On Monday, Biamp announced it was acquiring assets from ClearOne. Those assets include several patents, plus intellectual property and brands related to audio processing, microphone array processing, echo cancellation, and beamforming designs and techniques. According to Rashid Skaf, Biamp president, CEO, and co-chairman, the move strengthens the company's "deep audio engineering foundation and will enhance future product innovations across our portfolio."
Joe Andrulis, EVP of corporate development for Biamp, provided SCN with more details about the acquisition. First, he clarified that the transaction was an asset purchase through which Biamp acquired only select designs, patents, and related technologies from ClearOne.
“We do not plan to offer or support ClearOne-branded products,” he continued. "Instead, we’ll leverage these assets to accelerate innovation in areas such as microphone array design, DSP processing, and overall room audio performance—enhancing our future product roadmap.”
So, will the ClearOne brand remain? "ClearOne remains a publicly traded company with operations independent of the assets acquired by Biamp," Andrulis explained. "However, use of the ClearOne brand in association with products derived from the acquired technology is unlikely to continue beyond 2026."
The transaction was an asset purchase and did not involve personnel, so where does this leave ClearOne? According to Derek Graham, CEO, ClearOne, it's not going anywhere and it's not leaving its customers in a lurch.
“ClearOne will continue to exist as a public company after this asset sale,” Graham said. “We believe that this asset sale is the best way to maximize value for current shareholders while allowing the company to pivot to take advantage of new business opportunities in the future. We appreciate the support of our channel partners and customers over the years, and we plan to continue to provide support for our products consistent with our published warranty policy.”
