And the RWTH spin-off grew at various levels β in size, scale and location. Recently, the team achieved another milestone: Silexica was acquired by Xilinx , Inc. How does it feel to make an exit? What is the exit about? For years, there has been a trend towards more and more complex hardware with increasingly specific components.
We have built very unique software development tools to make that complex hardware significantly easier to use by raising the abstraction levels for software developers. The underlying question is: How do you efficiently utilize heterogeneous computing of future hardware? How did the start-up originate? At the Chair for Software for Systems on Silicon SSS directed by Professor Rainer Leupers, the team had access to a profound knowledge base feeding on years of research as well as on a strong industry engagement.
The impulse prompting the decision to turn their research into business was given by a workshop with several international companies who demonstrated great interest in their technology and encouraged its transfer. When the plan to spin off formed, so did the founding team. However, as plans for the start-up began to take shape, Max remembered his brief encounter with Johannes and immediately called to ask if he would like to join the team. Where did Silexica go from there?
The interdisciplinary team subsequently embarked on their entrepreneurial journey, with the RWTH ecosystem as a trusted companion and helpful guide along the way. The professionalism really surprised me. Yet, they soon noticed that in order to meet the demands of their clients, their software product needed more productization.
To be able to afford the necessary software developers, the team reached out to early-stage tech-focused seed investors.
