Dr. Lucio Lanza, Managing Director of Lanza techVentures, LLC, has been selected by the EDA Consortium (EDAC) and the IEEE Council on EDA (CEDA) as the recipient of the 2014 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic Design Automation (EDA). He will receive this award at a dinner ceremony on November 4, 2014 in San Jose. The ceremony is in conjunction with ICCAD, the premiere technical conference devoted to technical innovation in Electronic Design Automation. Dr. Lanza is being recognized for his substantial impact on EDA through his strategic and financial assistance to innovative EDA companies.
EDA and IP startups have always been a key source of technology innovation -- even today's larger EDA and IP companies were startups at one point. Over the last two decades, Dr. Lanza has helped guide numerous startups as they developed the innovative technologies needed to keep the industry moving forward. Lucio's continuing strong support of the industry has included valuable business and technical mentoring based on his years of experience in the EDA and semiconductor industries, as well as financial backing in many cases.
Joe Costello, founding CEO of Cadence Design Systems, said "These days, when I talk to a young EDA or IP startup I hear about Lucio. He is keeping our industry fed with a steady stream of innovation, new ideas and energy. So in a very practical sense, it is Lucio's vision and drive that powers today's EDA industry and plots its future. And for this, we are all very fortunate."
As an investor, Lucio and the entrepreneurs he works with often have common interests. However, he often provides advice and direction to companies where he has no financial stake. Sanjay Srivastava, Founder & CEO of Denali, commented, "Denali was privately funded and we never accepted venture investment. In spite of that, Lucio was very generous with his time and advice during all my days running Denali. I consider him to be one of my most influential mentors."
Lucio received his Doctorate degree in Electronic Engineering from Politecnico of Milano in 1967. He spent over 20 years in industry, including Olivetti, Intel and Daisy Systems before joining the ranks of venture capitalists in 1990 at US Venture partners. He founded Lanza techVentures, an early stage venture capital and investment firm, in 2001.
In addition to his industry and financial experience, Dr. Lanza has served as a visiting professor at Carnegie Mellon University from 2002 to 2006. He is also a regular contributor to major industry conferences including the Design Automation Conference (DAC) and the International Conference on Computer Aided Design (ICCAD).
John Kibarian, President and CEO of PDF Solutions, Inc. and co-chair of the EDA Consortium, added, "Lucio has been on the PDF Solutions board since 1995. In that time, his long term commitment combined with his technical and business expertise has helped PDF focus on building a strong future as the industry has changed. He has shared this experience and vision with countless EDA and IP companies, enhancing the entire industry in the process."
IEEE CEDA President Sani Nassif said, "CEDA is pleased to join with EDAC in the presentation of the 2014 Phil Kaufman Award to Lucio Lanza. Lucio has been a key force in the academic community as well as in business, connecting faculty and students to new ventures, and helping to move their research into the marketplace."
"ICCAD is excited to once again be the location for the Kaufman Award presentation," said Yao-Wen Chang, General Chair of the 2014 International Conference on Computer-Aided Design. "This annual venue for the presentation of the best research results from academia and industry is the appropriate site to honor Lucio Lanza, who has been a leader in putting many of these innovations into practice."
Mark Templeton, President and CEO of Motius, Inc., said, "Lucio spends his hours, days and years helping technologists and entrepreneurs develop their ideas, polish their technical and business skills and bring innovation to the semiconductor design community. Lucio doesn't usually found companies, but without Lucio's mentoring, emotional and financial support, many, if not most, of the industry's brightest ideas would never make it to market."
In recognition of his advancement of the EDA and IP industry through his though his generous business and technical mentoring, and financial support of numerous innovative companies, the EDA Consortium and IEEE Council on EDA are pleased to present the 2014 Phil Kaufman Award to Dr. Lucio Lanza.
