National Science Foundation

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.

James Donlon

Program Director

Debasis Majumdar

Program Director

Graciela Narcho

Staff Associate

Sethuraman Panchanathan

Director

Past deals in Embedded Software

Distributed Spectrum

Grant in 2021
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 specializes in custom microchip manufacturing, offering proprietary tools that cater to the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) market. The company's microfabrication platform enables clients to prototype and produce low volumes of highly customized microchips economically. By focusing on the semiconductor and micromechanical Internet of Things (IoT) chip markets, Inchfab provides essential manufacturing capabilities that facilitate the design and production of specialized devices.

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, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor and systems company based in College Station, Texas, specializing in energy-efficient power management solutions for portable, handheld, and wearable electronic devices. Founded in 2010, the company designs and develops various intellectual property (IP) blocks, including capacitor-less low dropout voltage regulators and switching buck converters, as well as foundation IPs like temperature sensors and voltage references. By licensing its analog IP designs, Vidatronic enables integration into application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) and systems on a chip (SoCs), focusing on optimizing power management units (PMUs) for enhanced performance and efficiency. The company's services also include power management design support, assisting clients from product definition to ramping up products for volume production, ultimately helping to minimize system cost and improve power efficiency across multiple market applications.

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, Inc. is a cybersecurity company based in San Jose, California, specializing in hardware threat detection. Founded in 2013, the company provides innovative solutions to identify and prevent security vulnerabilities in semiconductor designs. Its flagship products, Radix-STM and Radix-M, are designed to enhance the security verification process by enabling design teams to detect system-wide exploits related to hardware roots of trust and to perform security validation of firmware in complex system-on-chip designs. By facilitating a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL), Tortuga Logic's offerings help ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed from the initial stages of chip design through to runtime, thereby enhancing overall hardware security.

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, Inc. is a cybersecurity company based in San Jose, California, specializing in hardware threat detection. Founded in 2013, the company provides innovative solutions to identify and prevent security vulnerabilities in semiconductor designs. Its flagship products, Radix-STM and Radix-M, are designed to enhance the security verification process by enabling design teams to detect system-wide exploits related to hardware roots of trust and to perform security validation of firmware in complex system-on-chip designs. By facilitating a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL), Tortuga Logic's offerings help ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed from the initial stages of chip design through to runtime, thereby enhancing overall hardware security.

Liquid X

Grant in 2015
Liquid X is a company specializing in the development of innovative metallic inks that enable the printing of functional components for various electronic devices. Their inks, which contain actual metal atoms rather than nanoparticles or metal flakes, offer superior properties such as high conductivity, thin and precise features, and excellent adhesion. This unique formulation allows for low-temperature processing and short production times, making it possible to use a wide range of substrates, including paper, gauze, and flexible plastics. Liquid X collaborates with manufacturers in the electronics industry to create applications such as sensors, heating elements, and smart textiles. The versatility of their inks supports various deposition methods, including inkjet, flexography, and gravure, positioning Liquid X as a key player in the emerging market for advanced electronic materials.

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, Inc. is a cybersecurity company based in San Jose, California, specializing in hardware threat detection. Founded in 2013, the company provides innovative solutions to identify and prevent security vulnerabilities in semiconductor designs. Its flagship products, Radix-STM and Radix-M, are designed to enhance the security verification process by enabling design teams to detect system-wide exploits related to hardware roots of trust and to perform security validation of firmware in complex system-on-chip designs. By facilitating a Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL), Tortuga Logic's offerings help ensure that vulnerabilities are addressed from the initial stages of chip design through to runtime, thereby enhancing overall hardware security.

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.

EngeniusMicro

Grant in 2013
EngeniusMicro LLC is a micro-systems and sensor engineering company that specializes in the design, development, and fabrication of advanced micro sensors and micro actuators. Established in 2007 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company produces a range of products, including passive ceramic-based sensors for measuring strain, temperature, pressure, and heat flux, as well as nano-enhanced sensors like portable chemical detectors. EngeniusMicro also develops wireless connectivity technologies for harsh environment sensors and offers embedded systems solutions, which encompass analog and digital circuit design, printed circuit board manufacturing, and software development for various platforms. Additionally, the company provides extensive modeling and simulation services, including 3D mechanical design and finite element analysis. EngeniusMicro is focused on addressing complex engineering challenges through innovative sensor technologies and electronic protocols, particularly for IoT-connected devices and systems.

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.

EngeniusMicro

Grant in 2012
EngeniusMicro LLC is a micro-systems and sensor engineering company that specializes in the design, development, and fabrication of advanced micro sensors and micro actuators. Established in 2007 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, the company produces a range of products, including passive ceramic-based sensors for measuring strain, temperature, pressure, and heat flux, as well as nano-enhanced sensors like portable chemical detectors. EngeniusMicro also develops wireless connectivity technologies for harsh environment sensors and offers embedded systems solutions, which encompass analog and digital circuit design, printed circuit board manufacturing, and software development for various platforms. Additionally, the company provides extensive modeling and simulation services, including 3D mechanical design and finite element analysis. EngeniusMicro is focused on addressing complex engineering challenges through innovative sensor technologies and electronic protocols, particularly for IoT-connected devices and systems.

CoolCAD Electronics

Grant in 2012
CoolCAD Electronics, LLC is a specialized design firm based in College Park, Maryland, focusing on computer-aided design (CAD) and custom electronics solutions. The company offers a wide range of services, including semiconductor device modeling, integrated circuit design, and printed circuit board development. Its expertise extends to semiconductor fabrication and characterization, covering various sensor designs, electrical and optical characterization, and radiation testing. Additionally, CoolCAD provides electronics design and prototyping services, focusing on projects such as energy monitoring systems and digital health sensors. The firm also engages in circuit modeling and simulation, utilizing tools like SPICE and TCAD for advanced analysis. Established in 2009, CoolCAD Electronics caters to niche electronic design applications, providing tailored solutions to meet specific market and client needs.

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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