The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency established in 1950 and based in Alexandria, Virginia. It is dedicated to supporting research and education in science and engineering across a wide range of disciplines. The NSF provides significant non-dilutive funding, up to $1.5 million, to startups and small businesses through its America's Seed Fund initiative, which is part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program mandated by Congress. With an operating budget of approximately $7.8 billion, the NSF is committed to advancing fundamental research and education, thus fostering innovation and technological development in the United States.
Founded in 2020, Distributed Spectrum is a defense technology company that specializes in signal processing, machine learning, and embedded systems. The company develops software and sensors designed to enhance understanding of critical radio signals for various missions. Its spectrum monitoring systems provide essential situational awareness and actionable alerts, offering capabilities such as passive signature detection and signal analysis. These products enable users to comprehend the radio spectrum in their vicinity and effectively identify and track signals across diverse environments.
Silicon Assurance
Grant in 2021
Silicon Assurance specializes in hardware security software aimed at enhancing security and trust in silicon chips through a zero trust model. Founded in 2021 and based in Gainesville, Florida, the company offers automated tools designed to streamline the security assessment of chip designs, thereby minimizing the risk of data leakage and protecting revenue for businesses. Silicon Assurance focuses on addressing challenges related to reverse engineering and identifying both intentional and unintentional design flaws in semiconductor components, including system-on-chips (SoCs) and printed circuit boards (PCBs). Their solutions are particularly relevant for the electronics supply chain, supporting the security needs of smart-connected devices such as self-driving cars, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and smart grid technologies.
Inchfab
Grant in 2021
Inchfab develops a set of proprietary custom microchip manufacturing tools. The size and cost-effectiveness allow Inchfab to service markets such as the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) market that require low production volumes of highly customized microchips.
SuperMEM
Grant in 2020
SuperMEM specializes in the development of a lightweight chip that facilitates the integration of artificial intelligence into various devices. This innovative chip is designed to enhance Internet of Things applications without significantly increasing costs or power consumption. By providing a standard chip interface and simplifying software migration, SuperMEM enables clients to adopt advanced AI technology more easily and affordably. The company's focus on creating accessible solutions positions it as a key player in the transformation of everyday devices into smarter, more efficient tools.
Vieletech
Grant in 2019
Vieletech provides research engine controller hardware components, software, and systems integration. Their software is primarily written in LabVIEW, and their hardware is designed to interface with National Instruments RIO FPGA targets.
Inspirit IoT
Grant in 2018
Inspirit IoT is a software company established in 2016 and based in Champaign, Illinois, specializing in machine learning solutions for IoT hardware. The company aims to lead in sensor intelligence by providing advanced analytics that enhance the performance of IoT devices. Its offerings include the Xcelo Compiler, SoundGuardian, and DNN Architect, which deliver tools for deep neural network analysis, optimization, and hardware acceleration. By utilizing chip-agnostic high-level synthesis and custom platforms, Inspirit IoT enables clients to improve their hardware deployment efficiency and enhance customer experiences across various markets.
Mentium Technologies
Grant in 2017
Mentium Technologies Inc. specializes in the development of artificial intelligence processors tailored for power electronics, including cameras, sensors, microphones, and wearable devices. Founded in 2016 and located in Santa Barbara, California, the company focuses on creating ultra-high efficiency AI chips that enable complex video analytics in edge applications. By leveraging a unique approach centered on non-volatile memory devices, Mentium's technology facilitates analog in-memory computation, ensuring high speed, quality, and reliability for mission-critical AI inference. Their solutions aim to achieve optimal accuracy and performance, making them particularly valuable in applications that demand resilience to temperature and device variations, such as autonomous vehicles and cloud computing.
Vidatronic
Grant in 2017
Vidatronic is a fabless semiconductor and systems company that provides power management solutions for multiple market applications. The company energy-efficient solutions minimize overall system cost and number of external components while providing the best in class power efficiency and supply noise isolation. It helps customers by licensing our latest analog Intellectual Property (IP) designs, including power management unit (PMU), CMOS radio frequency (RF), and LED lighting solutions, for integration into customers’ application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and systems on a chip (SoCs). Vidatronic works with partners starting with the product definition and selection of an optimal architecture for the Power Management Unit (PMU) of the microchip, for example, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a System-on-a-Chip (SOC). Vidatronic delivers the PMU section of the ASIC or SOC and also helps partners ramp-up products into volume production.
Firia
Grant in 2017
Firia provides embedded, mobile, desktop, and cloud software development and hardware design, pcb layout, global compliance testing and certification. They offer wireless stack development, integration, high-scalability.
Reduced Energy Microsystems
Grant in 2017
Reduced Energy Microsystems, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company based in San Francisco, California, established in 2014. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of low power asynchronous microprocessors that enhance energy efficiency in embedded devices. By integrating advanced circuit technology, intelligent architecture, and refined software tools, Reduced Energy Microsystems aims to deliver high-performance solutions for computer vision and artificial intelligence applications. Their innovative approach focuses on minimizing power consumption while maximizing processing capabilities, particularly for mobile devices.
Inspirit IoT
Grant in 2017
Inspirit IoT is a software company established in 2016 and based in Champaign, Illinois, specializing in machine learning solutions for IoT hardware. The company aims to lead in sensor intelligence by providing advanced analytics that enhance the performance of IoT devices. Its offerings include the Xcelo Compiler, SoundGuardian, and DNN Architect, which deliver tools for deep neural network analysis, optimization, and hardware acceleration. By utilizing chip-agnostic high-level synthesis and custom platforms, Inspirit IoT enables clients to improve their hardware deployment efficiency and enhance customer experiences across various markets.
The Samraksh
Grant in 2016
The Samraksh is a wireless sensor network expertise with innovative research into the hardware, software and algorithmic issues.
MicroDevice Engineering
Grant in 2016
MicroDevice Engineering commercializes blood-related research. They obtain highly accurate electrokinetic measurements of cells via fully integrated fluidics and electrical detection. They provide image analysis, data analytics, interface development, and electronic circuitry design and optimization services.
zGlue
Seed Round in 2016
zGlue, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company established in 2014, specializing in developing single chipstack solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The company offers a platform and process for creating custom chips on demand, addressing the growing need for rapid product development in the hardware sector. Through its ChipBuilder software platform and proprietary Smart Fabric interposer, zGlue enables businesses to accelerate their time-to-market with high-quality chips. The company has established manufacturing partnerships with industry leaders, enhancing its capabilities in miniaturization, affordability, and scalability for custom integrated circuits. However, zGlue filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in January 2021, indicating significant financial challenges.
Tortuga logic, Inc. dba Cycuity
Angel Round in 2015
Tortuga Logic offers products that detect and prevent hardware security vulnerabilities in modern semiconductor designs. Their products enable a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) to detect and prevent vulnerabilities from chip design to runtime.
zGlue
Grant in 2015
zGlue, Inc. is a Silicon Valley-based company established in 2014, specializing in developing single chipstack solutions for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The company offers a platform and process for creating custom chips on demand, addressing the growing need for rapid product development in the hardware sector. Through its ChipBuilder software platform and proprietary Smart Fabric interposer, zGlue enables businesses to accelerate their time-to-market with high-quality chips. The company has established manufacturing partnerships with industry leaders, enhancing its capabilities in miniaturization, affordability, and scalability for custom integrated circuits. However, zGlue filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in January 2021, indicating significant financial challenges.
Tortuga logic, Inc. dba Cycuity
Grant in 2015
Tortuga Logic offers products that detect and prevent hardware security vulnerabilities in modern semiconductor designs. Their products enable a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) to detect and prevent vulnerabilities from chip design to runtime.
Liquid X
Grant in 2015
Liquid X is an electronic company that enables users to print metal traces and films that deliver results comparable to the bulk metal. The company partners with manufacturers within the electronics industry to develop and print functional components utilized in various devices, including sensors; heating elements; smart textiles, and many others. Liquid X inks are unique because, unlike other metallic conductive inks, their products contain actual metal atoms, not nanoparticles or metal flakes. The processing parameters of Liquid X metallic inks are attractive due to the low conversion temperatures and short processing times. The resulting films or traces exhibit desirable characteristics such as high conductivity, thin and precise features, and excellent adhesion. An advantage of the low temperature processing is the ability to use of a wide range of substrates from fibrous materials such as paper and gauze to flexible, organic material such as plastics. In addition, low viscosity provides the opportunity for the use of a variety of deposition methods such as inkjet, slot die, flexography, offset, and gravure.
Mythic
Grant in 2014
Mythic Inc. is a technology company that designs and develops silicon chips and artificial intelligence processing units (IPUs) for a wide range of applications, from consumer electronics and wearables to autonomous vehicles and robotic drones. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, with an additional office in Austin, Texas, Mythic specializes in analog matrix processors that utilize unique compute-in-memory technology. Their products, including the M1076 Analog Matrix Processor and various PCIe and M.2 cards, integrate AI capabilities directly into compact chips, enabling desktop-level processing power in smaller devices. The company emphasizes its expertise in neural networks, processor architecture, and software design to deliver efficient AI solutions while maintaining performance, power efficiency, and accuracy in real-world environments.
Inston
Grant in 2014
Inston is a company that specializes in developing advanced memory solutions designed to enhance performance and cost efficiency. Their technology integrates a CMOS-friendly manufacturing process with 3D integration capabilities, resulting in memory products that offer improved power efficiency, density, speed, and endurance. These solutions are applicable across various sectors, including solid-state data storage and both embedded and standalone memory for wireless systems. By focusing on high-speed and cost-effective options, Inston provides users with a next-generation memory technology that facilitates efficient data handling and storage.
Seamless Microsystems
Grant in 2014
Seamless Microsystems, Inc. is a semiconductor company based in Fremont, California, established in 2017. The firm specializes in the design and manufacturing of patented Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs), with an initial focus on markets such as medical imaging and 4G/WiFi. Utilizing silicon-proven devices from TSMC’s 28nm HPM process, Seamless Microsystems is advancing its next generation of products to meet the high bandwidth needs of emerging technologies, including LIDAR, 5G wireless, and G.fast communication systems. The company's continuous-time sigma-delta ADCs are designed to reduce system costs by relaxing anti-aliasing requirements and lowering power consumption due to their resistive input architecture. Furthermore, these ADCs are engineered to tolerate high levels of clock jitter, allowing for the use of more economical phase-locked loops (PLLs) in clock generation, making them suitable for a diverse range of applications, from consumer electronics to autonomous driving.
MicroDevice Engineering
Grant in 2014
MicroDevice Engineering commercializes blood-related research. They obtain highly accurate electrokinetic measurements of cells via fully integrated fluidics and electrical detection. They provide image analysis, data analytics, interface development, and electronic circuitry design and optimization services.
Tortuga logic, Inc. dba Cycuity
Grant in 2014
Tortuga Logic offers products that detect and prevent hardware security vulnerabilities in modern semiconductor designs. Their products enable a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) to detect and prevent vulnerabilities from chip design to runtime.
MoJo Labs
Grant in 2013
MoJo Labs works with wifi, bluetooth, bluetooth low energy, thread, zigbee, zwave, insteon, and custom 2.4 GHz, 900 MHz, and 433 MHz systems. They offer small battery-powered wirelessly connected devices and can provide development services to take products from concept to completion.
Signalogic
Grant in 2013
Signalogic is a leader in the development of efficient, low SWaP, HPC solutions for the server and embedded systems markets. Through their work with key business customers, channel partners and government agencies, they are advancing the use of HPC computing for a new generation of compute intensive applications.
Inston
Grant in 2013
Inston is a company that specializes in developing advanced memory solutions designed to enhance performance and cost efficiency. Their technology integrates a CMOS-friendly manufacturing process with 3D integration capabilities, resulting in memory products that offer improved power efficiency, density, speed, and endurance. These solutions are applicable across various sectors, including solid-state data storage and both embedded and standalone memory for wireless systems. By focusing on high-speed and cost-effective options, Inston provides users with a next-generation memory technology that facilitates efficient data handling and storage.
Ozark Integrated Circuits
Grant in 2012
Ozark Integrated Circuits provides design techniques, modeling and design tools for integrated circuits and systems on chip for extreme environments.
CoolCAD Electronics
Grant in 2012
CoolCAD Electronics, LLC is a CAD and custom electronics design firm that specializes in satisfying non-mainstream electronic design applications. Our expertise ranges from nanostructure and device modeling, design and analysis, to integrated circuit design and layout, and all the way to printed circuit board level electronics development. More specifically our thrust is concentrated on three areas: 1) Semiconductor fabrication and characterization, 2) electronics design and prototyping, and 3) Circuit modeling and simulation.
Energid Technologies
Grant in 2012
Energid Technologies Corporation, founded in 2001 and headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, specializes in developing software solutions for advanced motion control in robotics. The company offers Actin, a software development kit and tasking framework designed for real-time and adaptive motion control, addressing the complex needs of various sectors including industrial, medical, aerospace, and energy. Energid's software excels in simulating and controlling the kinematics and dynamics of robotic systems, providing essential support for autonomy through its 3D machine vision capabilities. By tackling challenging robotics problems, Energid Technologies serves applications across diverse fields such as medicine, agriculture, defense, and manufacturing. As of February 2018, Energid operates as a subsidiary of Teradyne, Inc.
Sifteo
Grant in 2010
Sifteo is a venture-backed startup based in San Francisco that specializes in creating interactive gaming systems known as Sifteo cubes. These tactile devices are designed for hands-on play, incorporating gesture-detection technology that allows users to manipulate the cubes through shaking, flipping, tilting, and pressing. Each cube features full-color graphics, motion sensing, neighbor detection, and wireless communication, facilitating a unique form of computer interaction that merges physical play with digital gaming. Sifteo not only develops exclusive games for its platform but also publishes games created by other developers, encouraging innovation through regular game jams and providing a freely available software development kit (SDK). The company was founded by Dave Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi, who aimed to rethink human-computer interaction by creating new physical interfaces reminiscent of playing with building blocks. The Sifteo game library offers a diverse range of games for adults, children, and families, combining classic play patterns with modern interactive technology.
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