The Innovation Space, a nnonprofit innovation ecosystem based near Wilmington and Silicon Catalyst, the only incubator and accelerator focused on semiconductor solutions, have established a collaboration to incubate early-stage science-based enterprises focused on advanced materials and other technologies in the semiconductor space.
As its name indicates, Silicon Catalyst is based in northern California’s Silicon Valley, with university ties that include Stanford and Cal Tech.
Companies that worked out of the Innovation space have raised $1 bilion in funding.
The U.S. is working to become more of a leader in semiconductors. Much of the fabrication side of the industry is located outside the U.S. with more recent Covid-related shutdowns disrupting the supply chain of chips for auto and other industries. That spurred federal legislation
According to a release, startups and early-stage entrepreneurial teams will have access to science labs, mentorship, and customized programming available from The Innovation Space alongside Silicon Catalyst’s startup development expertise and ecosystem.
“The partnership between The Innovation Space and Silicon Catalyst was inspired and catalyzed by the pending transformative changes on the horizon for the semiconductor industry as a result of the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Act that was championed by President Biden,” said Bill Provine, founder and CEO of The Innovation Space. “Our new partnership will provide startups with critical resources and support that will build and grow a more vibrant domestic semiconductor innovation ecosystem.”
Silicon Catalyst co-founder and former CEO Dan Armbrust is one of the original 24 members appointed to the Industrial Advisory Committee (IAC), an advisory body that is providing guidance to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on a range of issues related to domestic semiconductor research and development in support of the CHIPS & Science Act. In addition, CEO Pete Rodriguez served on the semiconductor working group of the President’s Council of Advisors in Science and Technology (PCAST).
Collectively, this new partnership will present opportunities to startups that leverage the industry-specific expertise of Silicon Catalyst and its semiconductor ecosystem coupled with the state-of-the-art laboratories and scientific infrastructure and resources of The Innovation Space. Startups can now be considered for lab space at The Innovation Space near Wilmington and/or with virtual support provided by both entities for startups from anywhere in the world.
The Innovation Space is based on the grounds of the DuPont Experimental Station campus. It is built from the partnership between the State of Delaware, DuPont, and the University of Delaware.
The Innovation Space, formerly Delaware Innovation Space has served as an incubator for companies that have gone to expand and secure private equity capita and initial public offerings of stock.
As noted above, those companies have raised $1 billion in funding since the founding of Innovation Space in 2017.
Silicon Catalyst has developed a support ecosystem for its semiconductor start-ups, providing a network of financiers, business advisors, and industry professionals who help companies to launch and scale in the market. In addition, the incubator provides access to services, expertise, and intellectual property.
