HCS12, MC68xxx, MPC5xxx, and Kinetis families. The partnership enables seamless integration of Simma's protocol stacks (J1939, ISO 15765, UDS, CANopen) with NXP processors.
• MicrochipcoreTechnology or IntegrationAs a member of the Microchip Design Partner Program, Simma Software supports Microchip microcontrollers including PIC18, PIC24, PIC32, dsPIC30, dsPIC33, dsPIC33E, dsPIC33CK, MCP2515, and ATSAME70. Long history of supporting all Microchip MCU families and external CAN controllers.
• Texas InstrumentscoreTechnology or IntegrationSimma Software is the preferred global CAN solutions provider for Texas Instruments, working with several TI global customers annually. Supports TI microcontroller families including RM4x, LM3Sx, TMS470x, TMS570x, Tiva, F28M35xx, F28x, AM3x, DaVinci, MSPM0, and TMS320F2838x. Close partnership spanning the company's history.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Elektrobit: Elektrobit (Continental subsidiary) provides automotive basic software, middleware, and safety stacks. Competes with Simma in adjacent tiers of the automotive software stack and pulls on the same OEM safety-certified middleware budgets.
• ETAS: ETAS (a Bosch subsidiary) supplies automotive embedded middleware, basic software, and safety/security stacks, competing with Simma's protocol and bootloader products as part of a broader Tier-1 portfolio with deep OEM relationships.
• Vector Informatik: Vector is the leading supplier of automotive embedded software tools and protocol stacks (CAN, J1939, UDS, CANopen, Ethernet) and is the dominant embedded software competitor for Simma in the OEM/Tier-1 channel.
• Bosch (Automotive Software): Bosch supplies a broad portfolio of automotive embedded software, ICs, and ECUs and represents both a partner (through silicon and OEM relationships) and a competitor as OEMs consolidate middleware spending with full-stack Tier-1 suppliers.

Direct peers

• PEAK-System Technik: PEAK-System manufactures CAN interface hardware (PCAN adapters) and ships protocol-stack and driver software closely comparable to Simma's VNA adapters and CAN device drivers, serving overlapping developer and integrator customer segments.
• Intrepid Control Systems: Intrepid builds vehicle network interface hardware and protocol software for CAN, J1939, UDS, and automotive Ethernet, overlapping directly with Simma's VNA adapters and protocol-stack customer base of OEMs and Tier 1s.
• HMS Networks (IXXAT): HMS Networks' IXXAT brand sells CAN, J1939, and other automotive/industrial communication protocol stacks, device drivers, and interface hardware. Directly competes with Simma across both the software protocol stack and VNA-style hardware adapter product lines.
• Kvaser: Kvaser provides CAN/CAN-FD interface hardware and protocol software used in automotive, industrial, and marine development — a close direct competitor on the VNA-style hardware adapter business and adjacent driver/stack offerings.

Emerging players

• CSS Electronics: CSS Electronics sells CAN bus interface hardware and protocol software/loggers aimed at developers and fleet telematics — overlapping with Simma's VNA adapter business on hardware, though smaller and more niche in software.
• Technica Engineering: Technica Engineering focuses on automotive Ethernet (100/1000BASE-T1, TSN) and CAN tools for validation and prototyping — a complementary but increasingly overlapping player as Simma expands into 10BASE-T1S and DoIP.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/simmasoftware

Compliance1 record

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 Simma Software