Munich Startup: Who are you and what do you do? Please introduce yourselves!
Lamin Ben Hamdane: Infineon is one of the world’s top ten major manufacturers of semiconductors. The main product areas are sensors, microcontrollers, power electronics and hardware security. Our team acts as the central explorer that lines up cooperation with startups for Infineon to create win-win situations and new business for both sides. We are based at the company headquarters in Neubiberg. We also have teams in Silicon Valley and Singapore that work closely with startups. We basically address topics that are the focus of our divisions & operations. Through these close relations, we also increase the likelihood of long-term, sustainable cooperation. It’s also important to mention that we are not a corporate VC firm, which means we don’t invest in startups.
Munich Startup: What kinds of innovation do you look for?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: From a bird’s eye view, we differentiate on the one hand between cooperation that is relevant for the divisions from a business development perspective. This is where we look for startups, for example, that develop innovative hardware. Relevant fields include energy efficiency and electromobility, man-machine communication or IoT. These are just a few applications where we can make it possible for startups to develop their solutions faster with our product portfolio of power, sensor and security solutions. We’re also interested in software startups that have expertise in “embedded” software or artificial intelligence and that enhance our products with software enabled features.
On the other hand, we have collaborations on an operational level to optimize in-house processes and cut costs. An example would be using a startup’s solution in semiconductor production, keyword Industry 4.0. In this area specifically, we reach out more to late-stage startups.
Infineon is looking for new uses for existing products
Munich Startup: But you could do that much better yourselves!
Lamin Ben Hamdane: We’re still a tech company that has its strengths in and focus on the development of semiconductors and their production. Where we’re lacking in know-how is in the field of growing new applications for our products. An example is rapid charging for electric vehicles. We want to gain a better understanding of the system innovations in these areas and get feedback about our products. For example, how could they be integrated into a system solution and what difficulties arise? In the field of embedded software as well, we’re happy to not have to develop everything in-house!
Munich Startup: What counts more: the business model, the novelty of the idea or the team?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: We obviously primarily look at the field the startup is active in, which needs to suit one of our areas of focus. In an initial meeting, we get a feeling for the competence of the team and their degree of maturity. And finally it’s also important to understand how motivated the startup is to collaborate with us!
Munich Startup: How do you collaborate with startups? What do you focus on?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: Typically after extensive scouting, we have a first introductory meeting. If there’s a match between Infineon and a startup, then it’s a matter of reaching further milestones, such as a PoC (note: Proof of Concept) or a joint demonstrator. In these cases, Infineon provides things such as free product samples or certain tech support. The long-term objective is to establish sustainable business relations. This can be in the form of R&D, a go-to-market partnership or a customer or subcontracting relationship.
“Collaboration tremendously expands our solution space”
Munich Startup: As an established company, what have you learned from startups?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: From a technical point of view, we’ve learned a lot about our products on the system side and received feedback. Moreover, we’ve also gained insight into different fields of innovation and detected new trends. What innovations are emerging, for example in the field of energy storage? What demands are placed on our products in these situations? Is our current product portfolio suitable and are startups able to work with it? We obviously also see how agile and quick startups are; after all, they have to get a product out there quickly and then scale it. I don’t think as a corporation that it’s about us being able to adopt how they work, but the collaboration tremendously expands our solution space!
Munich Startup: What startups have you worked with so far?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: There have already been numerous collaborations. Some examples here in Europe are Stabl, Toposens or Luminovo. Globally, we’re active in Silicon Valley (with cooperation, for example, with Blumio and Oculii) and also in Singapore with our Co-Innovation Space (such as Ampotech, Xnergy).
Munich Startup: What stage should startups ideally be in when they contact you?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: Here too, I would differentiate between startups that are relevant to our divisions or to operations. Especially for cooperation with our divisions, we often speak with early-stage startups that are developing their first prototypes and are often still in the seed stage. But there aren’t any strict top-end limits here. In contrast, startups that offer solutions for our operations should already have a finished product on the market, which means they should have at least completed a series A round of financing.
“Startups become customers, suppliers or R&D/G2M partners”
Munich Startup: What’s next for startups after they meet with you?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: After first getting to know each other and if both parties are interested, the next step is to establish technical cooperation. We define our first joint project that spans a few months. The result can be a Proof of Concept or a demonstrator. Infineon delivers the relevant components combined with technical consultation. In the next step, that can develop into a joint go-to-market strategy. Over the longer term, the cooperation can lead to a lasting business relationship. Startups become customers, suppliers or R&D/G2M partners.
Munich Startup: What’s the best advice you can give a startup?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: It’s very helpful for us when a startup thinks about the potential synergies that could result from cooperation and why Infineon would be a good partner. Then they need a certain amount of patience, because it takes time to find the right contact person in the company who could be interested in the startup and to get feedback from them.
Munich Startup: Last but not least: Whom should startups contact if they would like to meet up with you?
Lamin Ben Hamdane: With our cooperation program Inno.Wafer, we’ve created a platform meant specifically for startups. It provides detailed information and an application form that can be filled out, which gives us the first indications for potential synergies. We then follow up by contacting the right person at the startup.