WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

You're looking at WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) and wondering if the massive pivot from wireless audio to data monetization is defintely working, especially since the company's Q3 2025 revenue jumped 148% to $2.9 million, but still carried a net loss of $33.0 million. This isn't your old audio chip company; it's now Datavault AI Inc., focused on monetizing real-world assets (RWA) and Web 3.0 technologies, a strategic shift that raised their Fiscal Year 2025 revenue guidance to a low end of $30 million. The new business model, fueled by a $10 million licensing deal with Scilex Holding Company, is clearly driving top-line growth, but how exactly do they make money now, and what does this dramatic change in ownership and mission mean for the stock's $456.35 million market capitalization as of November 2025?

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) History

You're looking for the origin story of WiSA Technologies, Inc., but the real story is about a massive, near-term pivot. The company you are tracking-the one that traded as WISA-is now Datavault AI Inc. (DVLT) as of February 2025. This move shifted its core focus from wireless audio to data technology and AI licensing, a transformative decision that redefines its history and future.

Given Company's Founding Timeline

Year established

The company was originally founded in 2010 as Summit Semiconductor LLC.

Original location

The initial operations of Summit Semiconductor LLC began in San Jose, California, with the current principal executive office now located in Beaverton, Oregon.

Founding team members

While the original founding team of Summit Semiconductor LLC is not publicly detailed, the company's trajectory was later guided by executives like CEO Brett Moyer, who oversaw the company's public listing and its recent strategic pivot.

Initial capital/funding

The company has raised a total funding of around $77.7 million over its history, though the initial capital from 2010 is not specified. More recently, the company secured approximately $21 million in 2024 from a February public offering of $10 million and subsequent offerings through May.

Given Company's Evolution Milestones

Given Company's Transformative Moments

The single most transformative moment for WiSA Technologies, Inc. was the strategic pivot in late 2024 and early 2025, which fundamentally changed the company's business model and name. This wasn't a minor product line extension; it was a complete re-alignment to monetize new intellectual property.

• Acquisition and Rebranding: The December 31, 2024, acquisition of Datavault's IP and IT assets was the catalyst. Honestly, this was a clear signal that the company was chasing new, higher-growth markets.
• Shift to Data and AI: The subsequent name change to Datavault AI Inc. in February 2025 confirmed the new direction, focusing on the visualization, valuation, and monetization of assets in the Web 3.0 environment. This move aims to leverage blockchain data and AI Web 3.0 assets for revenue.
• Dual-Division Structure: The company now operates with two main divisions: Data Science, which licenses High Performance Computing (HPC) software, and Acoustic Science, which continues to license the spatial and multichannel HD sound transmission technology, including the WiSA brand. The old business is now a division of the new one.

This pivot is expected to boost revenue and EBITDA in 2025 as the company focuses on adapting its WiSA E technology for Linux implementations and monetizing the newly acquired IP. You can see their new focus in their Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA).

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Ownership Structure

The ownership structure of the company, now known as Datavault AI Inc., is heavily weighted toward the public float following its strategic shift from a wireless audio company to a data sciences technology firm in early 2025. This means that while the leadership team is new, the day-to-day trading is largely driven by individual investors and the broader market, which can lead to higher stock volatility.

Datavault AI Inc.'s Current Status

The entity you are asking about, WiSA Technologies, Inc., officially changed its name to Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ: DVLT) in February 2025, completing a strategic pivot that began with the acquisition of Data Vault Holdings Inc.'s assets in late 2024. This move transitioned the company from a focus on spatial audio wireless technology to a data sciences and Web 3.0 licensing model. It is a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange.

As of November 19, 2025, the company's market capitalization stands at approximately $456.35 million. To be fair, this valuation reflects the market's reaction to the new business model, which is expected to see significant revenue growth from the acquisition of CompuSystems, Inc., projected to contribute between $13 million and $15 million in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year. The company last reported quarterly revenue of $2.90 million in November 2025.

Datavault AI Inc.'s Ownership Breakdown

The company's decision-making power is largely influenced by the public, as a vast majority of shares are held by retail investors. Institutional investment (think large mutual funds or pension funds) is defintely minimal, which is not unusual for a micro-cap company undergoing a major transition.

This ownership structure means that the stock price is highly susceptible to sentiment and trading volume from individual investors. For a deeper dive into who is buying and why, you should check out Exploring WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Datavault AI Inc.'s Leadership

The new leadership team, installed around the time of the corporate pivot in late 2024/early 2025, is primarily focused on scaling the new data sciences and Web 3.0 (a decentralized internet built on blockchain technology) business lines. This team is a blend of the former WiSA management and key personnel from the acquired Data Vault Holdings assets.

• Nathaniel T. Bradley: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director, appointed in late 2024, driving the new data technology strategy.
• Brett Moyer: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Director, a founding member of WiSA Technologies who transitioned from the CEO role.
• Stanley Mbugua: Chief Accounting Officer (CAO), who took over the role in January 2025.
• Sonia Choi: Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), co-founder of Datavault AI Inc.
• Jeff Jones: Chief Technology Officer (CTO), focused on developing the new data platforms.
• Josh Paugh: Chief Intellectual Property Officer (CIPO), overseeing the combined patent portfolio.

The core team has extensive experience in intellectual property and technology development, which is critical for a company whose revenue model is heavily reliant on licensing its extensive patent portfolio. They are steering the company through a challenging, high-growth transition.

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Mission and Values

The core purpose of WiSA Technologies, Inc. has undergone a significant transformation in 2025, shifting its focus from purely defining wireless audio standards to a broader mission of monetizing patented Web 3.0 assets, including its foundational acoustic technology.

This pivot reflects a realist's approach to market trends, mapping the company's deep expertise in wireless audio (Acoustic Science division) onto the rapidly growing data and AI space (Data Science division), especially after the acquisition of Datavault intellectual property in late 2024.

Given Company's Core Purpose

You're looking past the ticker-which, to be fair, was WISA but has since transitioned to DVLT for Datavault AI Inc. as of February 2025-to understand the cultural DNA. The company's purpose is now dual-pronged, built on its legacy of immersive sound and its new direction in data monetization.

Here's the quick math on why the shift matters: the company is betting on new revenue streams, expecting the CompuSystems acquisition alone to contribute between $13 million to $15 million in revenue and $3 million to $4 million in EBITDA for the 2025 fiscal year, a huge jump from its prior audio-only run rate.

Official mission statement

The original mission, carried forward by the WiSA Association, is about standardization and market evangelism for spatial audio. The new, overarching mission is about monetizing intellectual property in next-generation digital markets.

• Define wireless audio interoperability standards for consumer electronics.
• Evangelize and market spatial audio technologies to make immersive audio an experience everyone can enjoy.
• Lead the way in visualization, valuation, and monetization of assets in the Web 3.0 environment.
• Deliver individualized content using patented acoustic tools and secure data sharing.

Vision statement

The company's vision is to make its patented technologies the ubiquitous standard in their respective industries, moving beyond a niche audio market to a global data and AI platform. This is a bold, defintely ambitious goal.

• Deliver a superior at-home entertainment listening experience by making multichannel wireless audio the ubiquitous standard.
• Redefine technology landscapes with patented innovations in data valuation, digital twins, and immersive audio.
• Unlock new revenue streams by coupling immersive sound experiences with monetizing digital assets.

The market potential is massive: the digital twin market alone is projected to reach $131 billion by 2030, which is the kind of opportunity that justifies a strategic pivot.

Given Company slogan/tagline

The most direct taglines speak to the user experience and the underlying quality of the technology, which is the company's enduring strength even as its business model evolves.

• Uncompromising quality.
• Spectacular wireless sound. No hassle.

To be fair, the new focus is on monetizing Web 3.0 assets, which you can learn more about by Exploring WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why? The company's financial health, with a healthy current ratio of 2.26 in early 2025, suggests they have the liquidity to execute this strategic transition.

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) How It Works

WiSA Technologies, Inc. operates as a dual-engine technology licensing company, generating revenue from both its patented, high-fidelity wireless audio solutions and its innovative data monetization and Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization platform. The core business model is a shift from selling hardware components to licensing high-margin software and intellectual property (IP) to major global manufacturers and enterprises.

This pivot is driving the company's revenue, with full-year 2025 guidance raised to a low end of $30 million, primarily fueled by the scaling of its Acoustic Science and Data Science divisions.

WiSA Technologies, Inc.'s Product/Service Portfolio

The company's portfolio is split between its legacy wireless audio technology and the newly acquired, high-growth data science assets, all monetized through a licensing and services model.

WiSA Technologies, Inc.'s Operational Framework

The company's operations are streamlined to maximize the return on its intellectual property (IP) portfolio, focusing on software licensing and strategic partnerships rather than high-volume manufacturing.

Here's the quick math on their shift: Selling a software license for WiSA E has a far higher margin than shipping a physical chip. This is a pure IP play.

• Licensing-First Model: Revenue is primarily generated from licensing fees and royalty payments. For WiSA E, this means manufacturers like LG and Hisense pay to embed the software into their products, creating an aftermarket for compatible speakers.
• Data Monetization Pipeline: The Data Science division focuses on executing multi-million-dollar licensing agreements, such as the $10 million deal with Scilex Holding Company to monetize genomic and therapeutic data assets.
• Ecosystem Enablement: The Acoustic Science Division, through the WiSA Association, develops reference designs (like Player1, Dragon, and Pegasus) and mobile apps (WiSA Certification App, WiSA Connect App) to help partners quickly bring certified, interoperable products to market.
• Global Expansion: Operations have expanded into key international markets-Zurich, London, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong-to support the scalable licensing and monetization of both audio and data IP.

If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk defintely rises, so the mobile-app-based certification process is crucial for their partners' speed-to-market. You can read more about the company's financial structure at Breaking Down WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

WiSA Technologies, Inc.'s Strategic Advantages

The company's competitive edge comes from its patented technology, its unique dual-market strategy, and its position as a standards-setter in wireless audio.

• Patented IP Moat: Holds a robust patent portfolio covering foundational technologies in spatial and multichannel wireless HD sound transmission, audio timing, and blockchain data credentialing.
• Standardized Interoperability: As a founding member of the Wireless Speaker and Audio Association (WiSA Association), the company defines the wireless audio interoperability standard, which encourages a multi-brand ecosystem that is hard for competitors to replicate.
• High-Margin Software Pivot: The shift to a software-only, low-cost solution (WiSA E) allows manufacturers to integrate premium wireless audio without significant hardware cost increases, broadening the total addressable market beyond high-end audio.
• Data-Acoustic Synergy: The integration of ADIO technology, which uses inaudible tones for personalized, non-intrusive advertising and data collection, with the WiSA E audio platform creates a unique, feature-rich, multisensory commercialization opportunity across diverse industries.

The combination of a $30 million revenue target for 2025 and a focus on high-margin licensing is a clear signal that the company is prioritizing IP monetization over hardware sales.

Next step: Your finance team should model the implied gross margin lift from the 2025 revenue mix change by Friday.

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) How It Makes Money

WiSA Technologies, Inc. makes money by operating a dual-engine model: the core business licenses its patented wireless audio technology (Acoustic Science), and the newly acquired division monetizes high-performance computing (HPC) software and data assets (Data Science). The company is currently transitioning to a high-margin licensing-focused model that is expected to drive the majority of its future revenue, but near-term revenue is heavily influenced by the Data Science division's service revenue.

WiSA Technologies, Inc.'s Revenue Breakdown

You need to understand that the company's revenue profile shifted dramatically in 2025 following the acquisition of Data Vault Holdings' IP and CompuSystems, Inc. (CSI), which created the Data Science division. For the third quarter of 2025 (Q3 2025), total revenue was $2.9 million, a huge 148% surge year-over-year. This growth is largely attributed to the CSI integration, which is lower-margin service revenue. Here's the estimated breakdown of that $2.9 million, based on the narrative that the Data Science assets are the primary driver of the Q3 2025 increase.

Here's the quick math: if Data Science is the primary driver of the $2.9 million Q3 2025 revenue, it accounts for roughly $1.74 million of the total. The Acoustic Science division, which includes the legacy component sales and the newer WiSA E software licensing, makes up the remainder, about $1.16 million. Both divisions are seeing traction, but the Data Science revenue stream is what caused the immediate, massive Q3 2025 revenue spike.

Business Economics

The core economic model is a classic high-tech pivot: trading lower-margin component sales for higher-margin intellectual property (IP) licensing and data monetization. This shift is defintely the key to long-term profitability.

• High-Margin Licensing: The Acoustic Science (WiSA) division is moving from selling physical components to licensing its WiSA E software, which generates revenue through royalty payments tied to a consumer's activation of the embedded immersive audio functionality. This software-based model has a much higher gross margin-the company anticipates significantly higher gross margin percentages in 2025-2026 as WiSA E and Data Vault licensing kicks in.
• Data Monetization Split: The Data Science division's model, inherited from Data Vault, involves monetizing data via an information data exchange, often using a favorable 70-30 revenue split where the client keeps 70% and WiSA Technologies, Inc. receives 30%. This is a scalable, recurring revenue stream.
• Near-Term Margin Pressure: Despite the revenue surge, the Q3 2025 gross profit margin plummeted to just 3% (down from 19% in Q3 2024). This is a direct consequence of the acquired CSI business, which is a lower-margin service operation for live events, temporarily diluting the overall margin while the company scales the high-margin licensing side.
• High-Value Licensing Deals: The company signed a major $10 million worldwide licensing agreement with Scilex Holding Company to monetize genomic data, which is a concrete example of the high-value, high-margin deals that will fuel the future revenue guidance.

For more on the strategic direction, you should check out the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA).

WiSA Technologies, Inc.'s Financial Performance

The financial health of WiSA Technologies, Inc. as of November 2025 shows a company in an aggressive, high-cost growth phase, prioritizing market expansion over immediate profitability. They are spending money to make money, but it's a very expensive bet right now.

• Revenue Trajectory: The company's revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, was $5.3 million. Management has given a low-end revenue guidance for the full fiscal year 2025 of $30 million, which implies a massive ramp-up in the fourth quarter from new licensing and service contracts.
• Significant Net Loss: The company is not profitable; it reported a staggering net loss of $33.0 million for Q3 2025 alone, and a total net loss of $79.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2025. This is driven by soaring operational expenses, particularly General and Administrative expenses, which hit $7.7 million in Q3 2025, up significantly from $2.3 million in Q3 2024.
• Liquidity and Cash Burn: As of September 30, 2025, the company's cash and cash equivalents were only $1.7 million. Operating cash outflows for the nine-month period increased to $23 million. This rapid cash burn and low cash balance are the primary financial risks you need to monitor.
• R&D Investment: Research and Development (R&D) expenditures are also surging, rising to $5.0 million in Q3 2025, reflecting the investment in new technologies like IBM Watsonx AI subscription licenses and the ongoing development of the WiSA E software.

WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA) Market Position & Future Outlook

WiSA Technologies, Inc. is executing a dramatic pivot from a niche wireless audio technology licensor to a data monetization and Web 3.0 intellectual property (IP) powerhouse, following the acquisition of Datavault AI's IP. This shift is reflected in the company's aggressive financial guidance, which projects fiscal year 2025 revenue to reach at least $30 million, a substantial increase driven by its new Acoustic Science and Data Science divisions.

The company is positioning itself as a technology standard provider in two distinct, high-growth markets: high-fidelity wireless audio (WiSA E) and data monetization/digital twins (Datavault IP), aiming to capture value through high-margin licensing agreements.

Competitive Landscape

In its legacy market, WiSA Technologies competes with established audio brands and dominant IP licensors, but its new focus on Web 3.0 technologies creates a unique competitive profile. The table below illustrates the relative market standing in the broader wireless audio and licensing space, acknowledging that WiSA's primary value driver is its licensing model, not end-product sales.

Opportunities & Challenges

The company's strategic shift opens up massive markets, but execution risk is defintely a factor. The total Global Wireless Audio Devices Market is estimated at $126.32 billion in 2025, but the new digital twin market is also projected to reach $131 billion by 2030, presenting dual growth vectors.

Industry Position

WiSA Technologies is a pure-play technology licensor, not a consumer electronics manufacturer, which gives it a high-margin, capital-light business model similar to Dolby Laboratories. Its industry standing is now bifurcated: a small, but high-fidelity standard in the wireless audio market and an emerging player in the nascent data monetization and digital twin segments.

Here's the quick math: the projected FY 2025 revenue of $30 million is a significant leap from its legacy audio business, signaling a successful pivot into high-growth, high-value IP licensing.

• Focus on WiSA E software: This is a cost-effective solution for multi-channel wireless audio, directly challenging the high-cost hardware-based solutions.
• Establishing the Twinstitute: This permanent facility for creating digital twins and voice fonts positions the company at the forefront of the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) monetization and Web 3.0 markets.
• Leveraging IP: The core competitive advantage is its patent portfolio, which now spans high-fidelity audio, data valuation, and acoustic mobile response technology (ADIO).
• For a deeper understanding of the company's core principles guiding this new direction, review the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of WiSA Technologies, Inc. (WISA).