A Candid Chat with Sean Redmond About ChipStart in the UK

When I first saw the Silicon Catalyst business plan 10 years ago I had very high hopes. Silicon Valley design starts were falling and Venture Capital Firms were distracted by software companies even though without silicon there would be no software.

Silicon Catalyst is an organization focused on accelerating silicon-based startups. It provides a unique incubation ecosystem designed to help semiconductor-centric startups overcome the challenges they face in bringing their innovations to market. Silicon Catalyst offers access to a broad range of resources including mentors, industry partners, investors, and other support services critical for the success of startups in the semiconductor space. The organization aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the semiconductor industry by providing startups with the guidance, resources, and networking opportunities they need to thrive.

We have been collaborating with Silicon Catalyst for 4 years with great success. SemiWiki is part of the Silicon Catalyst ecosystem. We not only offer the incubating companies coverage (CEO interviews and podcasts), we attend the Silicon Catalsyt events and participate on many different levels. It has been an incredibly enriching partnership, absolutely.

One of the advantages of being a semiconductor professional is we get to work with the smartest and most driven people in the world. We also get to see new technologies developing that may change the world. I was on the ground floor of the smartphone revolution which changed the world and it does not even compare to what AI will do, my opinion. Bottom line: If you look at the Silicon Catalyst incubate companies you will see the future.

Two years ago Silicon Catalyst invaded the UK under the guidance of Sean Redmond. Sean and I started in Semiconductors the same year and have run into each other quite a few times, twice during acquisitions. Sean is the Silicon Catalyst Managing Partner for the UK. With the overwhelming success of the first one, Sean is launching the 2^nd Cohort of the ChipStart UK Incubator. In the first cohort, eleven semiconductor startups are now half way through the nine month incubation with great success. They have full access to everything they need to deliver a full tape-out and experienced advisors to get them there safely.

I had a long conversation with Sean last week to get more details on semiconductors in the UK. AI seems to be driving the semiconductor community in the UK, and the rest of the world for that matter. Millions of dollars have already been raised by the first Chip Start program and Sean expects bigger things the second time around. The goal in the UK is to have a herd of semiconductor unicorns and I have no doubt that will be the case since the UK already has the 4^th largest semiconductor based R&D.

Low power AI is a big part of the semiconductor push in the UK as you might suspect. Some of the applicants are spin outs from Universities and have first time senior executives. As part of the program classes are offered on IP strategy, legal protection, all parts of goto market plans, and of course fundraising. Exit strategies are also important as semiconductor start-ups have an average ten year life span so it is a marathon not a sprint.

Here is the related press release

Sean also mentioned that the GSA will return to the UK with an event in London next month in partnership with UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) to jointly explore the impact of semiconductor innovation in anticipation to a NetZero economy. You can get details here:

Semiconductor Innovation for NetZero

About Silicon Catalyst

Silicon Catalyst is the world’s only incubator focused exclusively on accelerating semiconductor solutions, built on a comprehensive coalition of in-kind and strategic partners to dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of development. More than 1000 startup companies worldwide have engaged with Silicon Catalyst and the company has admitted over 100 exciting companies. With a world-class network of mentors to advise startups, Silicon Catalyst is helping new semiconductor companies address the challenges in moving from idea to realization. The incubator/accelerator supplies startups with access to design tools, silicon devices, networking, and a path to funding, banking and marketing acumen to successfully launch and grow their companies’ novel technology solutions. Over the past eight years, the Silicon Catalyst model has proven to dramatically accelerate a startup’s trajectory while at the same time de-risking the equation for investors. Silicon Catalyst has been named the Semiconductor Review’s 2021 Top-10 Solutions Company award winner.

The Silicon Catalyst Angels was established in July 2019 as a separate organization to provide access to seed and Series A funding for Silicon Catalyst portfolio companies. SiliconCatalyst.UK. a subsidiary of Silicon Catalyst, was selected by the UK government to manage ChipStart UK, an early-stage semiconductor incubator funded by the UK government.

More information is available at www.siliconcatalyst.uk, www.siliconcatalyst.com and www.siliconcatalystangels.com.