Who Owns Belkin?

Chet Pipkin founded Belkin in the early 1980s while attending UCLA. He noticed that personal computer buyers needed cables to connect their new machines to printers, a gap that major manufacturers had not addressed. Pipkin began manufacturing computer-to-printer cables from his parents' home in Hawthorne, California, selling them to local computer shops. He recruited his machinist father, his brother, and a handful of friends to help with assembly.

On January 1, 1983, Pipkin moved into a professional workspace and hired his first full-time employees. This date marks the formal founding of Belkin. The company initially manufactured all cables in the United States, which gave it a fast turnaround advantage over competitors relying on overseas production. In 1985, Belkin began contracting Asian factories to supplement its US manufacturing capacity and meet growing global demand.

Through the 1990s, Belkin expanded beyond cables. The company added surge protectors, USB storage devices, and a broader range of connectivity products. The rise of USB as a universal standard created new demand for adapters, hubs, and cables, which Belkin was positioned to supply. The company built a distribution network through retail channels, placing its products on shelves at major electronics retailers.

In the early 2000s, Belkin shifted toward mobile accessories as smartphones and tablets gained mass adoption. The company produced chargers, connector cables, cases, and screen protectors for Apple and Android devices. This category became a major revenue driver as mobile device sales surged. By 2015, Belkin had approximately 1,350 employees and sales exceeding $1 billion.

Belkin expanded into smart home technology in 2012 with the launch of the Wemo brand, which produced connected plugs, light switches, and other home automation devices. In March 2013, Belkin acquired Cisco Systems' Home Networking Business Unit, including the Linksys brand and product line. The Linksys acquisition added routers and networking hardware to Belkin's portfolio. In 2016, Belkin formed a joint venture with Uponor, a Finnish water solutions company, to create Phyn, a smart water management brand.

A separate and significant business line is Belkin's secure KVM switch division. Belkin introduced its first secure KVM switches for government and military applications in 2006. These products are designed to meet National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Protection Profile for Peripheral Sharing Devices (PSD) 4.0 standards, which require isolated data paths, optical data diodes, and active anti-tamper mechanisms. Belkin's secure KVMs are manufactured and assembled in the United States and are TAA-compliant, making them eligible for US government procurement. The product line includes the Universal Secure KVM series, the Modular Secure KVM/KM series, and the IsoClave RED/BLACK SKVM series for TEMPEST-level isolation requirements.

On March 26, 2018, Foxconn Interconnect Technology announced its agreement to acquire Belkin International for approximately $866 million in cash. The deal closed in September 2018. At the time of acquisition, Belkin reported approximately $780 million in annual sales with earnings of $4.7 million, reflecting a thin margin of 0.6%. FIT viewed the acquisition as a strategic move to enter consumer electronics branding and the smart home market, leveraging Belkin's brand recognition, distribution channels, and software capabilities.

After the acquisition, Belkin continued operating under its own brand within the FIT structure. In January 2021, Pipkin stepped down as CEO and became Executive Chairman. Steve Malony, previously Senior Vice President and General Manager, was appointed CEO. As of 2026, Belkin employs approximately 674 people and generates an estimated $850 million in annual revenue. The company operates in 11 countries with workforce distributed across 36 countries.