Back in June this year Silicon Valley input-interface company Synaptics Inc. acquired North Idaho startup Pacinian. The company has designed very thin and very responsive keypads and input devices.

At the time the purchase price wasn't disclosed.

The latest Synaptics 10-Q lists the price as $15.0 million. But shareholders, including several area venture fund investors, will also stand to get additional returns under some “contingency” events listed in the deal.

Up to $11.9 million more would go to former stockholders based on the number of units using the ThinTouch design that are shipped.  For instance, Synaptics states that $5.0 million will be paid to former Pacinian stockholders upon “customer acceptance of a ThinTouch product,” and up to $10.0 milloin of additional consideration based on a “certain rate for each unit shipped” using ThinTouch technology through June 2016.

Our take: let's pull for ThinTouch. Any cash coming here from Synaptics will be a nice bit of stimulus funding.

Who are the state's fastest growing private companies?

My guess is that it has to include Spokane's Green Cupboards and at least a few other risers, like Imprezzio Solutions.

Not according to a survey produced by Puget Sound Business Journal. We just took a look at it and we saw not one company from our side of the woods.

Here's the full list of 100. If you spot a company that is from over here, let me know, and I'll buy you a cup of joe for the help:

• 110 Consulting Inc
• 206inc.
• Aeroform Inc.
• Affirma Consulting
• AIM Consulting Group Washington LLC
• Akvelon Inc.
• Andelcare
• Arryve
• Arterian
• Attunix Corp.
• Audigy Group LLC
• Axelerate
• BDA Inc.
• BlackRapid Inc.
• Blazing Bagels and Bakery Inc.
• Blink Interactive Inc.
• BooginHead LLC
• Bridge Partners Consulting LLC
• C2S Technologies
• Cashmere Molding Inc.
• Chess4Life
• Comm/net Systems Inc.
• Compendium Inc.
• Contour Inc.
• Danforth & Associates Inc. (dba Coldwell Banker Danforth & Associates Inc.)
• DBBest Technologies
• Edifecs Inc.
• Epic Seats Inc.
• Evergreen Capital Management LLC
• glassybaby
• GM Nameplate Inc.
• Gravity Payments
• Heatcon Composite Systems Inc.
• Hughes Group LLC
• Hunt Marketing Group
• InDemand Interpreting
• Institute for Corporate Productivity Inc. (i4cp inc)
• JeffreyM Consulting LLC
• Kalani Packaging
• Kotis Design LLC
• Lenati LLC
• Mactus Group LLC
• Madrona Solutions Group Inc.
• Management Services Northwest Inc.
• Matisia Inc.
• Method Homes LLC
• Mountains Plus Outdoor Gear
• Nayamode Inc.
• NIC Global Manufacturing Solutions
• Northwest Modular Systems Furniture
• Nuun & Co.
• Nytec Inc.
• Obot Electric
• Omax Corp.
• omniFAB LLC
• Paracle Advisors LLC
• PartyPail Inc.
• PeopleFirm LLC
• Point It Inc.
• Point to Point Transportation Services Inc.
• Powell-Christensen Inc.
• Produxs Inc.
• Protingent Inc.
• Quote Wizard
• Rainier Financial Group
• Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty
• RealSelf.com
• Red Arrow Logistics
• Redapt Inc.
• RGen Software Solutions
• Rooster Park
• RSVP Real Estate
• Saturna Capital Corp.
• Schakra Inc.
• SEOmoz
• Servpro of Central Seattle
• Sesame Communications Inc.
• Simplicity Consulting Inc.
• SmarTek21 LLC
• Society Consulting (formerly Pentad Solutions)
• Spectrum Controls Inc.
• Sportswear Inc. (dba Prep Sportswear)
• SST Group LLC (dba Seattle Sun Tan)
• Sterlitech Corp.
• Strong-Bridge LLC
• Summit Imaging
• Tableau Software Inc.
• Teleion Consulting LLC
• Tomlinson Linen Service
• TTF Aerospace LLC
• Turner Exhibits Inc.
• Unify Square Inc.
• Urban Renaissance Group LLC
• Vintners Global Resource LLC
• WaterTectonics
• Wimmer Solutions Corp.
• Winshuttle LLC
• World Medical Equipment Inc.
• Xtreme Consulting Group Inc.
• Yoogi’s Closet Inc.

This is the promo video produced by Synaptics, the company that acquired the technology developed by Pacinian, a promising North Idaho startup doing smart things with very thin pads and screens.

The acquisition by Synaptics was two weeks ago. This short video summarizes the advantages the ThinTouch keyboard will provide for companies adding it to their laptops.

A. No moving key parts.

B. Cleaner distribution of light to illuminate keys in darkness.

C. Ability to use force sensing, as in this video where holding down a key makes an uppercase character.

D. Total thinner keypad leaving more room for battery.

Silicon Valley company Synaptics has purchased Coeur d’Alene-based tech startup Pacinian. The announcement, announced recently, will mean an expansion of workers at the Pacinian research office in North Idaho, said CEO Jim Schlosser.

Synaptics is a publicly traded company. It develops input and touchpad devices for major electronics companies including Apple, Asus, HTC, Lenovo, Gateway, HP, Sony, Ericsson, Toshiba and others. It’s estimated to have roughly 65 percent of the notebook touchpad market.

Pacinian, launched in 2007, develops thin and highly responsive keyboards and touchscreens. Its major product to date is the ThinTouch keyboard that uses no electronics but creates a 40 percent thinner contact surface than conventional keyboards.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A press release said: “Synaptics’ superior TouchPad technology, used in the majority of today’s notebook PCs, will be coupled with Pacinian’s innovative ThinTouch keyboard technology to provide an unparalleled human interface experience.”

All of Pacinian’s assets and patents were included in the deal.

Today's SR story on three growing Spokane area startups is part of this newspaper's yearlong look at jobs and employment challenges.

The three we focused on are were digital marketing agency Seven2, green online retailer  GreenCupboards and Liberty Lake software and app developer Gravity Jack. All three showed the same pattern: gradual and steady growth in a relatively new market or industry, along with the ability to land  work from outside the immediate region.

We didn't do one thing, and maybe our readers can help. What are the best examples of fast-growing startups in North Idaho or in the rest of Eastern Washington?  We considered Coeur d'Alene-based Pacinian, a company with immense upside. But much of its work to date has been beta development and the firm has yet to announce any one big deal with a major customer.

There are certainly other job-growing startups we didn't include. Please pass along any suggestions by posting them here.