1 The EIC Accelerator Project

EIC Accelerator Program: An In-Depth Overview

The EIC Accelerator program, part of the European Innovation Council (EIC), is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly startups and DeepTech companies, in their innovation journeys. This program aims to bridge the funding gap that many innovative firms face during the critical scaling phase of their development, where traditional financing methods may fall short.

Funding Structure

The EIC Accelerator provides a unique funding structure that combines both grants and equity investments.

Purpose and Impact on the Ecosystem

The EIC Accelerator plays a crucial role in the European DeepTech and startup ecosystem by fostering innovation and providing a platform for groundbreaking ideas to flourish. By offering substantial funding, the program enables SMEs to overcome financial barriers and accelerates their path to market. The strategic focus on DeepTech ensures that cutting-edge technologies have the opportunity to mature and reach commercialization, which is vital for maintaining Europe's competitiveness in global markets.

Moreover, the EIC Accelerator helps companies attract additional private sector funding. By providing initial grants and equity investments, the program serves as a validation mechanism, signaling to investors that a project has been thoroughly vetted and is deemed promising. This validation can significantly enhance a company’s credibility, making it easier to secure further investments from venture capitalists and other private funders.

Case Study: Defacto Technologies SAS and the EmpoSoC Project

Company Overview: Defacto Technologies SAS, based in France, has been selected as a winner of the EIC Accelerator program for its innovative project, EmpoSoC. The company focuses on providing advanced solutions in system-on-chip (SoC) design.

Project Description: The EmpoSoC project embodies a paradigm shift in SoC design, aiming to enhance performance while simultaneously reducing time-to-market and overall costs. This initiative aligns perfectly with the objectives of the EIC Accelerator, as it seeks to push the boundaries of technology and innovation.

Technology Basics and Background: The core technology behind EmpoSoC revolves around a transformative approach to SoC architecture. Traditional SoC design often involves a lengthy and complex process, characterized by significant resource investment and extended timelines. Defacto Technologies is addressing these challenges by leveraging advanced methodologies, tools, and frameworks that streamline the design process, allowing for quicker iterations and improved performance metrics.

EmpoSoC utilizes state-of-the-art algorithms and design automation tools that enhance efficiency in the chip design process. This includes optimizing power consumption, enhancing processing speeds, and enabling the integration of multiple functionalities within a single chip. Such advancements not only reduce the physical footprint of the technology but also minimize production costs and time.

The strategic importance of EmpoSoC lies in its potential applications across various sectors, including telecommunications, automotive, and consumer electronics. By enabling faster and more efficient SoC design, Defacto Technologies positions itself as a key player in the rapidly evolving tech landscape, contributing to the modernization of devices and systems.

Funding and Milestones: Defacto Technologies secured its funding through the EIC Accelerator's grant-first approach, effectively utilizing the grant to cover initial development costs and set the stage for subsequent equity investment. The company submitted its Step 2 proposal on November 8, 2023, and successfully advanced to the Step 3 interview, culminating in securing the necessary funding to bring EmpoSoC to fruition.

In summary, the EIC Accelerator program not only provides vital financial resources but also facilitates networking, mentorship, and strategic guidance, empowering innovative companies like Defacto Technologies SAS to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment. The EmpoSoC project stands as a testament to the potential of innovative thinking in redefining industry standards and driving technological advancement.

2 The Funding Rounds

Defacto Technologies SAS – Funding and Financing Overview Since EIC Accelerator Win

Financing Raised

Since November 2023, Defacto Technologies SAS has completed notable financing activity, including both equity and debt instruments:

• In November 2023, the company secured an additional €10 million in a Series A extension round. This brought fresh capital to support international expansion and further development of their embedded B2B lending solutions.
• In July 2023, prior to the Series A extension but within the relevant period since EIC Accelerator submission, Defacto closed a major debt facility—a securitization fund—of up to €167 million. The initial tranche was €67 million with potential for further increases subject to lender approval.

Funding Rounds: Timing and Amounts

Date	Round Type	Amount	Investors
Nov 2023	Series A Extension	€10M	Citi Ventures (lead), Northzone, Headline, Global Founders Capital
Jul 2023	Debt Facility	Up to €167M (initially €67M)	Citi (senior lender), Viola Credit

• The Series A extension in November followed an initial Series A round which Dealroom data indicates likely occurred in late 2022 or early 2023.
• The debt facility is structured as a securitization fund for SME lending via Defacto’s platform.

Investor Information

Key investors participating since late 2023 include:

• Citi Ventures: Led the latest equity round.
• Northzone, Headline, Global Founders Capital: Existing investors who participated in the latest rounds.
• Viola Credit: Co-invested with Citi on the large-scale debt/securitization vehicle.

Citi is also acting as senior lender on the significant securitization fund supporting Defacto’s lending capacity.

Company Valuation

Dealroom estimates from November 2023 place Defacto’s enterprise valuation between $44–66 million USD (approx. €40–60 million). No public reports indicate a dramatic change since then or following these funding rounds.

Exit Events

As of May 6th, 2025:

• There are no reported IPOs or acquisitions involving Defacto Technologies SAS.
• The company continues operating independently with ongoing expansion plans into new European markets such as Germany.

Summary Table of Recent Activity

Event	Date	Details
EIC Accelerator Win	Nov 8, 2023	Won EU funding; step change for growth
Debt Facility Announced	Jul 13, 2023	Up to €167M from Citi & Viola Credit
Series A Extension Closed	Nov/Dec 2023	Additional €10M led by Citi Ventures

</em>Date reflects Step II proposal win; some financings announced shortly before formal confirmation but within same strategic period post-EIC application.

Key Facts Post-EIC Accelerator Win

• Total new equity financing raised: at least €10 million.
• New debt/securitization capacity raised: up to €167 million.
• Major new investor onboarded: Citi Ventures.

There have been no exits or major secondary events reported since receiving EIC Accelerator funding.

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Sources: - Defacto's €10M Series A extension fuels plans for German market entry

• Defacto company information – Dealroom
• French B2B lender Defacto shores up to €167m
• Defacto secures credit facility of up to €167m with Citi and Viola Credit
• Munich Startup – Company Info & Investors
• Ukraine Dealroom – Company Info & Investors

3 The Press Releases

Defacto Technologies SAS: EIC Accelerator Winner

Defacto Technologies SAS, based in France, was awarded funding through the European Innovation Council's (EIC) Accelerator program in November 2023. This prestigious funding supports innovative projects that aim to bring groundbreaking technologies to the market. Here is an overview of Defacto Technologies and recent developments:

Company Overview

Defacto Technologies specializes in Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, particularly in the front-end integration of System-on-Chip (SoC) designs. Their expertise includes complex SoC architectures, often leveraging standards like IP-XACT, UPF, and SDC for improved design efficiency and cost reduction.

EIC Accelerator Funding

Defacto Technologies received 2.5 million euros in grants from the EIC Accelerator program. This funding is crucial for developing their innovative SoC design solutions, which aim to enhance performance while reducing time-to-market and costs.

Technology Advancements

Defacto Technologies has been focusing on AI-based automation for SoC creation. They work closely with leading European R&D teams to integrate AI technologies into their tools, aiming to make SoC design more accessible to designers with less expertise.

Upcoming Developments

In 2025, Defacto Technologies plans to unveil significant updates to their SoC Compiler software. This update will be showcased at the RISCV Summit in Paris, France, from May 12 to 15, 2025. The new release is designed to automate front-end SoC integration flows for complex RISC-V architectures, addressing the scalability challenges of RISC-V SoC designs.

Conferences and Events

Defacto Technologies attended key conferences in 2024, including the Design Automation Conference (DAC). For 2025, they plan to participate in the Design, Automation, and Test in Europe (DATE) conference and the International Test Conference (ITC), highlighting their expanding activities in Design for Test (DFT).

Sources

• Unveiling the Latest EIC Accelerator Results: A Comprehensive Analysis
• Defacto Technologies wants to simplify the design of electronic circuits
• 2025 Outlook with CEO Chouki Aktouf
• Defacto Technologies Automates Front-End SoC Integration for Large RISC-V Designs

4 The Technology Advancements

Defacto Technologies SAS: Post-EIC Accelerator Funding Advancements

Defacto Technologies SAS, a French EDA company specializing in System-on-Chip (SoC) design automation, has demonstrated significant technological and market advancements since its EIC Accelerator funding eligibility period. While the provided search results do not explicitly confirm receipt of EIC funding from the November 8, 2023 cutoff, recent developments align with innovation trajectories typical of EIC-backed companies.

Core Capabilities

Defacto’s flagship SoC Compiler automates front-end SoC integration by managing RTL, IP-XACT, UPF (Unified Power Format), and SDC (Synopsys Design Constraints) in a unified environment. The tool enables rapid configuration exploration and collateral generation for large-scale designs, reducing manual intervention and improving PPA (Power-Performance-Area) outcomes. Its physically aware architecture addresses scalability challenges in multicore RISC-V architectures.

Technological Advancements

• AI-Driven Automation: Defacto has integrated AI-based automation into its tools to assist designers with varying expertise levels. This includes predictive capabilities for optimizing SoC configurations and reducing iteration cycles.
• RISC-V Optimization: The April 2025 update to SoC Compiler introduces automated front-end integration flows for complex RISC-V designs, resolving issues like fragmented IP management and manual iterative processes.
• IP-XACT Expansion: Full support for all IP-XACT versions now allows joint management of RTL and IP-XACT formats, enhancing compatibility for semiconductor partners.

Market Demonstrations

• RISCV Summit 2025: Defacto will showcase its updated SoC Compiler at the Paris event in May 2025, targeting embedded applications in IoT and computing sectors.
• Design Automation Conference (DAC) 2024: The company presented customer success stories involving multi-thousand-IP SoCs generated within an hour using physically aware workflows.

Intellectual Property & Publications

No specific patents or whitepapers are cited in available materials. However:

• Collaboration with European research labs on AI-for-EDA projects is ongoing.
• Technical disclosures focus on solving scalability issues in open-source RISC-V ecosystems through automation improvements detailed in press releases.

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Sources

5 The Partnerships and Customers

Defacto Technologies SAS: Strategic Partnerships and Market Positioning Post-EIC Accelerator Funding Defacto Technologies SAS, a Grenoble-based semiconductor design automation firm, has solidified its market position through strategic alliances and technological advancements following its EIC Accelerator win in late 2023. While specific customers remain undisclosed due to confidentiality common in B2B tech partnerships, public information highlights key collaborations and their impact:

Key Partnerships

• Arm Partnership: Defacto joined Arm’s Partner Catalog in April 2024, enabling access to Arm’s ecosystem for joint System-on-Chip (SoC) design solutions. This collaboration focuses on automating SoC integration workflows for Arm-based architectures.
• Joint Design Flow with Arm: Announced in July 2024, Defacto developed a co-engineered flow to auto-generate RTL for complex Arm SoCs, reducing integration time and improving performance.

Market Positioning & Technological Advancements

The partnerships with Arm position Defacto as a critical enabler of next-generation chip design automation. By leveraging Dapr-driven microservices (as seen in DeFacto fashion retail’s architecture—unrelated entity but illustrative of naming overlaps), the company emphasizes scalable, distributed systems. However, Defacto Technologies SAS specifically addresses semiconductor challenges:

• SoC Compiler Tool: Enhances chip-design efficiency by unifying IP blocks (CPUs, interconnects) with automated RTL stitching, directly supported by recent customer success stories involving large-scale SoC deployments.
• DAC 2024 Presence: Demonstrated STAR 8.0 release at the Design Automation Conference (June 2024), emphasizing performance gains for hyperscale SoCs, likely driven by EIC funding infusion.

Scaling & Future Outlook

The EIC Accelerator funding likely accelerated R&D efforts around AI-driven design optimization and multi-node integration support listed in recent releases. The partnership with Arm provides credibility in the $200B+ semiconductor IP market, while Defacto’s focus on lowering barriers to custom SoC development aligns with industry demands for agile hardware innovation.

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Sources

• Defacto now part of Arm’s Partner Catalog [Arm collaboration announcement]
• A Joint ARM-Defacto Solution Toward SoC Design Automation [July 2024 joint flow release]
• Defacto at DAC booth #667 [STAR 8.0 launch details]

Note: "DeFacto" branding appears across unrelated entities (B2B lending, fashion retail), but DefActO Technologies SAS is distinct.

6 The Hiring and Company Growth

Defacto Technologies SAS: Team Growth and Development

Defacto Technologies SAS, a French company specializing in innovative SoC design solutions, received EIC Accelerator funding in November 2023. Since then, the company has continued to focus on advancing its technologies and expanding its capabilities.

Current Headcount and Team Size

As of the latest available information, specific details about Defacto's current headcount or team size are not publicly disclosed. However, the company is known for its collaborative work with leading R&D teams in France and Europe, which suggests a structured and potentially growing workforce.

Hiring Status

There are no recent announcements about Defacto Technologies SAS actively hiring. However, their engagement with AI technologies and ongoing R&D projects could indicate potential future recruitment needs, particularly in areas related to AI-based automation for SoC design.

Growth and Expansion

Defacto Technologies has positioned itself as a leader in front-end SoC integration, incorporating not only RTL but also IP-XACT, UPF, and SDC to enhance efficiency and cost reduction. This strategic positioning is a significant growth milestone for the company.

Recent Key Positions and New Team Members

While specific details about recent hires are not available, the company's emphasis on integrating AI technologies into their tools suggests that any new team members would play a crucial role in developing AI-based automation solutions. These developments would be pivotal for scaling the company's capabilities and enhancing its market position.

Impact on the Future of the Company

New team members with expertise in AI technologies would help Defacto Technologies accelerate its innovation process, enabling the company to better serve designers with varying levels of expertise. This expertise would be crucial for expanding the company's offerings and maintaining its leadership in SoC design solutions.

Changes in Management or Founding Team

As of the latest information, there are no reported changes in the management or founding team of Defacto Technologies SAS. Dr. Chouki Aktouf remains the Founder & CEO, guiding the company's strategic direction.

Sources

2025 Outlook with CEO Chouki Aktouf - Defacto Technologies

7 The Media Features and Publications

Overview of Defacto Technologies SAS

Defacto Technologies SAS, based in France, is a prominent Electronic Design Automation (EDA) company specializing in System-on-Chip (SoC) integration solutions. The company recently secured the EIC Accelerator funding on November 8, 2023.

Media Features and Publications

While specific media features or publications directly naming Defacto Technologies SAS are not detailed in the available data, the company is recognized as an innovative player in the EDA sector, providing breakthrough RTL platforms for enhancing integration, generation, verification, and signoff of IPs and SoCs.

Podcasts and Interviews

There is no specific information available about podcasts or interviews conducted by the team of Defacto Technologies SAS. However, related discussions on technology and leadership can be found in broader contexts.

Conference and Fair Visits

Defacto Technologies SAS actively participates in industry events. For instance, they were part of the Virtual DAC 2020, where they presented updates on their STAR RTL Design Platform. Additionally, they have been involved in customer presentations at DATE (Design, Automation, and Test in Europe) conferences, showcasing their tools in SoC design areas.

Involvement in Events

The company regularly participates in conferences, such as DAC (Design Automation Conference) and DATE, to showcase their latest technologies and customer success stories. They also host webinars and workshops, which highlight their expertise in SoC integration solutions.

EIC Accelerator Funding

Receiving the EIC Accelerator funding marks a significant milestone for Defacto Technologies SAS. This support will likely enhance their ability to further develop and market their innovative SoC integration tools, contributing to the advancement of next-generation chip design technologies.

Sources:

• Defacto Technologies – Arm
• News & Events - Defacto Technologies
• De Facto Leaders EP 204
• Making intentional decisions and leaning on the expertise of your team