VC Watch

Chinese Startup Rolls ‘Unified’ Android Processor

A two-year-old fabless startup in Shenzhen, backed by a publicly listed holding company in Hong Kong, is going after the Android mobile and tablet computing market with the bold step of developing its own 32-bit multicore processor architecture.

GSA: Mix of More Dollars, Fewer Deals Favors Late-Stage Investments

Seven semiconductor startups collectively raised $191.7 million in March, the Global Semiconductor Alliance reports. That total, spread among a declining number of deals, suggests any return by VCs to the semiconductor market will largely be for late-stage investments rather than early-stage funding.

French Startup Scratches the Surface with Organic Photodetectors

Isorg might sound like an Internet address, but the spinoff from France’s CEA-Liten research institute is actually developing “smart surfaces” based on printed organic photonic sensors.

Pelican Sidestepping Megapixel Race

Pelican Imaging has developed an array camera architecture together with algorithms and software for image reconstruction, gesture recognition and other functions.

Four Israeli VCs Bet on Fabless

In a move that counters the anti-chip-maker sentiment in the venture capital market, four Israeli VC firms have formed the Solid Incentive Fund.

Startup’s Fortunes Riding on an E-­Beam

CEA-Leti spinoff Aselta Nanographics is mining the Grenoble region’s strong research foundation in e­-beam lithography to make its mark on chips.

French Town's Technology Push Needs Market Pull

Grenoble, the French university town on the northern slopes of the Alps, is home to STMicroelectronics' Crolles research and pilot wafer fab, silicon­-on­-insulator pioneer Soitec, and a host of other electronics companies and startups.

VCs Bullish on Medtech

If the emerging medical technology market is any indication, it’s time for venture capitalists to climb out of their bunkers and get back in the technology innovation game.

'Silicon 60' Startups Attract Buyers as Recession Wraps

Signs of transformation in the semiconductor industry are stronger than we have seen for some time. The impact of the global economic crisis of 2008-2009 was foreseen almost immediately, but the effects are still working their way through the system.

Ireland Forms Funds To Innovate out of Trouble

In a reaffirmation of Ireland’s belief in technology-­based wealth creation, the government announced an 85 million­-euro venture capital fund for high­-tech launches.