Best Embedded Firmware Developers

NOVO Engineering

48 to 60-person team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer

Founded 2004 | Vista, CA, USA | 48–60 employees
firmware-developmentbare-metal-programminghardware-co-designmedical-device-firmware

What is NOVO Engineering?

NOVO Engineering was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Vista, California near San Diego, with a second location near Minneapolis and a team reported between 48 and 60 engineers averaging 16 years of experience each. That average-tenure figure is a specific, checkable claim a hiring buyer can weigh directly: it means the typical engineer assigned to a project has already spent over a decade and a half solving comparable problems. Systems engineering scope means firmware roles work alongside mechanical and electrical engineers on the same team, not in a separate silo.

NOVO Engineering works primarily with clients in Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer, a specific and checkable seniority claim.

NOVO Engineering tech stack and services

CC++Embedded Systems ProgrammingSystems Engineering
Service area
Firmware Development
Bare-Metal Programming
Hardware Co-Design
Medical Device Firmware

NOVO Engineering pricing

Short answer: NOVO Engineering uses a fixed-scope product engineering engagements pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.

Engagement model Typical range Best for
Fixed-scope product engineering From not disclosed Well-defined scope
Pre-production manufacturing support Variable; depends on team size Large programmes or team augmentation
NOVO Engineering does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.

NOVO Engineering pros and cons

Advantages Things to consider
+Engineering team averages 16 years of experience per engineer, a specific, checkable seniority claim -48 to 60 engineers caps how many large concurrent programs the team can staff at once
+Systems engineering scope puts firmware engineers on the same team as mechanical and electrical staff, not a separate silo -No published pricing or minimum engagement figure
+Two US locations near San Diego and Minneapolis give onsite coverage options -Firmware is one discipline inside a broader systems-engineering team, not a standalone firmware-only group
+21 years of operating history in medical device and biotech instrumentation work

NOVO Engineering vs alternatives

How NOVO Engineering compares to the other top Embedded Firmware Development developers.

Company Best for Key difference Rating Compare
Lemberg Solutions Teams needing dedicated engineers with direct chip-vendor backing. 200+ engineers across four countries with direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status and an in-house hardware lab 4.8 Full comparison
Dojo Five Teams that want a remote-first firmware partner with... Stated "modern firmware" culture with explicit values (humble confidence, 40-hour weeks) built into how the team operates day to day 4.5 Full comparison
Barr Group Teams wanting engineers whose published technical work they... Led by Michael Barr, a recognized embedded software author and former magazine editor-in-chief, giving prospective clients a public body of work to evaluate first 4.5 Full comparison
Voler Systems Teams wanting long-tenured senior engineers over a fast-scaled... 46 years of continuous operation with a small, senior team rather than a fast-scaled workforce 4.5 Full comparison
Beningo Embedded Group Teams wanting direct access to one named, verifiable... Founder-led model with direct prior consulting and training engagements at General Motors, Intel, Infineon, and Renesas 4.4 Full comparison
RMB Consulting Teams wanting to work directly with one named,... 30-plus years of hands-on embedded engineering experience concentrated in a single named principal with a public technical record 4.3 Full comparison
Conclusive Engineering Teams valuing engineers with named prior experience at... Team includes engineers with prior experience at Cadence Design Systems and iXsystems, backed by Nordic Semiconductor and Texas Instruments partner status 4.3 Full comparison
A2e Technologies Teams needing ITAR-cleared engineers for defense and space... ITAR-certified team with anti-tamper hardware security specialization, a specific clearance and process discipline most teams don't hold 4.3 Full comparison
ByteSnap Design Teams wanting continuity under the same founders and... 17 years under the same two founders, with a team carrying hands-on experience across ZigBee, LoRa, Wi-Fi, BLE, and GSM 4.2 Full comparison
DE Design Works Teams needing engineers experienced with rugged industrial, medical,... 23 years of continuous firmware and hardware work specifically for rugged industrial, medical, and military applications 4.2 Full comparison
USA Firmware Small teams wanting senior, multi-discipline engineers without separate... 150-plus combined years of leadership experience concentrated in a 17-person team, an unusually high seniority ratio 4.0 Full comparison
Droid Technologies Teams needing engineers whose primary specialty is embedded... Grew from 4 to 80+ engineers in 9 years with embedded GUI as the team's lead hiring specialty across LVGL, TouchGFX, Qt, and Embedded Wizard 4.1 Full comparison
Ignitec Teams building wearable products needing engineers who specialize... Wearable technology as a stated primary specialty, not a general IoT capability applied to a wearable project after the fact 4.0 Full comparison
Oxalis Design Very small teams wanting direct, ongoing access to... Founder-led team where both founders remain personally involved in client engineering work, not just management 4.0 Full comparison
Lobaro GmbH Teams needing deep LoRaWAN and low-power wide-area network... LoRa Alliance membership and Nordic Semiconductor design partner status with a 15-person team built around LPWAN protocol depth 3.8 Full comparison
NeuronicWorks Teams wanting the same engineers to carry a... In-house manufacturing capability, including box build and PCB assembly, means the firmware team stays involved through physical production 3.9 Full comparison
EmLogic AS Teams wanting Zephyr RTOS specialists led by repeat... Founding team with prior experience each building similar embedded companies, concentrated specifically on Zephyr RTOS 3.8 Full comparison
ARCH-Embedded Teams needing engineers with direct prior positioning-technology experience. Team includes engineers with prior experience at TomTom and in micro-mobility products, a specific and checkable positioning-technology background 3.8 Full comparison
Zone7 Engineering Teams wanting direct, single-point engineering accountability on a... Founder personally performs project planning, circuit design, and firmware development, with no layers between quoting and delivery 3.9 Full comparison
Ripcord Designs Teams wanting senior technical judgment applied directly rather... Founded by a former Engineering Director who moved from managing engineering to doing it directly, spanning MedTech, IVD, and industrial products 3.8 Full comparison
Blue Sparq Teams building products with physical control systems and... Control system design and manufacturing specialization, a narrower and more specific skill set than general embedded firmware alone 3.9 Full comparison
CMD MedTech Small teams needing close, senior-level medical device engineering... Woman-owned small business built specifically around medical device systems, software, and regulatory support 4.0 Full comparison
Promenade Software Teams wanting a stated faster development methodology within... Founders set out to apply web-framework development speed to FDA-relevant safety-critical medical device firmware, a stated methodology difference 4.0 Full comparison
Embien Technologies Teams wanting continuity from concept through manufacturing without... One-stop lifecycle scope means the same team a client hires stays engaged from ideation through manufacturing handoff 4.0 Full comparison
Klika Tech Teams needing distributed, multi-timezone staffing from one vendor... Delivery centers across North America, Europe, and Asia with AWS IoT and STMicroelectronics partner status backing distributed team staffing 3.8 Full comparison
WebbyLab Teams needing full-cycle staffing from hardware selection through... Grew from a small graduate-student founding team to 120+ engineers over 14 years, with Fortune 500 client relationships along the way 3.8 Full comparison
Waferlabs Embedded Technology Very small engagements wanting engineers with major semiconductor-company... Founding team with prior experience at Intel, Broadcom, and Qualcomm running a small, direct embedded design practice 3.6 Full comparison
EES Teams deliberately avoiding a large delivery organization in... Explicitly positions itself as senior-led, keeping the team small by design rather than as a growth-stage limitation 3.8 Full comparison

NOVO Engineering FAQ

What is NOVO Engineering?

48 to 60-person team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer

How much does NOVO Engineering charge?

NOVO Engineering uses fixed-scope product engineering engagements pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.

What tech stack does NOVO Engineering use?

NOVO Engineering works with C, C++, Embedded Systems Programming, Systems Engineering. Primary industries served include Medical devices, Biotech, Printing technology, Commercial products.

Is NOVO Engineering right for enterprise?

Teams wanting engineers with an unusually high average tenure across disciplines. 48–60 team size. Key consideration: 48 to 60 engineers caps how many large concurrent programs the team can staff at once.

What are the best NOVO Engineering alternatives?

The best alternatives to NOVO Engineering depend on your use case. Top options are:

  • Lemberg Solutions: 200+ engineers across four countries with direct nxp, stmicroelectronics, and microchip partner status and an in-house hardware lab
  • Dojo Five: stated "modern firmware" culture with explicit values (humble confidence, 40-hour weeks) built into how the team operates day to day
  • Barr Group: led by michael barr, a recognized embedded software author and former magazine editor-in-chief, giving prospective clients a public body of work to evaluate first
See full alternatives list

Compare NOVO Engineering with other Embedded Firmware Development developers

Verify all details directly with NOVO Engineering before making a decision.