What Silicon Foundry does

Silicon Foundry is a membership-based innovation advisory firm founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, with a regional office in Dubai serving the MENA market. Since July 2023, the firm has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of global management consulting firm Kearney. The company's core function is to act as a frontline extension of its Members' executive teams, providing peripheral vision, curated connectivity, and targeted deal flow across the corporate-startup-investor ecosystem. It serves primarily Global 2000/Fortune 500 corporations, with secondary engagement of startups (at no cost), venture capital/investors, and economic development organizations. Named enterprise clients span semiconductors (SK hynix), energy (BP, SK Innovation), financial services (NatWest, American Express), logistics (UPS), airlines (Southwest Airlines), retail (Nike), and pharmaceuticals (Pfizer).

The firm delivers its offering through a modular product suite: Core Membership (the flagship subscription product), Pilot Studio (structured startup pilot execution), Corporate Development as a Service (M&A advisory), The Collectives (vertical-specific peer brain trusts, currently Energy + Utilities and Supply Chain), Executive Treks (immersive innovation ecosystem visits), The Innovation Circle (confidential peer forum), Corporate Venture Capital services (fund setup and management), and Business Development as a Service (selective startup go-to-market support). Its underlying platform is described as a network-based innovation advisory leveraging curated, authentic relationships (not a database) and a venture-capital-style deal evaluation process to surface real-time contextual intelligence. Content and community are reinforced through the Hard Lessons podcast and proprietary "Hub" co-working space in San Francisco's SOMA district.

Silicon Foundry's revenue model is anchored in recurring annual membership fees from corporate Members, supplemented by project-based consulting engagements that typically function as a precursor to full membership conversion. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with long sales cycles, supplemented by event-driven engagement (private roundtables, summits, executive treks) in Silicon Valley, New York, Los Angeles, London, Frankfurt, Dubai, and other innovation hubs. Distribution is amplified by Kearney's global consulting footprint, providing access to functional and sector expertise across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Silicon Foundry

Legal name

Silicon Foundry, LLC

Website

https://sifoundry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silicon Foundry is a membership-based innovation advisory firm that connects Global 2000 corporations with startups, investors, and emerging technologies through curated networks, intelligence briefings, and bespoke experiences, operating as a Kearney company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Primary revenue stream from corporate membership fees. Long-term engagements where the firm serves as embedded advisors and thought partners to Members, providing ongoing access to connectivity, deal flow, intelligence, and experiences.
2. Project-Based Consulting: Occasional project-based work, typically with the mutual goal of resulting in a full membership. Projects demonstrate skills and capabilities while building relationships with key stakeholders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Silicon Foundry is a membership-based innovation advisory firm that acts as a frontline extension of Fortune 500/Global 2000 corporate executive teams, providing peripheral vision, highly-targeted connectivity, deal flow, and curated experiences that drive outcomes including strategic partnerships, corporate venture investments, venture clienting, venture building, and M&A. The firm leverages an authentic curated network—not a database—and a venture-capital-style deal evaluation process to deliver real-time contextual intelligence to its Members. It operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kearney following the July 2023 acquisition.

Product overview

Silicon Foundry operates as a membership-based innovation advisory firm that connects corporations with emerging technologies and startups. The core offering is the Core Membership program, which provides curated connectivity, intelligence, and introductions to cutting-edge startups. This is supplemented by specialized programs including Pilot Studio for pilot execution, Corporate Development as a Service for M&A support, The Collectives (industry-specific peer forums including Energy + Utilities and Supply Chain), Executive Treks (immersive industry visits), The Innovation Circle (peer forum for senior innovation leaders), Corporate Venture Capital advisory, and Business Development as a Service for startups. The firm also produces the Hard Lessons Podcast as a thought leadership content platform. Following its acquisition by Kearney in July 2023, Silicon Foundry combines its venture ecosystem expertise with Kearney's global consulting capabilities to support strategic partnerships, investments, and acquisitions for Fortune 500 clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Membership Primary membership program providing Fortune 500/Global 2000 corporate Members with curated connectivity, deal flow, intelligence briefings, executive education via immersion treks, and experiences to support strategic partnerships, corporate venture investments, and M&A outcomes.
• Pilot Studio Structured program that helps Members design and execute pilots with startups, facilitating proof-of-concept validation and pathway to broader commercial relationships with emerging technology companies.
• Corporate Development as a Service Advisory services supporting corporate M&A activities for Members, spanning strategic target identification through due diligence to transaction execution.
• The Collectives Year-long immersive membership programs organized by industry vertical, providing peer brain trusts for senior leaders addressing industry-specific innovation challenges.
• The Collective // Energy + Utilities Executive brain trust and year-long immersive membership program focused on energy and utilities industry innovation challenges.
• The Collective // Supply Chain Industry-focused collective connecting supply chain executives with emerging technologies and innovation partners.
• Executive Treks Immersive programs connecting decision-makers with founders and thought leaders at the forefront of emerging technology, including visits to key innovation ecosystems globally.
• The Innovation Circle Peer-led forum for senior enterprise leaders working on innovation, transformation, AI, and growth inside large organizations, providing confidential peer exchange.
• Corporate Venture Capital Advisory services for building and managing corporate venture capital programs, from fund setup to ongoing portfolio management.
• Business Development as a Service Support for startups with go-to-market strategy and landing enterprise clients, helping them drive growth through corporate relationships and operating at arm's length from Members to avoid conflicts of interest.

Quantifiable outcome

• AI reducing drug discovery costs by up to 50 percent
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KearneycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2023Silicon Foundry was acquired by global management consulting firm Kearney in July 2023. The acquisition combines Silicon Foundry's deep roots in the venture ecosystem and corporate-startup collaborations with Kearney's world-class execution, operational scale, and transformation capabilities. This partnership pairs unmatched access to emerging technologies, startups, and strategic deal flow with nearly a century of global consulting expertise.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Strategyzer: Advisory and training firm specializing in business model innovation and corporate venture building with large enterprises. Comparable buyer (corporate strategy/innovation leaders) and overlapping methodology on venture clienting and business model design.
• Mach49: Silicon Valley-based venture builder that helps Global 2000 corporates build and invest in new growth ventures. Closely comparable on the venture building / corporate venture capital piece of Silicon Foundry's portfolio, with a similar Fortune 500 buyer profile.
• Board of Innovation: Global innovation consultancy that advises enterprise clients on innovation strategy, emerging technology scouting, and venture building. Directly comparable service offering and target market (large corporates seeking external innovation support).
• Innosight: Strategy and innovation consulting firm (now part of Huron) that helps large incumbents build innovation capabilities and navigate disruption. Directly comparable to Silicon Foundry's corporate innovation advisory mandate, though heavier on internal capability building vs. external ecosystem connectivity.
• Luminary Labs: Corporate innovation consultancy focused on helping large organizations source, pilot, and scale emerging technology. Highly comparable to Silicon Foundry's Member advisory and Pilot Studio offerings, with overlapping Fortune 500 client base.

Emerging players

• Catalant: Enterprise platform for accessing on-demand consulting and expertise, including innovation projects. Comparable as a marketplace connecting corporates to curated external expertise, though more software-driven than Silicon Foundry's relationship-driven model.

Others

• Mind the Bridge: Innovation advisory firm specializing in corporate-startup collaborations and open innovation programs globally, including executive education treks similar to Silicon Foundry's Executive Treks.
• Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund / CVC Operating Partners: Representative corporate venture capital operating model. Comparable on the CVC support dimension of Silicon Foundry's Corporate Venture Capital offering, though on the investing side rather than the advisory side.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey / QuantumBlack (innovation practice): Global consulting giant with a corporate innovation and venture-building practice. Comparable as a broad incumbent addressing corporate innovation needs at Fortune 500 scale, even though Silicon Foundry specializes more narrowly in ecosystem connectivity.
• Industrial + Innovation Advisory (Kearney): Global management consulting firm and Silicon Foundry's parent since July 2023. Shares the same enterprise buyer (C-suite/Fortune 500) and provides the broader transformation and execution arm that Silicon Foundry's advisory work feeds into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scnfoundry
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SiliconFoundry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silicon-foundry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silicon Foundry