March 13, 2014. Following a successful inaugural at SEMICON West last year, the Silicon Innovation Forum (SIF) is set to return to San Francisco this July in conjunction with SEMICON West 2014 (July 8-10 at Moscone Center) and expand to SEMICON Europa 2014, to be held this October for the first time in Grenoble, France (October 7-9, at Alpexpo).
Coordinated by SEMI, the Silicon Innovation Forum is organized by leading strategic investment groups in the global semiconductor industry, including Applied Ventures, Dow Ventures, Intel Capital, Micron Ventures, TEL Venture Capital, BASF Ventures, and Samsung Ventures.
Discussing the needs of and requirements for next-generation microelectronics—and gaining insight to strategies regarding technology, capital, partnership, and collaboration—are critical for industry growth. The goal of the Silicon Innovation Forum is to connect early-stage technology companies and prospective investors from industry and the investment and venture capital community, providing a platform for companies to demonstrate their technologies and business plans, for investors to identify new business opportunities, and for both communities to explore the technology and business challenges shaping the future of microelectronics.
Companies and investors well-received the first Silicon Innovation Forum, held last year at SEMICON West 2013. “SEMICON West and the Silicon Innovation Forum gave us entre to the key decision-makers we needed to reach,” said Bob Lloyd, CEO of Bright Spec. “As a result of the discussions, we now have the right contacts within semiconductor makers in Asia, Europe, and the U.S.” Dadi Gudmundsson, president and CEO of Sensor Analytics, added, “We were impressed with the caliber of both the companies selected and the industry/investor attendees. In addition to renewing contacts, we made contact with new investors and industry players that focus on and understand the semiconductor industry. We also successfully used the publicity from our SIF participation to secure business from companies attending SEMICON West.”
Based on the success of the SEMICON West program, SEMI will expand the Silicon Innovation Forum this year, hosting an additional event in conjunction with SEMICON Europa 2014 in Grenoble. The SIF Europe will be included as part of the new “Innovation Village” exhibition and presentation area on the SEMICON Europa show floor, showcasing start-ups and other early-stage technology companies from across Europe.
“Innovation and new ideas need investment, but traditional venture capital and private funding of advanced semiconductor technology development has significantly declined in recent years, threatening the future of microelectronics innovation and the industry as a whole,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “We are excited to renew and expand the Silicon Innovation Forum concept in the United States and Europe and focus on restoring investment in technology innovation and growing business through dynamic engagement with the investment community.”
