Lanza techVentures is a new member of the ESD Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community. Its Managing Partner Dr. Lucio Lanza is no newcomer to the semiconductor community. Dr. Lanza is a well-recognized figure within the electronic system design community and an investor in early-stage electronic system design, IP and semiconductor companies. He has been a part of Silicon Valley since he left Olivetti Corporation in Italy to join Intel in 1977.
In his long career, he has been an entrepreneur, startup and engineering executive at Olivetti and Intel, giving him insight into making strategic investments. His impact was celebrated in 2014 with the Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic System Design presented annually by the ESD Alliance and the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation (CEDA).
Currently, Dr. Lanza’s interest and investments are at the intersection of semiconductors and healthcare and the reason why he became a member of the SEMI Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC) Governing Council. The group is building an ecosystem to accelerate innovation in healthcare and medical electronics.
In my conversation with Dr. Lanza, he addresses why he believes semiconductors in MedTech is about to become the next big thing.
Smith: Why is the semiconductor industry taking a hard look at the healthcare/MedTech market segment?
Lanza: The semiconductor industry has the ability to evolve the traditional hospital-centric medical care system into a patient-centric care system and create exponential growth. Analytical power at the edge with miniaturized remote and intelligent computational engines are redefining how consumers interact with the medical community. Distance is dead and the computing power that artificial intelligence (AI) allows at the periphery will evolve healthcare to where consumers will be in charge of their own monitoring and healthcare.
Smith: What’s driving the interest?
Lanza: Communications challenges caused by the pandemic forced consumers to become more comfortable with virtual, distributed healthcare, a change from the traditional hospital-centric medical care system they were used to. Their healthcare behavior is changing as they increasingly use technology and apps to measure and maintain their health. The attitude of healthcare professionals toward remote access for communicating with their patients has changed as well.
These behavioral trends are moving telehealth forward. The technology is available and the infrastructure is catching up.
Smith: Where are the greatest opportunities for semiconductors in MedTech?
Lanza: Chips today make the world go round, including the world of MedTech, and create fantastic opportunities for entrepreneurs and semiconductor companies large and small.
Drug discovery, AI at the edge and AI in computational biology are just a few of the next application spaces. Peripheralization is the key to a robust telehealth infrastructure and applying AI to MedTech offers better efficiencies.
Smith: What will be the impact?
Advantages to consumers will be in convenience and lack of exposure to infection or disease. Efficiency and lack of overhead for doctors maximizes the value of in-person visits and increases consumer satisfaction while maintaining the required compliance.
Healthcare will be available in near real time to societies that may not have access to local care or telecommunications and the outcome will be incredible. A patient’s specific needs can be addressed, through the availability of powerful processor capabilities that support AI at the edge. Edge-intelligent devices will be able to analyze data and that intelligence will grow exponentially as the machine continues learning.
Smith: What is the call to action for the semiconductor industry?
Lanza: We produce things or devices. As an industry, we have an obligation to help people take better care of their lives. We have the information and knowhow to detect disease and help consumers stay healthy. The influence that the semiconductor industry can have on billions of people with clever use of the technology and devices to advance society will be exponential and will bring good health to billions worldwide.
Smith: What advice do you offer entrepreneurs who recognize the intersection of semiconductors and MedTech?
Lanza: Recently, I advise the entrepreneurs I meet with to look at chip applications related to MedTech. Sure, semiconductors have powered medical devices for years. Entrepreneurs need to think beyond conventional medical devices, do something that matters and has the potential to create real value for the future of our industry and society at large. If they do, the opportunities are rich and plentiful.
About Lucio Lanza
Lucio Lanza is the Managing Director of Lanza techVentures, an early-stage venture capital and investment firm, and the 2014 recipient of the Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic System Design. Earlier in his career, he held executive positions at Olivetti, Intel, Daisy Systems, EDA Systems and Cadence Design Systems. Dr. Lanza joined the venture capital industry in 1990 and previously served as a non-executive director of Arm, the leading semiconductor IP company. Dr. Lanza holds a doctorate in electronic engineering from Politecnico in Milan, Italy.
Robert (Bob) Smith is executive director of the ESD Alliance, a SEMI Technology Community.