Raul Camposano

Silicon Catalyst, USA

Silicon Catalyst: Accelerating Semiconductor Innovation

Abstract

This presentation provides an overview of Silicon Catalyst, the only incubator and accelerator dedicated exclusively to semiconductor solutions. Established in 2015 in Silicon Valley, Silicon Catalyst addresses the rising costs of innovation, a decline in venture capital, and challenges in achieving product-market fit, while also highlighting significant opportunities such as AI applications, Chiplet technology, MEMS, sensors, photonics, quantum computing, and the life sciences.

Silicon Catalyst has evaluated more than 1,200 early-stage semiconductor companies and has admitted over 120 companies into its 24-month incubation program. The presentation emphasizes the strategies necessary to support and sustain semiconductor startups and outlines the benefits of early access to semiconductor innovation. The advantages of the incubation program include access to in-kind resources such as design tools and semiconductor shuttles, a vast network of expert advisors, investors, strategic partners, and funding opportunities. Additionally, the presentation showcases successful outcomes of companies within Silicon Catalyst’s portfolio.

Biography

Dr. Raúl Camposano is a managing partner at Silicon Catalyst, an incubator for semiconductor solutions, and lectures on EDA and Machine Learning Hardware at Stanford. Previously, he served as the CTO of Silvaco and was an advisor to Applied Materials. He also held the position of CEO at Sage Design Automation, which was acquired by Applied in 2020, and at Nimbic, which was acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2014. Raúl spent a significant part of his career at Synopsys, where he held roles such as Chief Technology Officer, Senior Vice President, and General Manager. Before joining Synopsys, he was a Director at the German National Research Center for Computer Science, a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Paderborn, and a Research Staff Member at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. Raúl holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Chile, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Karlsruhe. He has published over 70 technical papers and has written and/or edited three books on electronic design automation. Raúl has made significant contributions to the design community by serving on numerous editorial, advisory, and company boards. In 1999, he was elected a Fellow of the IEEE and joined the board of directors of ESDA (formerly known as EDAC, the EDA Consortium) in 2012.