John Harley combines hands-on MEMS engineering work with venture investing, drawing on decades spent moving biomedical devices like microfluidic cell sorters from lab concepts to manufacturable products, including a MEMS cell sorter chip recognized as the fastest of its kind. At Silicon Catalyst, he focuses on sensing and MEMS-enabled hardware, backing his investing perspective with direct experience in process development, foundry partnerships, and device design.
About their Fund
Silicon Catalyst is the only accelerator focused exclusively on the global semiconductor industry, giving startups working on chips, chiplets, materials, silicon photonics, MEMS, sensors, life science, and quantum access to a semiconductor-specific stack of foundry access, EDA tools, IP, packaging, and testing worth millions of dollars, plus a 24-month incubation program, strategic partners like TI, Arm, and NXP who help select and work with startups, and its own investment arms, Silicon Catalyst Angels and Silicon Catalyst Ventures. It operates this model through localized programs in the UK, EU, Israel, Japan, Australia, and Malaysia, connecting local startups to Silicon Valley networks and mentors, and has built an ecosystem that has engaged with over 1,500 semiconductor startups, admitted more than 150, and facilitated over $150 million in in-kind support, $600 million in venture investment, and $100 million in grants.















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