AUSTIN, Texas—Sept. 24, 2007—Black Sand Technologies, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company specializing in analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for advanced wireless applications, today announced that John Diehl has joined the company as chief executive officer. Previously, Mr. Diehl was co-founder and CEO of PrairieComm Inc., a provider of baseband processors and protocol software for 2G and 3G cellular handsets. Before joining Black Sand, Mr. Diehl served as director of strategic business development for Freescale Semiconductor’s Wireless and Mobile Solutions Group. Black Sand co-founder and acting CEO Dave Pietruszynski will remain with the company as vice president of engineering.

 “I am pleased to join this team of semiconductor industry veterans and look forward to participating in the development of Black Sand’s ground-breaking wireless technology,” said Mr. Diehl. “We are focused on creating innovative solutions that resolve the challenges our customers are facing now and will help enable new wireless applications in the future.” Mr. Diehl’s appointment follows the closing of the company’s Series A funding of US$8.2 million. The investment was led by Austin Ventures and joined by Northbridge Venture Partners.

#  #  #