STOCKHOLM, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Technology company Nothing, founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, on Wednesday said it has raised $50 million from strategic and private investors, and has partnered with U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm (QCOM.O).

The company launched its first device – a transparent earbud that comes with active noise cancellation and a retail price of $99 – in August and sold more than 100,000 of those in the first two months.

A tie-up with Qualcomm, whose chips are present in a range of devices from cars to phones, would help Nothing to build future products.

“The successful launch of our first product, ear (1), proved that there is room for a new challenger brand to emerge and disrupt today’s sea of sameness,” CEO Pei said in a statement.

UK-based Nothing’s backers include GV, Tony Fadell, designer of Apple Inc’s iPod, Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin and Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. It had raised $15 million in a Series A round led by GV, formerly Google Ventures, in January.

Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee, European Technology & Telecoms Correspondent, based in Stockholm, Editing by Louise Heavens

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