indie Semiconductor is a $10 million dollar Californian company which has started expanding into Edinburgh. Recently rebranded and recruiting tech talent in Scotland, this is an exciting, high profile technology company which can really make a difference to Edinburgh’s electronics market. I had the opportunity to meet with CEO Donald McClymont and find out a little bit more about them and their Scottish expansion.
Donald is a born and bred Scot. After studying Electronics at one of Scotland’s top universities, the University of Glasgow, Donald launched his career as a design engineer at Wolfson Microelectronics, before spending several years in Germany and then eventually settling in sunny California in 2000. Donald and his now current partners launched their semiconductor start up AyDeeKay (now known as indie Semiconductor) in 2007 and have now grown into a global electronics company, with 3 locations – United States, Scotland and China.
What made you decide on Edinburgh as a location to expand indie Semiconductor?
My connection to Edinburgh and its good, stable engineering pool is what attracted us here.
Recruiting in the United States was becoming difficult, particularly for digital and technical talent, which wouldn’t allow us to grow as fast as we needed to. It’s more acute in the US than in the UK and being co-located with 2 of the world’s largest semiconductor companies proved to be an issue for attracting talent in terms of salaries and competition for the best people.
People like living in the south of Scotland and once they move here they typically don’t leave. My personal pet theory is that the Scottish University system tends to produce well rounded, mature individuals who are capable of working in a team and taking responsibility, and can do so with social ease.
Scotland has an extremely high average in terms of what is available in talent and in maturity, not only in age and experience but also in the social aspects of work; how people deal with colleagues and the ease with which teams work together. In my experience there is very little drama, for want of a better word. That is what I appreciate about Edinburgh; people have an excellent level of education, they get stuff done, they work well in a team and they just get on with it. In terms of the culture, perhaps it’s the national culture; it is more suited to building teams who work hard and get projects done. As our industry matures and moves less from research and more into development, Edinburgh is a great step for indie Semiconductor.
Talk to me about recruitment plans for indie Semiconductor?
Totalling a team of around 40 people at the moment, we are going through an aggressive planning and growth phase between Scotland and California. We are hoping to recruit about 10 more people ranging from graduates to senior level engineers, but the focus is on the side of seniority at this point.
The requirement is for people who can work autonomously, drive their own projects and don’t require too much management. There must however be a balance of people who can motivate and coach junior level engineers and still work productively. The soft skills of an individual are just as important as technical skill, especially to keep a good atmosphere in a small company.
What can indie Semiconductor offer to Scottish Engineers?
Aside from competitive salaries, there is the opportunity to be a part of something small that is growing very fast, and to be a significant player in a small pool. This is an environment where your individual contribution can make a really big difference for the company and for yourself. There aren’t very many places where you can enjoy that – most startups in Edinburgh have become subsidiaries of bigger companies.
The office is very centrally based in St Andrew Square for ease of travel, but also to be part of the vibrant city centre. indie is a fun, exciting place to work, growing fast, with an alternative business model to traditional semiconductor companies. Projects come to fruition quickly, and the variety in the work is something I enjoy very much. Our engineering teams are close to our customers and directly interact. When I was an engineer that was something I found very motivating and fulfilling, seeing the customer really value the end product. This is something you don’t often get to enjoy if you are working in a large conglomerate, where you can often work on a project for 5 years and never see it come to fruition. Most of the good engineers I have met over my career are motivated by making a difference and indie is a place where you can make a real difference.
If you are interested in joining the indie Semiconductor team in Edinburgh or California then contact Ben Hanley on + 44 141 332 4422 or email indiesemi@enigmapeople.com.
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