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Motorola invests in Apprion

07/01/2008

Schaumburg, Ill. and Moffett Field, Calif, July 1 – Motorola, Inc., through Motorola Ventures, its strategic venture capital arm, today announced an investment in Apprion, Inc., maker of open industrial wireless networks and applications. With the Motorola Ventures investment, Apprion has raised over $23.5M.

Apprion delivers advanced wireless products, applications and services for industrial plants. Apprion’s ION System enables industrial facilities to  deploy and manage multiple wireless applications as one unified, integrated system. The ION System consists of the Apprion IONosphere and IONizers. The IONosphere is an on-site controller that manages data services, workflow, security, monitoring and maintenance, and third-party application integration across wireless plant networks. Apprion’s IONizer is the process industry’s first industrial-grade, multi-RF, wireless network appliance.

IONizers are designed to integrate and secure previously stand-alone, wireless-enabled applications, such as VoIP and condition monitoring.“Over the last decade wireless technologies have radically changed how we live. Over the next decade, we expect to see wireless technologies transform manufacturing by the same magnitude,” said John O’Donohue, managing director of Motorola Ventures. “Apprion delivers the right combination of technology, products, and industrial experience to uniquely address the wireless challenges of industrial customers. Both their growth trajectory and excellent track record demonstrate that the company is a driving force in industrial wireless solutions.”

“We are delighted to be entering into a strategic relationship with Motorola,” said Mike Bradley, Sr., CEO and president of Apprion. “Motorola is the industry standard in providing wireless solutions to manufacturing. Together, Motorola and Apprion will be able to forge a path for the next generation of integrated wireless networks and applications that will unlock plant performance while delivering enhanced safety and security.”

Motorola Ventures completes the company’s existing Series B round led by Anvil Investment Associates LP. Strategic investor, CTTV Investments LLC, the venture capital arm of Chevron Technology Ventures and Series A investors Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV) and Allegis Capital also participated in Series B.