EDA vendors Cadence Design Systems and Mentor Graphics are going
head-to-head in their efforts to help new start-ups across
Europe.
Cadence has set up a start-up programme to work with small
companies and management buyouts, echoing the Cre8Ventures move
last year by Mentor Graphics. However, it differs from Cre8Ventures
by being led by venture capital funds.
“There are a lot of start-ups across Europe and the numbers are
increasing,” said Sean Redmond, v-p of Europe for Cadence.
“This really came from discussion with the VCs [venture
capitalists]. When they got through their due diligence and
released the funds, then the design team started the process of
deciding what design tools and design flow to use and that was
taking the investment away from the real focus of getting the real
products as quickly as possible and getting some real
return.”
Through its Virtual CAD team, Cadence is working with Pond Ventures
and Atlas Ventures to supply start-ups with its tools at commercial
rates and is looking at other VC funds in France and Germany. It is
already working with Air Semiconductor in Swindon and Altair
Semiconductor in Israel, as well as eight other start-ups in the
last quarter.
The Mentor approach includes tools but also looks at finding
management and customers through a network of executives.
“The [Cre8Ventures] programme takes a hands-on approach to the
route-to-funding and all important route-to-market challenges for
the start-up,” said Carson Bardbury, director of Mentor’s
Cre8Ventures. “It strongly supports the incubator idea and is
currently active in six incubators across Europe; three within the
UK.”
Bradbury said 50 start-ups in 21 different markets were being
helped, with four taking on design challenges at 90nm or
below.
“Because we can surround them with serial entrepreneurs, who have
achieved multiple exits with their own fabless stocks, I am certain
these great new entrepreneurs will have an awesome opportunity to
succeed,” said Bradbury.