London Calling: Sir Robin Saxby's startup rules

Sir Robin Saxby, the founding CEO of processor IP licensor ARM was in London on Wednesday (March 20) to address a gathering of engineers, executives and bankers organized by the Global Semiconductor Alliance.

The background to the one-day conference on semiconductor entrepreneurship was the lack of venture capital interest in startup chip companies over recent years and how that source of capital for nurturing companies can be replaced.

In a talk to the well-attended event Sir Robin – who now works as a business angel investing in startups – gave the audience the benefit of his experience growing ARM from a 1991 startup to a global force. His advice came in the form of bullet points but with a repeated emphasis not on technology but on the customer.

However, Saxby started by bestowing his approval on a former colleague, the 22-year ARM veteran Simon Segars who, it was announced the day before, will take over from Warren East as CEO of ARM on July 1, 2013. Saxby said that he expected the transition to be smooth and produce no change of strategy. "The difference between Warren and Simon is seven years of age. Which means Simon is able to do the air miles," said Saxby.

Saxby started his speech by saying that the absence of venture capital should not be seen as a hindrance to starting a compnay and that using customers' money rather than venture capital was a better way to launch a business.

Saxby's bullet points were:

1)    Think global. You need to be the world's best at something. In ARM's case it was MIPS per milliwatt (and MIPS per dollar).

2)    Study existing markets and business models.

3)    Global sales leaders are as important as the R&D team. Get customers involved as part of the project.

4)    Technology only has value when you solve a problem and satisfy a customer's need.

5)    Be brutally honest about your own strengths and weaknesses.

6)    Employee share options will help control costs and act as a motivator. They are the light at the end of the startup tunnel.

7)    The team is greater than the individual.

8)    Embrace change as a good thing.

9)    Think beyond the possible and then back off to reality.

Saxby concluded by saying that the time taken to develop semiconductor-based business has in many cases moved out beyond the time horizon for venture capital and therefore something different is needed. "VC payback time is too short to grow successful tech businesses. You need 10 years to create a technology business but I am working on some ideas around that [funding issue]."


Related links and articles:

www.gsaglobal.org

News articles:

London Calling: ARM's Segars is safe CEO choice

ARM's Warren East retires from CEO post

ARM CEO East on IoT, platforms

Intel's CEO search begins, and the nominees are...