A decade of innovation: Looking back at ten years of the MEMS revolution

Ten years ago, Tikitin was founded with a bold vision for MEMS technology. Today, that vision thrives as Kyocera Technologies. To celebrate a decade of growth, our Managing Director, Tapio Sulkava, reflects on Kyocera Technologies’ evolution from its startup days and its transition into the Kyocera family, as well as the innovations that will shape our future. Read his review of the milestones that defined our past and the momentum driving us forward into the next decade.

Celebrating 10 Years Journey: From Bold Ambition to Strategic Focus

In 2016, three entrepreneurs came together to found Tikitin with a bold ambition: to replace quartz with MEMS technology in timing applications. This vision was rooted in years of advanced research conducted at VTT, which by 2016 had reached the maturity required for commercialization.

The company was established before the summer, and the first employees joined in August 2016. Initial funding came from the founders themselves, followed by support from friends-and-family angel investors. Soon after, the funding base strengthened significantly with the backing of a key super angel and continued support from Business Finland.

From a technology perspective, Tikitin started with a broad scope. We were developing both MEMS resonators and oven‑controlled MEMS oscillators. This ambition, however, proved too wide for a young company, and we made a strategic decision to focus exclusively on MEMS resonators—a pivot that helped sharpen our vision and execution.

Our belief in the inevitable shift from quartz to MEMS resonators resonated strongly within the timing industry. Tikitin quickly gained the attention of nearly all of the ten largest timing vendors at the time. Remarkably, there was never a need to hire a dedicated salesperson—customer engagement was successfully led by the founders themselves.

The Transformation into a Global Subsidiary

Over the following years, our relationship with Kyocera deepened. What began as an initial proof‑of‑concept project evolved into a larger collaboration that clearly demonstrated the strong potential of MEMS technology in timing applications.

In 2019, Kyocera acquired Tikitin, marking a major turning point in our journey. We transitioned from a startup of fewer than ten people into a subsidiary of a global, multibillion‑euro corporation. By that time, Tikitin’s development had already advanced beyond the original VTT research, and Kyocera acquired a strong, fully owned intellectual property portfolio as part of the transaction.

With the acquisition, everything changed. Suddenly, globally recognized brands appeared on our radar as potential customers. It was an exciting and transformative time for the entire team.

Building a Strong Future with Our Experienced, Global Team

The real work then began: refining the technology to meet demanding specifications and transforming it into a manufacturable, commercial product. In retrospect, it is fair to say that the effort required to move from prototype to a fully viable product was significantly greater than we had originally anticipated.

Since then, we have pivoted several times within Kyocera to get everything exactly right. Kyocera’s support has been instrumental throughout this journey. Together, we have built a highly coordinated global team spanning Japan and Finland, while continuously strengthening our intellectual property portfolio.

As we enter our second decade, we are proud of the many successful deliveries we have already made—and deeply excited about the work currently underway, even if we cannot yet share all the details. What is clear, however, is that the vision and mission we set ten years ago feel more tangible than ever. Our story continues, and we look forward to the next decade.

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Tapio Sulkava is the Managing Director of Kyocera Technologies. He is also one of Tikitin’s founders.