Memory IP solution provides increased density and security for consumer electronics applications
Ottawa and Waterloo, ON, September 22, 2006: Tech Capital Partners, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies, today announced it has invested in Sidense, a developer of memory semiconductor intellectual property (MSIP) cores for the non-volatile memory (NVM) market. The funds will be used to expand marketing and sales efforts.
MSIP cores are memory design blocks that are used by semiconductor and systems companies in the design of complex integrated circuits and systems-on-a-chip (SOC) found in various applications such as flat panel displays, set-top boxes, wireless networks, PDAs, mobile phones, multi-function machines, radio-frequency identification (RFID), and satellite radios. Sidenses proprietary split-channel antifuse technology enables the design and development of one-time programmable (OTP) or multi-time-programmable (MTP) memory blocks which are reliable, low cost, scalable and secure alternatives to discrete flash, MASK ROM and embedded flash memory.
The semiconductor industry is driven by a constant need to reduce size and cost and Sidense has found a way to significantly increase memory density at a lower cost point than its competitors, said Andrew Abouchar, Partner, Tech Capital Partners. When you consider the area of an SOC consumed by memory, the disruptive nature of Sidenses technology becomes clear.
With almost no marketing effort, Sidense has generated strong interest in its products and has already delivered product in 130 and 90nm technologies to a number of customers, said Xerxes Wania, Chief Executive Officer, Sidense. The investment from Tech Capital will help us meet customer demand in other process nodes, including 180 and 65nm and further expand our markets.
Sidense has demonstrated the strength of its value proposition through customer wins, even at this early-stage, said Abouchar.
About Sidense Corp.
Sidense Corp. focuses on developing non-volatile memory IP cores to be embedded onto standard logic CMOS ASICs and custom integrated circuits. Sidenses 1T-FuseTM technology is ideal for feature sizes of 180nm and smaller. Applications include electrical fuse replacement, flash and mask programmable ROM replacement, code storage, RFID, unique ID, encryption, key storage and digital rights management (DRM). The company has offices in Mississauga and Ottawa, Canada and sales offices in San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit http://www.sidense.com.
About Tech Capital Partners Inc.
Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Tech Capital Partners manages $95 million in venture capital. Tech Capital provides seed financing, hands-on leadership, market strategy and operational guidance to early-stage technology companies that have the potential to compete at a global level. Since its inception in 2001, Tech Capital has invested in some of Canadas most innovative high-tech companies, including: Covarity (www.covarity.com), DiskStream (www.diskstream.com), Handshake VR (www.handshakevr.com), LiveHive Systems (www.livehivesystems.com), Sandvine (www.sandvine.com), Sidense (www.sidense.com), Sirific Wireless (www.sirific.com), Software Innovation (www.softinn.com) and VideoLocus (acquired by LSI Logic). An active advocate of innovation and entrepreneurialism, Tech Capital maintains a strong presence in the technology business community. More information is available at http://www.techcapital.com.