BeBop Sensors, Inc.
Berkeley, US · Founded 2014 · Delaware corporation · 3 known investors
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Also known as BeBop Sensors
Founders & leadership
BeBop Sensors, Inc. was founded in 2014 by Keith McMillen.
Board
Investors · 3
Also in the syndicate · 1
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$25.9M disclosed across 4 of 6 rounds · 2014–2021
▶$1.5MraisedOct 2021 · 38 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Michelle CookExecutive Officer
- Richard MelmonDirector
- Stanley FriedmanDirector
- Toshiro QuidesExecutive Officer, Director
- Steven BergerDirector
- Keith McMillenExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $1.5M
- Amount sold
- $1.5M
- First sale
- Sep 2021
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$19.5MraisedOct 2021 · 52 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Stanley A FriedmanDirector
- Keith A McMillenExecutive Officer, Director
- Toshiro QuidesExecutive Officer, Director
- Steven M BergerDirector
- Richard MelmonDirector
- Michelle CookExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $23.4M
- Amount sold
- $19.5M
- First sale
- Apr 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$460KraisedDec 2016 · 11 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Keith McMillenExecutive Officer, Director
- Stanley FriedmanDirector
- Steven BergerDirector
- Robin NijorExecutive Officer, Director
- Michelle CookExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $500K
- Amount sold
- $460K
- First sale
- Dec 2016
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2014
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$4.4MraisedApr 2016 · 33 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Michelle CookExecutive Officer
- Keith McMillenExecutive Officer, Director
- Stephen MendelDirector
- Stan FriedmanDirector
- Robin NijorDirector
- Steven BergerDirector
- Offering amount
- $5M
- Amount sold
- $4.4M
- Minimum investment
- $50K
- First sale
- Dec 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2014
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026BeBop Sensors, Inc. is a Berkeley, California sensor company that designs, manufactures and supplies smart fabric sensors to OEMs. Its patented Monolithic Fabric Sensor Technology integrates sensing elements, traces and electronics into a single piece of fabric, producing thin, lightweight, washable sensors that report force, x/y location, size, weight, bend, twist, stretch, rotation, angle, torsion and presence in real time, and can render the data as 3D maps. The company positions its sensors as measuring physicality rather than physiology (such as EKG, EMG, conductivity or breathing), across arbitrary sizes, resolutions and geometries.
Products and reference designs described in company announcements include the Forte Data Glove (a data glove with sensors and haptics aimed at consumer pricing), a Sensor Helmet providing location-specific impact information, a Multi Sensor Insole measuring changing forces on the sole of the foot, an Automotive Occupant Classification System using embedded car-seat sensors for airbag deployment decisions, a Smart Foot Mat for balance and orthotic measurement, and a Fabric Track Pad that conforms to a car interior and recognises taps, gestures and swipes. Earlier offerings covered wearable controllers in garment sleeves, 1 mm-thin shoe insoles for gait and pressure, planar/spherical/cylindrical pressure maps, smart yoga and gym mats, grip sensors, steering-wheel sensors for driver alertness, weight-lifting gloves, foot-volume sensing for diabetic-event anticipation, and cycling shoe inserts.
Stated target markets span automotive, health and medical, IoT, AR/VR and gaming, sports and athletic equipment, clothing and protective wear, footwear, robotics, aerospace, security, biometrics, prosthetics, recycling monitors and appliances.
Founding story
BeBop's sensor technology originated at Keith McMillen Instruments (KMI), a Berkeley maker of electronic musical instruments including the QuNexus and QuNeo keyboard and drum controllers, where fabric sensors had been developed over roughly six to eight years for more expressive instruments. After multiple companies approached KMI seeking access to the fabric sensor technology, KMI spun BeBop Sensors out in April 2014 to serve OEM demand, with KMI founder Keith McMillen as founder and CEO.
Business model
The company sells custom, turnkey fabric sensor solutions to OEMs and Fortune 500 manufacturers, ranging from basic sensors to complete wireless systems with power management, supported by an SDK for customer applications.
Traction
Company statements report over one million sensors in daily use via KMI musical instrument products at launch in 2014, and millions of sensors in the field with paying customers by 2016 and 2018. In 2016 the company said it was engaged with ten of the largest automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers.
Latest developments
In April 2018 BeBop announced a Series A of more than $10 million led by Bullpen Capital, to be used to accelerate product development and market penetration; Bullpen managing partner Eric Wiesen joined the announcement describing fabric as a deployment surface for physical sensing.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
The company describes itself, and press releases describe it, as a leader in smart fabric sensor technology, citing millions of sensors in daily use and engagement with ten of the largest automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers as of 2016. IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das, quoted in the 2018 Series A release, said the market for sensors in wearables including VR gloves, automotive and gaming would reach $5 billion by 2027 and that the market was transitioning from rigid FSR sensors to flexible, stretchable fabric-like sensors.
Unlike wearable sensors that measure physiological signals or electrical conductivity, and unlike fabric sensors containing wires, BeBop's sensors measure physical change — pressure, XYZ location, bend, motion, rotation, angle, torsion and stretch — in a single monolithic fabric construction, and are offered as end-to-end solutions from sensor to wireless electronics and software.
Technology
Patented Monolithic Fabric Sensor Technology combines sensors, conductive traces and electronics into one fabric layer, which the company says yields greater sensitivity, resolution, deployment range and robustness at small size. The sensors cover a wide dynamic range and are described as durable, thin (down to 1 mm for insoles), lightweight, washable and lower cost than alternative sensor technologies. As of June 2016 the company reported six issued patents and ten more pending.
Go-to-market
OEMs and tier-one suppliers, notably automotive manufacturers (occupant classification, autonomous driving, human-machine interfaces), plus health/medical, IoT, sports, gaming and AR/VR product companies.
Geography
Headquartered in Berkeley, California, United States.
History
BeBop Sensors was spun out of Keith McMillen Instruments in April 2014 and announced its first product, the BeBop Wearable Smart Fabric Sensor, in October 2014 alongside turnkey OEM sensor solutions and an SDK with 2D/3D visualisation options. It won a 2015 Frost & Sullivan Innovation Award and was selected as a Gartner Cool Vendor in 2016. In June 2016 the company closed a $5 million convertible note completing a second tranche, and in April 2018 it announced the close of a Series A of more than $10 million led by Bullpen Capital.
Risks & controversies
Publicly available data on the company is inconsistent: a Preqin profile describes a Series A of $1.46 million on 18 October 2021 from Bullpen Capital at an $11.6 million post-money valuation, which conflicts with the company's own 2018 announcement of a Series A of more than $10 million led by the same investor.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Non-dilutive funding · 1 SBIR/STTR award
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Air ForceAir Force | Phase II | 2019 | $749.9K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 6
launches, deals, and filingsFunding intended to accelerate product development and market penetration in health, automotive, IoT and AR/VR markets.
$10M source ↗
Completed a second tranche investment via a $5 million convertible note, with many participants coming from Keith McMillen Instruments' investor base; company said it would also seek a Series A.
$5M source ↗
Announced its first product, an ultra-thin wearable smart fabric sensor measuring bend, location, motion, rotation, angle and torque, along with turnkey OEM sensor solutions and an SDK.
BeBop Sensors was spun out of KMI in April 2014 to address OEM demand for fabric sensors.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- BeBop Sensors, Inc.bebopsensors.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does BeBop Sensors, Inc. do?
- BeBop Sensors makes patented smart fabric sensors that measure force, location, bend and motion for OEMs.
- Who founded BeBop Sensors, Inc.?
- BeBop Sensors, Inc. was founded by Keith McMillen in 2014.
- Who are BeBop Sensors, Inc.'s investors?
- BeBop Sensors, Inc.'s investors include Bullpen Capital, NSV Wolf Capital.
- How much funding has BeBop Sensors, Inc. raised?
- BeBop Sensors, Inc. has disclosed $25.9M raised across 4 of its 6 known rounds.
- Where is BeBop Sensors, Inc. headquartered?
- BeBop Sensors, Inc. is headquartered in Berkeley, US.