As hardware makes its comeback, a new opportunity emerges for researchers and entrepreneurs to turn deep-tech innovations into funded ventures.

By Bruno Iafelice, PhD –  Summit Chair IEEE Entrepreneurship and Industry Liaison IES TC Education – CEO TVLP Institute, USA


For years, the startup world seemed to speak only one language: software. Apps, cloud computing, web… if it wasn’t code, it wasn’t fundable by venture capitalists. But something is shifting. The infrastructure powering AI, the chips enabling autonomous vehicles, the sensors making factories smarter, none of this runs on software alone. It runs on hardware. And investors are finally paying attention.

This April 16-17, the IEEE Hard Tech Venture Summit—of IEEE Entrepreneurship—returns for its second edition, this time at SRI International in Menlo Park, California, the very laboratory where the computer mouse, Arpanet, and the foundations of modern computing were born.

The message is clear: Silicon Valley is going back to its roots.

Why Now?

The numbers tell a compelling story. The global semiconductor market is approaching $1 trillion, driven largely by AI chip demand. The Hardware-as-a-Service model—once a niche—is projected to hit $357 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, regulations like the new Euro NCAP standards are pushing automakers to bring back physical controls, signaling a broader cultural and industrial return to tangible technology.

For those working in industrial electronics—robotics, power systems, automation, embedded systems—this shift represents more than a market trend. It’s validation. The technologies developed in labs and research centers are suddenly at the center of investor interest. The challenge is bridging the gap between a working prototype and a funded company.

As Industry Liaison for the IEEE IES Technical Committee on Education, I see tremendous opportunity to expand how we prepare industrial electronics engineers, equipping them not only with technical depth, but with the entrepreneurial awareness and industry engagement needed to translate research into venture-ready companies. This summit aligns naturally with ongoing efforts within IES to inspire our technical community around new venture creation.

A Summit for deal-making and relationship-building

Unlike traditional conferences focused on paper presentations and panel discussions, the Hard Tech Venture Summit is designed around one goal: connecting founders with capital and other enabling resources. The format prioritizes direct engagement-pitch sessions, curated roundtables, and targeted networking between startups and specialized investors who understand the unique dynamics of Hard Tech ventures.

The investor roster includes names like i3-Ventures, Monozukuri Ventures (the VC arm of a Japanese industrial group), TSV Capital, Departure Ventures, REDDS Capital-funds, and many other funds that specifically seek out deep-tech opportunities with long development cycles and high technical barriers to entry.

Who Should Consider Attending?

The summit targets: Founders and executives of early-stage Hard Tech startups (Pre-seed to Series A) looking for capital and strategic partnerships; and Investors seeking differentiated deal flow in Hard Tech. Whether you’re ready to pitch or simply want to understand how venture capital evaluates Hard Tech opportunities, the summit offers a rare window into a world that’s increasingly hungry for what electronics engineers build.

A Growing Circuit

We are witnessing a Hard Tech renaissance driven by AI, robotics, and climate challenges. The Silicon Valley edition is part of a broader North American circuit that includes Boston and Toronto; a sign that demand for hardware-focused investment events is growing beyond the Bay Area. It also represents an opportunity not only to facilitate pitches, to build an ecosystem where IEEE’s technical expertise meets industry and venture capital to accelerate real solutions to global problems.

The future is physical. And for those building it, the IEEE Hard Tech Summit is calling.

Event Details

Learn more about more Entrepreneurship initiatives at IES