Punch Through
Bluetooth Low Energy specialists who write both the device firmware and the phone app that talks to it
Founded 2009 | Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN, USA | 11–50 employees
Firmware DevelopmentRTOS & Bare-MetalWireless & IoT ConnectivityFirmware Testing & HIL
What is Punch Through?
Few firms go as deep on Bluetooth LE as Punch Through. The Minnesota company was founded in 2009 by Colin Karpfinger and employs somewhere between 11 and 50 people according to directory listings. It builds connected products where the radio link is the hard part: device firmware on Nordic, Silicon Labs and TI chips, plus the iOS and Android apps that pair with them. Its public guides on BLE throughput, pairing and power use are widely read by embedded engineers. A large share of its client work is medical and consumer health devices.
Punch Through works primarily with clients in Medical devices, Consumer electronics sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Bluetooth LE firmware and mobile apps built by the same team, with deep radio-level debugging experience.
Punch Through tech stack and services
CZephyrFreeRTOSNordic nRFSilicon LabsTI CC26xxSwiftKotlin
| Service area |
|---|
| Firmware Development |
| RTOS & Bare-Metal |
| Wireless & IoT Connectivity |
| Firmware Testing & HIL |
Punch Through pricing
Short answer: Punch Through uses a time & materials, fixed project pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Fixed project | From not disclosed | Well-defined scope |
| Time & materials | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Punch Through does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Punch Through pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Firmware and mobile apps from one team removes the usual finger-pointing over BLE connection bugs | -Narrow focus on Bluetooth LE makes it a weaker fit for cellular, wired or Linux-class products |
| +Published technical guides show real depth in BLE throughput, pairing and power optimization | -Small team, so availability can be limited |
| +Experience with connected medical products and their data-integrity requirements | -US rates are among the higher ones on this list |
Punch Through vs alternatives
How Punch Through compares to the other top Firmware Development service providers.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemberg Solutions | Connected devices needing firmware and electronics together. | Electrical engineering, firmware, cloud and an in-house hardware lab under one contract, with NXP, Microchip and ST partner status | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| Dojo Five | Product teams wanting firmware with CI and test... | Firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded DevOps product, EmbedOps | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Witekio | Linux-class devices needing BSPs and long-term maintenance. | Two decades of BSP and Yocto work, now backed by Avnet's silicon relationships | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Promwad | Hardware startups heading for volume production. | Combined PCB, FPGA and firmware design with manufacturing preparation, delivered from EU entities | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Byte Lab | EU buyers wanting firmware plus low-volume boards. | ST and Nordic design partner that also offers low-volume manufacturing in-house | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Bluefruit Software | Regulated devices where test evidence matters. | Test-driven embedded development with documented quality practices for medical and industrial products | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| ByteSnap Design | UK companies needing electronics and firmware from one... | Small UK team covering PCB design, Linux and Android bring-up, and MCU firmware | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Integra Sources | Budget-conscious startups needing low-level drivers. | Kernel, driver and MCU firmware work from a small team with low hourly rates | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Sirin Software | US buyers wanting Ukrainian embedded Linux rates. | US contracting entity with a Ukrainian embedded Linux and firmware team | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Cardinal Peak | US consumer and media devices needing onshore engineers. | US-based device engineering with audio and video depth, now backed by FPT | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Embien Technologies | Automotive and semiconductor firmware at Indian rates. | Renesas partner with its own reusable protocol stack libraries (RAPIDSEA) | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Timesys | Linux devices facing SBOM and security compliance. | Embedded Linux services combined with Vigiles vulnerability tracking | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Softeq | Storage and memory firmware, US-contracted IoT builds. | Deep NAND, SSD and storage-controller firmware experience alongside full IoT product teams | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Mistral Solutions | Defence and aerospace embedded programmes in India. | Board design, BSPs and rugged systems for defence and aerospace, with TI partnership | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| MistyWest | Deep-tech startups at proof-of-concept stage. | Electrical, mechanical and firmware design for early hardware, aimed at manufacturability | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Developex | Peripheral makers needing firmware plus configuration apps. | Firmware combined with drivers and companion desktop or mobile apps for consumer hardware | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Indeema Software | IoT products needing device-to-cloud development. | Hardware, firmware, cloud and app teams under one IoT-focused vendor | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| eInfochips | Large device programmes needing many engineers. | Thousands of embedded engineers and broad chip-vendor partnerships, backed by Arrow | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Tata Elxsi | Automotive and medical OEMs needing compliance at volume. | Large, process-heavy embedded practices for automotive and medical compliance | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Ignitarium | Chip makers and edge AI device builders. | Firmware and drivers tied closely to semiconductor design and edge AI | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| rinf.tech | EU buyers wanting nearshore embedded capacity. | EU-based embedded and automotive engineering with multicore and NPU firmware experience | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| L&T Technology Services | Global OEMs outsourcing whole embedded programmes. | Very large engineering services capacity with embedded, VLSI and testing under one contract | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Intellias | Automotive OEMs needing in-vehicle software teams. | Large automotive and navigation software practice with HERE and TomTom experience | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Spyrosoft | EU automotive and EV-charging embedded teams. | Polish delivery for embedded HMI, EV charging and embedded security testing | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| GlobalLogic | Enterprises bundling embedded into larger programmes. | Global delivery capacity with embedded work attached to large digital programmes | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Luxoft | Automotive cockpit and ADAS software programmes. | Automotive embedded and cockpit software practice inside DXC | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Beningo Embedded Group | In-house teams needing architecture and process coaching. | Founder-led firmware architecture reviews and training from a widely published author | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Very | US companies building a first connected product. | Product-strategy-led IoT development with Nerves and Elixir experience | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Elinext | Firmware bundled with app and web development. | Generalist developer that can add firmware to a broader software project | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| ScienceSoft | Healthcare IoT platforms with light firmware needs. | Healthcare IT and IoT platform experience, with security testing in-house | 3.7 | Full comparison |
Punch Through FAQ
What is Punch Through?
Bluetooth Low Energy specialists who write both the device firmware and the phone app that talks to it
How much does Punch Through charge?
Punch Through uses time & materials, fixed project pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Punch Through use?
Punch Through works with C, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, Nordic nRF, Silicon Labs, TI CC26xx, Swift, Kotlin. Primary industries served include Medical devices, Consumer electronics.
Is Punch Through right for enterprise?
Bluetooth LE products with companion mobile apps. 11–50 team size. Key consideration: Narrow focus on Bluetooth LE makes it a weaker fit for cellular, wired or Linux-class products.
What are the best Punch Through alternatives?
The best alternatives to Punch Through depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Lemberg Solutions: electrical engineering, firmware, cloud and an in-house hardware lab under one contract, with nxp, microchip and st partner status
- Dojo Five: firmware-only consultancy that also sells its own embedded devops product, embedops
- Witekio: two decades of bsp and yocto work, now backed by avnet's silicon relationships
Compare Punch Through with other Firmware Development service providers
Punch Through vs Lemberg Solutions Punch Through vs Dojo Five Punch Through vs Witekio Punch Through vs Promwad Punch Through vs Byte Lab Punch Through vs Bluefruit Software Punch Through vs ByteSnap Design Punch Through vs Integra Sources Punch Through vs Sirin Software Punch Through vs Cardinal Peak Punch Through vs Embien Technologies Punch Through vs Timesys Punch Through vs Softeq Punch Through vs Mistral Solutions Punch Through vs MistyWest Punch Through vs Developex Punch Through vs Indeema Software Punch Through vs eInfochips Punch Through vs Tata Elxsi Punch Through vs Ignitarium Punch Through vs rinf.tech Punch Through vs L&T Technology Services Punch Through vs Intellias Punch Through vs Spyrosoft Punch Through vs GlobalLogic Punch Through vs Luxoft Punch Through vs Beningo Embedded Group Punch Through vs Very Punch Through vs Elinext Punch Through vs ScienceSoft
Verify all details directly with Punch Through before making a decision.