Overview

Give a brief overview of the project. What is it? What is its purpose? What does it do?

Background

System Requirements

What are the requirements for your system? What functionality must it have? Are there any design space/size requirements? Use the table down below to efficiently document these:

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This page serves to provide a general overview and answer frequently asked questions regarding C2S2’s corporate sponsorship approach. This page will be updated as more information becomes available. Have more questions? Reach out to Abigail Kurian Varghese or ask in the PM channel! 

*Please note that this page is still very much a work in progress, but I wanted to start documenting some of the information I’ve been giving PM regarding sponsorships

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Background

In addition to the Shen Fund, C2S2 primarily receives financial support from corporate sponsors to help support major expenses of the team such as chip tape-outs. The process of finding corporate sponsors involves casting a wide net as well as continuous engagement with a plethora of companies and different contacts. Currently, C2S2 has two corporate sponsors: AMD and Cadence but we hope to engage with more in the future!

Current Sponsors

1. Responsibilities: 
   1. In general, PM is responsible to maintaining relations with current sponsors. This means consistently updating contacts with progress of the team through various mediums such as newsletters, emails, meetings, etc. Additionally, PM is responsible for ensuring that sponsor benefits are fulfilled such as sponsor events with the team, access to the team’s resume book, sponsor spotlights on social media and the team’s website, and displaying company logos on our chip.
      1. Currently, C2S2’s two corporate sponsors are AMD and Cadence. Both are considered to be Silicon Tier sponsors. Abigail Varghese has been the main contact between C2S2 and these companies.

Finding Sponsors

1. Finding Companies
   1. C2S2 Company Outreach Google Sheet 
      1. With the help of the leadership team of 2022-2023, Project Management created a general sponsorship reach list spreadsheet with a few companies of interest. In this Google Sheets, there are two spreadsheets one with a list of companies with known contacts, however, they may not align with C2S2’s goals or interests as strongly. Additionally, these contacts are typically are university recruiters, however, many of the contacts may have changed due to position or title changes. 
      2. The second spreadsheet features a list of companies that are more aligned with the semiconductor industry or ECE generally. These companies, however, do not have a known contact. 
   2. Use Cornell Library Resources for Fundraising Outreach 
      1. Cornell Library has a surprisingly large number of resources that can be utilized for industry research such as IBIS World, Technavio, and ABI/INFORM which can be used to find information in industry reports, industry performance, and understand industry jargon.  Additionally, these resources can be used to find major companies within the semiconductor industry. 
2. Finding Contacts 
   1. C2S2 Contact Spreadsheet - this is a general spreadsheet that should be used to keep track of contacts as well as interactions between members of PM and contacts. This spreadsheet MUST be maintained, especially as there are now MULTIPLE members of PM working on company outreach. In general, please include your name as the contact of a company, when you last contacted a possible sponsor, as well as general information of where you are in the sponsorship process with them (said no at this time/still considering it/ current sponsor/etc) and what information was last conveyed (general request/in process of setting up a meeting/sent sponsorship packet/ etc). 
      1. C2S2 Alumni
         1. Reach out to C2S2 alumni - these past members not only. Here is the most recent updated lists of Alumni and where they are now!  Be sure to maintain contact with alumni and frequently update this spreadsheet when possible to ensure that the team can keep track of alumni and reach out to potential contacts! 
      2. Company Outreach Sheet 
         1. As mentioned above, we also have a Company Outreach Google Sheet with a list of possible known contacts from companies that may not align as much with C2S2 and a target list of companies that align more with the goals of C2S2. Both these spreadsheets should be consistently maintained and updated as contacts change or as we find contacts through outreach! 
   2. LinkedIn 
      1. LinkedIn is a great tool to find contacts - specifically Cornell (or C2S2) alumni and friends who may be working at a particular company of interest. Even if you do not have a known personal friend, contact, or alumni at a company, LinkedIn can be used to find potential contacts for a company - be sure to be looking for individuals who are working in University Relations, Human Resources, or Talent Management. 
   3. Company Information Sessions or Networking Events 
      1. Many companies and recruiters come to Cornell each year! Be on the lookout for different presentations, networking events, or information sessions. Typically recruiters and contacts for companies share their contact information or may be willing to speak with students after the event. Be respectful and mindful of a contact's time, especially as they probably didn’t anticipate a student to reach out about sponsorship or collaboration opportunities. 

Gift Basics

*Note that this information was given at the beginning of the fall semester of 2023, and may need to be updated due to changes of points of contacts 

1. Any and all gifts to student project teams must go through Casey Inman (chi2@cornell.edu)
   1. All checks must be made out to “Cornell University” (ASK FOR WIRE) 
   2. Wire transfers can be arranged by Casey 
2. In-Kind Donations are equipment, software, tools or materials that a sponsor may give to the team 
   1. All donations must be recorded! There must be paperwork that describes what items have been given and a list price marked to the value of the gift 
   2. You should let Casey know of all donations (money or In-Kind)! In-Kind donations have to be marked by Casey 

Things we CANNOT do

1.  Sign corporate documents on behalf of Cornell University!
   1. C2S2 can lose funding if we decide to sign agreements on our own. There are only certain designated signatories that can sign for the university! Unsure of if you can sign? Reach out to Abigail Kurian Varghese  first, and if you are still unsure reach out to Kate and Lauren from project team admin! 
2. Submit a corporate proposal
   1. Project teams are not allowed to submit proposals on behalf of Cornell University! A corporate proposal is no different from an agreement, but the terms and conditions and language MUST be reviewed before submission 
      1. Note that an email to a possible sponsor with a sponsorship packet is not considered a proposal 
3. Work with foreign companies 
   1. Project teams are NOT allowed to work with Huawei (including subsidiary Futurewei) or ZTE
   2. All funding from foreign companies must be vetted by the Office of Vice Provost of Research before being accepted as the gift must be reviewed for a conflict of interest.

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General Approach 

This section is just documenting what I’ve observed from reaching out to companies and what my general approach has been thus far! Feel free to use this approach, add to it, or consider different approaches - I’m definitely new to company outreach and still learning as I go!

Where to Start:

Start by picking a target company or contact you want to reach out to from our contact spreadsheet. Typically I try to start my outreach process by learning some details about the company I am going to reach out to as I try to personalize my messages as much as possible. Personalizing messages typically increase the response rates of companies or possible companies and it shows that you are genuinely interested in collaborating with the company rather than just getting money for the team. 

The Research Process

While I’m researching companies, there are a few details I try to look for to start my outreach process to build my own understanding and start thinking about how I’m going to try to pitch C2S2 to a possible sponsor. Here are a few things that I look for and try to keep in mind: 

1. 1. What is the company’s main goals and mission statement? How do these align with C2S2’s goals and mission?
   2. What are the company’s values and how do they align with some of the values of C2S2 as a team? 
   3. What industry or industries does this company operate in? Are they involved in semiconductor design, hardware manufacturing, or related fields? 
   4. What is this company doing? What are they known for/what are their main projects or products?
   5. Any recent news about this company or its recent projects? 
   6. Does this company have an Education/University program? 
   7. Has this company sponsored other project teams or other student initiatives in the past? 

The Outreach Process

*note that this section is still a work in progress and will be updated soon!

The outreach process doesn’t necessarily have a clear path; however, in general, there are some steps you can follow to increase the effectiveness of your outreach efforts: 

1. 1. Identify Your Audience
   2. Establish Initial contact 
   3. Craft Personalized messages 
   4. Building Relationships 
   5. Follow-up and Persistence 
   6. Providing Additional Information 
   7. Tracking and Evaluation 
   8. Other Tips and Tricks

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Personalizing Messages 

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General Advice 

Interface

What is the interface of your design? Are there any inputs/outputs?

Implementation

Timeline

Include a timeline of tasks and/or milestones for your project (with dates). This should be decided at the beginning, and reviewed throughout the semester to evaluate whether the project is on schedule or not. This can take the form of either a Gantt chart or a Confluence task list (click the "+" button, and select "Task List")

Files

Give a brief overview of the file structure involved in your design, including where they are stored (ex. link to GitHub repo), as well as maybe a one-sentence description for each

Theory of Design

How did you come up with your design? What is the overall structure or design methodologies involved? This is where one might include block diagrams, FSM diagrams, or anything along those lines relevant to the design, as well as (brief) explanations for any non-obvious algorithms

Testing

Testing Strategy

What was your overall testing strategy? What types of testing did you perform?

Running Tests

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Resources

Include links to any resources that you used for your design, including other projects, algorithms, etc. The idea is that others who are interested in your project can explore these as well, and that they might provide helpful background knowledge

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