Scots institute to host free EDA tools for startups

LONDON — The Institute for System Level Integration (ISLI) has partnered with an offshoot from EDA company Mentor Graphics Corp., called Cre8Ventures, to provide access to Mentor Graphics EDA software to startups for free.

The software will be hosted at iSLI's Alba Centre campus (Livingston, Scotland) where there is already close collaboration with Scottish Enterprise and The Alba Innovation Centre to provide support services to companies. ISLI is a high-level research institute sponsored by four Scottish universities.

The ISLI did not say what EDA tools would be provided or how much they would be worth? Nor was it clear whether its own students would be allowed to use them or why Mentor had chosen to pursue this course of action,

"We are creating a software hub providing access to a variety of leading-edge design tools within an incubator style environment," said Tony Harker, chief executive officer of iSLI, in a statement. "I hope this move will be key to attracting world class engineers to create a self-fulfilling, startup ecosystem here in Scotland," he added.

"Supporting iSLI with software is one way we can help fledglings in the industry. As startups tackle their routes-to-funding and routes-to-market challenges there will be opportunity for them to access Cre8Ventures' private network of industry hardened, semiconductor leaders for advice and support," said Carson Bradbury, Director of Cre8Ventures, in the same statement.

The spinoff from Mentor was created in 2005. EDA companies are often called upon to donate EDA tools to early-stage startups for free or at low-cost on the promise that if the company is successful they will subsequently buy suits of tools from the same EDA suppliers. Alternatively EDA tool vendors may take equity stakes in startups instead of payment for tools.