From Founding to Post-IPO: One Perspective on Technology Entrepreneurship and Fabless Design

Speaker:  Curtis Ling (Chief Technology Officer, MaxLinear)

Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Time: 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Location: Durham #261

Abstract:

In the ultracompetitive world of technology startups, what makes the difference between success and failure?  What are some important factors to creating a profitable, scalable company in the fabless semiconductor space and taking it beyond an IPO?  Though this talk cannot provide definitive answers to these complex questions, I will give you a close look at how my company, MaxLinear, started from scratch in 2003, assembled a team, defined and developed its first successful products, went IPO six years after launching with 1.5 rounds of venture funding, and has since continued to innovate and grow in a challenging business environment.  We will cover topics including

• Precursors to starting the company
• The crucial interaction between engineering and marketing in defining products
• Differentiation and technology platforms
• Challenges in scaling a company beyond a tight-knit founding team

Speaker:

Dr. Curtis Ling is a co-founder and has served as Maxliner Chief Technical Officer since April 2006. From March 2004 to July 2006, Dr. Ling served as Maxlinear Chief Financial Officer, and from September 2003 to March 2004, as a co-founder, he consulted for Maxlinar.

From July 1999 to July 2003, Dr. Ling served as a principal engineer at Silicon Wave, Inc. From August 1993 to May 1999, Dr. Ling served as a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Dr. Ling received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.