Q5 - Simon Bond, SETsquared and the SiliconSouthWest network

Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Simon Bond, who runs the SETsquared business incubators in Bath and Swindon and the SiliconSouthWest network

What technology trends are you seeing emerge at the moment?

For the SouthWest, wireless is a tremendous boom area and we are looking at the next generation of technology and usage in the Wireless2.0 conference later this month and with events later in the year. But we are also seeing new ideas in consumer electronics with multi-nationals and start-ups in the region and these two areas are increasingly tightly coupled.

Are there enough young engineers with entrepreneurship on their minds?

We are still suffering from the overhang of the dotcom boom where many people think they can make a quick fortune out of a new web idea, and that takes the focus off strategic and disruptive electronics and technology plays to a certain extent. But we have highly experienced mentors going into universities in the SouthWest and engaging engineering undergraduates with the thrills and reality of being entrepreneurs and that is working well, as we see them coming through the business incubators later, so the culture is changing.

Do you think its possible to start a business out of selling semiconductor IP now?

A pure play IP sell depends on the target market and the quality of the IP and support, and that is hard for a small start-up. But many companies in the SouthWest are making a business out of selling their IP through consultancy through knowing their markets and providing high quality designs.

How many electronics start-ups have you got in stealth mode at the moment? Are there enough coming through?

The great thing about the SouthWest region is there are start-ups happening all the time. We have at least 5 under the radar at the moment, and people are coming to us regularly with great ideas, and we can help connect them up with experienced semiconductor and electronics professionals in the region to accelerate their development and get them to market faster. The strength of the SouthWest semiconductor cluster means that people are emerging all the time  with new ideas so the pipeline is strong.

Are there enough Government incentives available to encourage UK start-ups?

Government help is a two edged sword for start-ups. There needs to be some support, certainly in the early days, but this should be more along the lines of reliable expertise from people who have done it before and can add credibility to the pitch to angel investors or venture capital, rather than ‘consultants’. After all, the millions of dollars that is needed for a semiconductor start-up today is not going to come from a government grant.