3M Co.'s New Ventures unit has acquired a minority stake in Perceptive Pixel Inc., a New York-based developer of advanced multi-touch products including the large touch-screen maps used by CNN in the 2008 presidential election.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Founded in 2006, Perceptive Pixel has developed hardware and software products that enable users to manipulate complex datasets. The company's products are used in broadcast, defense, energy exploration, geo-intelligence, industrial design and medical imaging.
"Perceptive Pixel has developed advanced technologies to enable intuitive multi-user, multi-touch interaction," said Stefan Gabriel, president, 3M New Ventures, its German-based venture capital arm. "This strategic investment will create potential growth opportunities for the 3M touch systems business unit, stimulating future innovations in a variety of industries that use multi-touch devices."
SUSAN FEYDER
