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Silicon Catalyst, the incubator focused on accelerating semiconductor startups, has launched a global Silicon Startups Contest in partnership with Arm. The prizewinner will receive an Arm IP credit worth $150,000, plus exposure to Arm’s wider partner ecosystem and an opportunity to pitch to Silicon Catalyst’s angel investor network.
The contest, which will accept applicants through June 23, is organized and administered by Silicon Catalyst and directed towards early-stage entrepreneurial teams developing a system-on-chip (SoC) design using Arm processor IP. The contest winner and two runner-up companies will be announced in early July.
Explaining the rationale behind the contest and the partnership, Sean Redmond, U.K. managing partner for Silicon Catalyst, told EE Times that this is a perfect time to hold a contest like this for the semiconductor industry. “There’s a big uptick in SoC opportunities. What we wanted to do is to put more out there to help identify interesting startups, and this is a space in which Arm sits in very well,” Redmond said.
The semiconductor industry is heavily influenced by the entrepreneurial drive and innovation of early-stage startups providing the next wave of innovative products and technology solutions. A common obstacle these startups face, however, is the time, funding and talent required to bring viable ideas to market. Hence a competition like this to address what some call a “silicon renaissance” and support some of the better ideas to get past the initial hurdles is certainly a positive step.
In addition to the $150,000 Arm IP credit for the winning startup, the winner and two runners-up will also receive access to the full Arm Flexible Access for Startups program, which includes no cost access to an extensive SoC design portfolio, including a wide range of Cortex processors, Mali graphics, Corstone reference systems, CoreLink and CoreSight system IP, free tools training, support to enhance the team, a cost-free Arm design check-in review with Arm’s experienced support team, and entry to the invitation-only Arm ecosystem event held in the summer in Cambridge, U.K.
The latter is a valuable chance to be featured and connect with Arm’s broad portfolio of silicon, OEM and software partners. In addition, the winner and two runners-up will receive an investor pitch review and preparation support by Silicon Catalyst, with an opportunity to present to the Silicon Catalyst Angels group and their investment syndication network.
“Arm has a really rich capability to review the startups’ designs and provide advice or challenge the teams on their decisions. Arm can provide a high level of attention to the detail,” Redmond said. “This is an exciting new area for both of us. It’s good for the semiconductor industry and startups can learn a lot through the process.”
Paul Williamson, senior VP and general manager of the IoT Line of Business at Arm, told EE Times that the contest aligns with the company’s mission to facilitate more semiconductor industry innovation.
“We believe that Arm technology is for everyone, and early-stage silicon startups trust Arm to deliver proven, validated computing platforms that enable them to innovate with freedom and confidence,” Williamson said. “Since its launch, Arm Flexible Access for Startups has enabled around 100 startups with access to our wide portfolio of IP, extensive ecosystem and broad developer base, and we look forward to seeing what creativity this prize inspires in the exciting new startups that enter this contest.”
Arm highlighted a few examples from the 100 companies that have used its flexible access scheme, including DreamBig Semiconductor and Cambridge Touch Technologies. Dreambig said it was a game-changer for them. It allowed the silicon startup to prototype its Deimos chiplet hub for next-generation data center solutions quickly and cost effectively, while helping to mitigate any wider technical and business challenges.
Cambridge Touch Technologies, a startup developing an AI engine that runs signal processing for touch technology, appreciated the “design first, pay later” model of Arm’s Flexible Access for Startups. When the company signed up in 2020, it was still in the very early stages of the funding process and within two years of signing up, they managed to have a second product in the pipeline, and now the company is planning to tape out its first commercial chip later this year.
To apply to the contest, startups can be at pre-seed, seed and series A funding stage, and raised a maximum of $20 million in funding; all contest applicant organizations will be considered for acceptance to the Silicon Catalyst incubator/accelerator. Judges include senior executives from both Arm and Silicon Catalyst. When asked about the selection criteria, Silicon Catalyst’s Redmond said simply that the startup must have a great team and a highly differentiated proposition.
Arm said the contest is a great opportunity for startups to access Arm’s leading IP and save costs during the design development process. The startup with the most innovative SoC design will win $150,000 of Arm technology credit towards an Arm Flexible Access tape-out. This could cover IP fees for a small embedded system, or significantly contribute to the cost of higher performance applications.
“Arm was the first member of our ecosystem to join as both a strategic partner and an in-kind partner. Through [the Flexible Access] program, silicon startups can move fast, experiment with ease, and design with confidence—so it’s a highly valuable part of the contest prize,” Silicon Catalyst’s CEO Pete Rodriguez said in prepared remakrs. “Entrepreneurial teams entering the contest will also automatically be applying to our incubator, with the winning company receiving credit with Arm that could give them a significant head start in the commercialization of their product, as well as the opportunity to present to the Silicon Catalyst Angel investment group and their syndication network of investment partners.”
Contest rules and application details can be found here.
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