Nine Fives

Active

Simple, Networked, Driverless, RF Test Equipment

Spring 2026Founded 20252 peopleSan Francisco, CA, USA

ninefives.com/ ↗LinkedIn ↗See on the Idea Map Industrials momentum

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AI insightcan contain mistakes

RF Test EquipmentHardwareSemiconductor and telecommunications test labsMedium competition

Moat

Proprietary test methodology and driverless automation create defensible niche advantage.

Key risk

Entrenched test equipment vendors (Keysight, Anritsu); high engineering barriers to entry; niche customer base.

Why now

5G/6G rollout and semiconductor complexity drive demand for simplified, networked RF test solutions.

Competitors

Keysight, Anritsu, NI

From their website

as of Jun 7, 2026ninefives.com ↗

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Nine Fives manufactures next-generation RF test equipment, focusing on ethernet-enabled attenuators, RF switches, and power meters. The company emphasizes networked, driverless operation with a REST API and web UI, aiming to simplify lab setup and testing.

Nine Fives offers modular rack-mount RF test equipment that can be powered via USB-C or Power over Ethernet. Equipment supports a touchscreen, multiple interfaces (Web UI, REST API, SCPI), and can operate without drivers. It provides a single source of truth for rack configurations via NineVue, with version-controlled rack diagrams and a no-installation software approach that enables immediate testing after plug-in. The REST API and SCPI support allow command-based automation, while compatibility with Windows SCPI workflows and Linux environments enables flexible integration for test automation.

Who it’s for: Research labs, hardware-in-the-loop testing teams, RF test engineers, and labs needing networked, driverless test equipment and automated test workflows.

Features

ethernet-enabled attenuation, RF switches, and power meters
rack-mount chassis with NineVue network/RF path loss configuration
no-installation / no-driver software
touchscreen on all products
REST API and SCPI communication
web UI for device control
version-controlled rack configurations

Backed by Y Combinator

Founders · 2

Andrew KurtzFounder

I spent the last 9 years as a mechanical engineer working on a wide variety of aerospace products. Now building better test equipment with Nine Fives

LinkedIn ↗

Noah LevyFounder

SpaceX

Calibrated largest phased array in SpaceX history, designed Starship primary RF hardware, worked on radar altimeter for Falcon 9 and S-Band Transceiver for Dragon 2 capsule. I am not a fan of modern RF test equipment from legacy vendors.

LinkedIn ↗

Launch · 1 launch

Nine Fives - Simple, Networked, Driverless RF Test Equipment · May 2026
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Test hardware for companies that can’t wait for their test equipment to catch up.
Nine Fives builds radio frequency test equipment for manufacturers of cellular, drone, and satellite hardware with driverless modules and a web-based configuration tool. Equipment features REST and SCPI APIs and machine-readable documentation for AI agents to write test software.
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