An Interview with Brett Fox and Dr Jeroen Fonderie - Device Doubling Decretum

The Amp Hour · 22 Jan 2013 · 1h 26m · Episode 129

What this episode covers

Brett Fox, CEO, and Dr. Jeroen Fonderie, VP of Engineering, of Touchstone Semiconductor discuss the challenges and realities of launching a fabless analog IC startup in the post-2008 economic climate. They detail their fundraising journey, the critical role of foundry partners like TSMC, and the technical nuances of designing low-power analog circuits using standard process design kits. The conversation also covers their product strategy, distribution via DigiKey, and the broader industry trends affecting semiconductor entrepreneurship.

Mentioned

Companies
Touchstone Semiconductor, Maxim, Linear Technology, TSMC, DigiKey, Opus Capital, Coastal Ventures, Monolithic Systems, Texas Instruments, National Semiconductor, Cypress, Microchip, Vitesse, Future, WPG Group
Tools
Cadence, Mentor
Also
Jim Williams, Rick Cassidy, Gil Kogan, Pierre LeMond

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EE Times Current · 19m

    The State of Analog Design in 2023

    Brett Brune, editor-in-chief of EE Times, and Majeed Ahmad, editor-in-chief of Planet Analog, discuss the 'Analog Everywhere' special report, analyzing the state of analog design in 2023. They explore the tension between integrating analog blocks into SoCs and the need for standalone devices in IoT and automotive sectors, while highlighting the evolution of EDA tools and the challenges of automating analog design. The conversation covers specific industry players like Analog Devices, Synopsys, and TSMC, and technologies such as FinFET and Gate-All-Around (GAA) processes.

  • Embedded.fm · 52m

    36: Drive the Boat with a Wii Mote

    Mark Garrison, co-founder of Saleae, discusses the evolution of his company from a garage-side project to a small business selling the Logic 8 and Logic 16 logic analyzers. He details the challenges of bootstrapping, the importance of distributors like Avnet over Digi-Key for production, and the technical hurdles of FPGA design and manufacturing. Garrison also shares anecdotes about debugging a custom electric sailboat project and the company's plans for new high-end products.

  • The Circuit · 14m

    The Circuit Ep:1 - Introductions

    Ben Bajarin, CEO of Creative Strategies, and Jay Goldberg, an investor in early-stage electronics and semiconductor companies, introduce their new podcast, The Circuit. They discuss the resurgence of interest in semiconductors, the economic implications of Moore's Law, and the shift toward chiplet architectures and advanced packaging to manage rising costs. The hosts outline future episodes covering geopolitics, supply chain resilience, and the strategic challenges facing major players like Intel and Apple.

  • Oxide and Friends · 1h 32m

    Oxide's $100M Series B

    Oxide Computer Company CEO Steve Tuck and co-founder Bryan Cantrill discuss the company's $100M Series B funding round, highlighting the strategic importance of raising capital to scale manufacturing and engineering teams. They detail their partnership with contract manufacturer Benchmark Electronics, the transition from Intel's Tofino to XSight's X2 switch chips, and the critical need for open access to control registers for their software-defined networking platform. The founders also address market dynamics, explaining why enterprise customers are seeking on-premises solutions to manage costs and security, while outlining their roadmap for future acceleration hardware and international expansion.

  • Embedded.fm · 48m

    44: Light Up Strikes Back

    Josh Chan and Tarun Pondicherry, founders of Lightup, discuss the journey of their electronics education kit from a Kickstarter campaign to shipping the MiniKit. They detail technical hurdles including PCB redesigns due to battery supplier changes and supply chain delays for the Mel 32 U4 microcontroller. The founders also explain their strategy for securing retail partnerships with Makershed and their plans to expand the product line with microcontroller blocks for programming education.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Amp Hour. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.