EE Times Silicon 60: Hot Startups to Watch refers to EE Times’ Silicon 60 v15.1, published on July 15, 2014. It was a historical editorial selection of 60 emerging electronics and semiconductor companies—not a current ranking, investment list, or guarantee that the companies survived, stayed independent, or kept selling the products described.
What the 2014 Silicon 60 was
Peter Clarke’s EE Times article presented Silicon 60 v15.1 as a periodic roundup of emerging companies worth following for different reasons. EE Times reported that 38 recently formed companies entered this revision and that 38 companies dropped off. Departures could reflect acquisitions, companies ceasing operations, or firms becoming more mature.
The list was updated as corporate, commercial, technological, and market conditions changed. EE Times did not publish a ranked scorecard, numerical grades, or disclosed weights for the companies.
How EE Times selected companies
EE Times said the selection considered a combination of factors:
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- Technology
- Intended market
- Financial position
- Investment profile
- Maturity
- Executive leadership
Clarke described the companies as “emerging companies to follow — for a variety of reasons.” That wording matters: inclusion indicated editorial interest, not a prediction of commercial success or a recommendation to invest.
Technology areas represented
Silicon 60 v15.1 covered a broad cross-section of electronics rather than one narrow semiconductor category. The 2014 newcomers worked in areas including:
- Semiconductor materials and intellectual-property cores
- Memory technology and processors
- Wireless communications and radio systems
- Location technologies and wireless energy transfer
- Power semiconductors and power conversion
- Audio and image sensing
- MEMS sensors and energy harvesting
- Security
- Internet of Things hardware and software
- Semiconductor design software
This breadth is the defining feature of the roundup: it combined component businesses, system technologies, design tools, and application-focused hardware.
Examples of companies and products named in the coverage
Adapteva
The Adapteva entry identified the Parallella development and deployment board for Epiphany processors. EE Times reported a period price of $99 for the board. The same 2014 coverage said Adapteva raised $3.6 million in equity funding in 2013 from Carmel Ventures and Ericsson AB.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Those figures describe the product and financing as reported at the time. They do not establish a current retail price, product-support policy, compatibility, stock status, or present company status.
MC10
The MC10 entry reported that the company had raised about $60 million since formation. This is a historical funding figure from the 2014 coverage, not a current valuation, revenue figure, or cumulative financing total verified for today.
Qualtré
EE Times’ 2014 entry for Qualtré reported $36 million raised to date. As with the other figures, the date and source are essential: the number should not be read as a current financial profile.
Is the Silicon 60 list current?
No. The exact title points to the July 15, 2014 v15.1 edition. It should not be treated as a present-day ranking or as evidence that every listed company remains active.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Edition | Date | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Silicon 60 v15.1 | July 15, 2014 | 60 emerging electronics and semiconductor companies; 38 additions and 38 departures were reported. |
| Silicon 60 v18.0 | November 12, 2017 | A later Silicon 60 revision with a different set of newcomers and editorial emphasis. |
| Silicon 100 | July 16, 2025 | A later EE Times roundup of 100 startups, described as the publication’s 25th revision and an annual list. |
The 2017 Silicon 60 and 2025 Silicon 100 are separate editions. A reference to “Silicon 60” without the edition date can therefore create a misleading impression of currency.
Rank #4
- Makes a great gift
- Gorgeous coffee table book
- Silicon Valley history made fun!
- Interesting factoids, not a heavy read
- 500+ high quality images
How to interpret the list responsibly
Do not treat inclusion as a ranking
Because EE Times did not disclose a unified scoring model or per-company scores, the order and inclusion decisions cannot be converted into a normalized league table.
Separate technical promise from business evidence
The criteria mixed technology with market intent, financial and investment profile, maturity, and leadership. A technically interesting company could therefore appear for reasons that were not directly comparable with another company’s funding, market position, or management strength.
Verify present-day status independently
The 2014 profiles do not establish whether a company is still operating, was acquired, stopped trading, changed products, or matured out of the startup category. Current readers should verify company status before making buying, partnership, employment, or investment decisions.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Best Value
What the named price and funding figures mean
- 60 firms: the total size of Silicon 60 v15.1 in the 2014 EE Times article.
- 38 added: recently formed companies brought onto that revision.
- 38 dropped: companies removed from that revision for reasons that included acquisition, cessation of operations, or increased maturity.
- $99: the period price stated for Adapteva’s Parallella development and deployment board.
- $3.6 million: Adapteva equity funding reported for 2013.
- About $60 million: MC10 funding reported as raised since formation.
- $36 million: Qualtré funding reported as raised to date.
Every figure above belongs to the 2014 reporting context. None is a current group-wide revenue, valuation, market-size, or financing statistic.
Bottom line for readers today
Silicon 60 v15.1 is useful as a snapshot of what EE Times considered notable in emerging electronics during 2014. Its value is historical and editorial: it shows the technologies, markets, and companies attracting attention at that moment. It is not a current startup watchlist. For any present-day assessment, check each company and product separately and use a dated source newer than the 2014 roundup.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
