Chip Legends

Semiconductor startups are the creative engines which drive the electronics industry because they develop state-of-the-art integrated circuits for next generation products and set the pace for semiconductor innovation. InsideChips is for entrepreneurs, investors, electronics executives, EDA tools marketers,  silicon foundry sales executives, service providers and for executives or firms who wish to do deals with chip startups.

Venture Capitalists obtain a quick-start in sourcing deals and doing due-diligence. Semiconductor startup founders and management can access resources and consultative reports to get their company on a faster track and avoid pitfalls. Companies selling services and products (EDA tools, foundry, PR, rep/distribution, equipment) to semiconductor startups benefit from the extensive database of profiles and follow-up coverage of emerging chip ventures -- enabling them to maximize their business development efforts.  Private investors benefit from an industry insider's stock market viewpoints and analysis of public companies.

Members-only premium content is delivered in three channels oriented to industry professionals and investors:

The "Chip Legends" project summarizes the pursuits of captains of the silicon industry, as well as other luminaries, gurus and personalities who were instrumental in shaping the early days of the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley and beyond. Click on the picture for additional historical information. While you are browsing, take InsideChips' semiconductor Trivia Quiz.

Altair Semiconductor Founded in May 2005 by former TI executives, Altair Semiconductor is one of Israel's up-and-coming fabless semiconductor startups with its charter to develop advanced ultra low power chips for mobile WiMAX and 3GPP-LTE optimized for portable devices. The company is also engaged in other variants of OFDMA/MIMO technologies which are not WiMAX or LTE based. The name of the company. Altair, belongs to a very bright star in the Aquila constellation of the Milky Way galaxy. It is also the name of the first PC company. . . . Continue

Magma Names EDA Veteran to Head Sales Magma Design Automation (Nasdaq:LAVA), a provider of chip design software, announced that Bruce Eastman has joined the company as corporate VP, worldwide sales. . . . Continue HVVi Semiconductors Founded in 2004 by former Motorolans, HVVi Semiconductors is a fabless discrete semiconductor startup developing high performance silicon RF power transistors for radar, avionics, medical and other industrial applications . . . Continue iAmba Networks Raises Third Funding Round iamba Networks, a developer of GPON solutons has closed a $7 Million C round of financing. . . . Continue Actel Sets New VP of Marketing Post Actel has appointed Richard Kapusta as its new VP of marketing and business development. He reports to Fares Mubarak, senior VP at Actel. . . . Continue Infineon Strengthens Digital Power Business With Acquisition, But Qimonda Share Sale Remains Elusive Infineon Technologies (NYSE:IFX) has acquired Primarion to further strengthen its activities in the field of power management applications. . . . Continue Apple Bolsters Technology Capability With Acquisition Apple Computer is believed to be purchasing fabless low-power microprocessor developer, P.A. Semi, of Santa Clara, Calif. Apple, who is more inclined to do home grown technology development, has stepped outside its box to bolster its MPU design resources . . . Continue Audience Gets Big Funding Infusion Audience raised $15 million in Series C funding, bringing the total funding amount to date to $45 million. . . . Continue Quellan Adds VP of Sales Quellan, a developer of analog signal processing and RF noise cancellation ICs, appointed David Casey as VP of worldwide sales. He reports to Tony Stelliga, CEO of Quellan. Casey br . . . Continue Artimi Names New CEO Artimi, a developer of high-speed wireless semiconductors for portable consumer electronics, named Andrew Vought as its new CEO. . . . Continue ZeroG Wireless and Microchip in Co-development Pact ZeroG Wireless, an devloper of low-power embedded Wi-Fi technology, is collaborating with Microchip Technolog to co-develop Wi-Fi solutions for users of Microchip's PIC(R) microcontrollers. . . . Continue Lime Microsystems Founded in March 2005, Lime Microsystems is a fabless semiconductor startup specializing in digitally configurable transceivers for the next generation of wireless broadband systems. . . . Continue Intel to Finance Chinese Entrepreneurs With New Fund Intel Capital announced its second China investment fund, the Intel Capital China Technology Fund II. The new $500 million fund . . . Continue

Map Out Your Standards Strategy Should you be chasing standards with your chips or playing the proprietary game? This question goes to the heart of your company business plan, and you need a well defined answer. . . . Continue Selecting and Entering the First Asian Market Striking out from the home market in America and creating a sales presence in Asia can be a daunting task. Your company is young. Revenues until now have come exclusively from the market you and the executive team best understands, America. It is now time to expand your revenue opportunities by launching a sales and marketing presence in Asia. Where do you start? How do you commence? . . . Continue