GSA Reports A 237.1% Increase in February Semiconductor Funding Activity

March 15, 2012

What: GSA Releases February 2012 Statistics from its Global Semiconductor Funding, IPO and M&A Update, including:

• In February 2012, venture investment dollars received by semiconductor companies (i.e., fabless companies, integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and semiconductor suppliers) was $159.8 million; a 237.1% increase month-over-month (MoM) and a 218.3% increase year-over-year (YoY.)
• 14 semiconductor companies received funding in February; a 100.0% increase MoM and a 180.0% increase YoY.
• Of the 14 companies that received funding, eight were fabless companies and six were suppliers.
• February saw two semiconductor companies receive first round investments: Kansas-based Nitride Solutions, and Massachusetts-based Spin Transfer Technologies.
• On February 17th, INSIDE Secure announced the success of its initial public offering on the regulated market of NYSE Euronext in Paris (ticker: INSD.)
• On February 20th, Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co. completed its IPO by selling 106.8 million shares of its stock at $1.20 per share.
• In February, the total number of semiconductor mergers and acquisitions (M&As) announced (i.e., M&As involving entire fabless, IDM and semiconductor supplier companies, not sectors/product lines or foundry facilities) decreased by eight MoM and by four YoY.
• The largest semiconductor M&A announced in February was Globalfoundries’ acquisition of financially-troubled ProMOS Technologies for between $700.0 million and $1.0 billion.

When: Now available at http://www.gsaglobal.org/publications/fundings/index.asp 

About GSA

The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to accelerate the growth and increase the return on invested capital of the global semiconductor industry by fostering a more effective ecosystem through collaboration, integration and innovation. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration, the Alliance identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 30 countries across the globe. www.gsaglobal.org