MiddleGround Capital Acquires Pi Innovo, Bolstering New Eagle’s Vehicle Control Platform
Private equity firm MiddleGround Capital has acquired Pi Innovo, a developer of electronic control systems, from powertrain manufacturer Dana. This strategic acquisition aims to integrate Pi Innovo into MiddleGround’s existing vehicle control platform, New Eagle, which was acquired in 2021.
Enhancing Electrification and Specialty Mobility Solutions
Pi Innovo specializes in designing and developing open platform electronic control systems and software tailored for electrification, clean fuel, and specialty mobility applications. The company’s product portfolio, OpenECU, includes both standard and customized controllers with embedded software, complemented by engineering services for commercial and specialty vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers. This integration is expected to significantly enhance New Eagle’s capabilities in these rapidly growing sectors.
Synergy with New Eagle’s Existing Strengths
New Eagle, already a provider of hardware and software controls technology for diverse industries including automotive, commercial vehicles, off-highway, aerospace, and defense, will benefit from Pi Innovo’s specialized expertise. New Eagle’s current offerings focus on mechatronic controls, supporting developers with project management, supply chain coordination, its Raptor software toolchain, and off-the-shelf hardware control solutions. The company’s engineering teams have a proven track record in electronic systems design for EV propulsion and autonomy, guiding projects from concept to full production.
Accelerating Development and Expanding Capabilities
The combination of Pi Innovo and New Eagle is poised to accelerate development timelines for customers. Adrian Carnie, Head of Business Development at Pi Innovo, highlighted the synergy: “As a long-standing partner to OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers in commercial transportation and specialty mobility, Pi Innovo delivers open platform, configurable ECU solutions with integrated functional safety and cybersecurity capabilities for electric vehicle charging, clean fuel propulsion, and hybrid applications—helping customers accelerate development timelines and reduce time to market.”
Carnie further elaborated on the future vision: “We aim to enhance collaboration opportunities with customers in partnership with New Eagle by combining our next-generation ECU platforms with New Eagle’s flexible Raptor software toolchain and established controls capabilities. Together, we aim to broaden our range of functional safety and cybersecurity-enabled solutions, and to expand into new electrification programs, increasing the support we offer across the full lifecycle of controls development and integration.” This integration is set to offer a more comprehensive suite of solutions, particularly in functional safety and cybersecurity for electrification programs.
