Bootstrapped : The Lighter Side - The Podcast For B2B SaaS Founders · Lighter Capital - We Help Startups Grow

CEO Wes Smith talks about taking this small Siemens spin-off from semiconductors to microchips

·26 min·1 clip

Galaxy Semiconductor spun out of Siemens in August 2020 after a management buyout.

Wes Smith is the CEO of Galaxy Semiconductor. Melissa Widner starts by asking what the company does, and Wes gives a straightforward answer: Galaxy gathers data primarily from manufacturing and testing in the semiconductor industry, then uses that test data for analytics that help engineers solve problems. The company begins at the end of the line, where microchips are tested and generate a lot of data. From there, the conversation moves upstream into chip manufacturing and the fabs earlier in the process, which shifts the focus toward more of the production chain itself. Melissa keeps the interview grounded in how the business actually works and how Wes got here, rather than drifting into startup mythology. Energy comes up next. Wes says that over the last five to ten years he has become more conscientious about diet, sugar, alcohol, and sleep, because he wants to stay sharp and avoid bad decisions. Family helps, too. He credits a household that takes fitness seriously, including a wife whose work is partly in personal training and Pilates, plus the accountability that comes with that. He jokes that he lives with a personal trainer, and mentions the mini gym in their house. The episode turns practical again. When Melissa asks what he would do differently and what advice he has for earlier founders, Wes is careful about the frame: he inherited an existing business that was already paying its bills, so he does not pretend it was the same as starting from scratch in a garage. Even so, he still has lessons for entrepreneurs and operators who are trying to keep a business healthy and make better calls under pressure. The throughline is steady judgment. A leader who is not healthy and mentally sharp is more likely to make stupid decisions, and Wes returns to that reality more than once.

As heard by us

A grounded founder conversation about moving from semiconductor test data into higher-value work.

Wes Smith's conversation on Galaxy Semiconductor is strongest when it explains a software business that collects data from semiconductor manufacturing and testing, then uses analytics to help engineers work through problems.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a founder story about moving upstream in semiconductors, press play.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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