Summit Semiconductor Adds PC Gaming Industry Veteran Michael Howse to its Board of Directors

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SAN FRANCISCO, April 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Summit Semiconductor, a technology company that delivers the wireless immersive sound experience with patented technology supporting the WiSA™ (Wireless Speaker and Audio) interoperability standard, appointed Michael Howse to its board of directors, effective April 4, 2018. As of April 10th, Summit Semiconductor has eight board directors. Howse will work closely with Summit Semiconductor CEO Brett Moyer and will lead the effort to penetrate the company's growing gaming, Esports and PC accessories markets. 

Howse said, "Gaming is now the number one form of entertainment globally, creating a significant and expanding market opportunity for quality wireless speakers. With 2.2 billion gamers worldwide, 260 million online at any time – and even more watching – gamers will be blown away with the quality and ease of deployment for WiSA enabled audio systems.”

Gaming is a large and growing market:

  • $116 billion in sales was expected to be generated in 2017 by 2.2 billion gamers across the globe and projected to grow to $143 billion in 2020, according to the NewZoo 2017 Global Games Report.
  • $696 million was expected in Esports revenues in 2017 and projected to increase to $1.5 billion by 2020, according to the NewZoo 2017 Global Games Report.

Moyer stated, "Competitive gaming is changing the nature of home theater and the market implications for wireless speakers are staggering. Michael has repeatedly grown emerging-growth consumer technology companies to profitability and market leadership. For example, with Bigfoot Networks, which was acquired by Qualcomm, he led the transformation from a niche hardware supplier into a major provider of Killer™ branded networking technology shipping in millions of PCs and home routers. And at 3dfx Interactive, he created the 3D phenomenon by making the Voodoo graphics brand the default standard for gamers. We believe Michael will open doors in this explosive market segment."

Michael F. Howse

Howse is Founder and General Partner of Eleven Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on the consumer technology, digital gaming and VR / AR markets. Previously, Howse served as AMD's Corporate Vice President of New Ventures where he was responsible for defining cloud GPU platforms and strategies. Prior, Howse served as CEO and President of Bigfoot Networks, the creators of the Killer™ branded game networking technology, which was acquired by Qualcomm. Howse was integral in creating the 3D graphics category for mainstream consumers while serving in senior executive roles at Creative Labs, S3 and 3dfx Interactive.

Howse received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and completed the Executive MBA Program at Stanford University. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the UCLA Venture Capital Fund and previously worked at U.S. Venture Partners. Howse has received numerous industry awards, including "Marketer of the Year" from Marketing Computers Magazine / Brandweek, PC World's "50 Best Products of All Time", Fierce Wireless "Fierce 15" as well as an Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award for his pioneering work at Total Vision. He has also been a featured speaker at CES, E3, Churchill Club, Digital Hollywood, and Game Developers Conference (GDC) amongst others.

Summit Semiconductor

Summit Semiconductor sells audio semiconductor chips, modules and licensable IP to enable the WiSA™ (Wireless Speaker and Audio) Association interoperability standards that deliver immersive wireless sound. The company’s patented technology creates “Picture Perfect Sound” for action TV and movies, live sports, Esports, and gaming and delivers a home theater experience that is easy to set-up, portable, and low-cost. Founded in 2010, Summit has offices in San Jose, CA, Beaverton, OR, Taiwan, China, Japan, and Korea.  For more information, please visit www.summitwireless.com

Wireless Speaker and Audio (WiSA™) Association

WiSA is dedicated to bringing wireless immersive sound - high resolution, wireless, multi-channel audio products - to the home theater market by building an interoperability standard with consumer electronics brands and ODMs for the consumer. WiSA eliminates the complicated set-up and wiring of traditional audio systems by utilizing cutting-edge wireless technology to create powerful and reliable audio systems that boast uninterrupted listening. WiSA’s interoperability testing means that users can feel confident that all WiSA certified components from all brands will work perfectly together. WiSA also ensures multi-channel transmission of low-latency, high-definition audio, dramatically increasing the enjoyment of gaming, movies, TV and music. For more information about the WiSA Association, please visit www.wisaassociation.org.

Contact Information:

Moriah Shilton/ Kirsten Chapman, LHA Investor Relations, +1 415 433 3777, summit@lhai.com

Released April 10, 2018