Siemens and Silicon Valley combine engineering and entrepreneurship to forge breakthrough technologies, harness the power of data and make ‘real things. ---Frontier Partner program grants 3D printing and robotics-focused startups access to Siemens software and technology to accelerate product development. ---Announcements made at The Atlantic Silicon Valley event discussing software innovation and the next generation of manufacturing and 3D printing.

BERKELEY, Calif.--Combining Silicon Valleys entrepreneurial spirit with its own engineering expertise, Siemens today announced the expansion of the startup Frontier Partner program run by Siemens Technology to Business (TTB) and Siemens product lifecycle management (PLM) software organization. The Frontier Partner program deepens Siemens long-standing ties to the area as it continues to find, fund, and forge the breakthrough technologies that will harness the power of data and accelerate the development and manufacturing of tomorrows innovative products.

The Frontier Partner program grants manufacturing-focused startups access to Siemens PLM software, its technology partner program, and other developmental resources. Siemens PLM Software is a leading global provider of digital software solutions that address areas such as product development, manufacturing, product data management and manufacturing operations management.

Siemens has already enrolled several startup companies into the Frontier Partner program as part of a pilot focusing on 3D printing innovations. With todays announcement, Siemens is expanding the Frontier Partner program to entrepreneurs with a focus on robotics technologies.

In addition to the more than $1 billion Siemens invests annually in the U.S. for research and development, this latest digital entrepreneurial initiative from Siemens is aimed at getting innovations to market quicker by building on existing, industry-proven tools. With a presence in Silicon Valley since the 1950s, Siemens envisions a future where Silicon Valley companies will infuse the excitement and creativity seen in consumer-focused apps into industrial software that will increase productivity, efficiency, speed-to-market and flexibility in modern manufacturing.

Founded in 1999 in Berkeley, California, Siemens TTB aims to nurture partnerships with startups to connect thousands of engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs to business opportunities around the globe. TTB is part of the Siemens Corporate Technology unit, which is comprised of some 7,400 of the worlds most talented innovators, scientists, engineers and technical experts from over two dozen countries.

"The Frontier Partner program joins a long line of Siemens Technology to Business programs that partner with startups to add value to our core and future businesses so we can better serve our customers," said Chenyang Xu, General Manager, Siemens Technology to Business Berkeley. "The startups accepted into this program demonstrate excellence in developing unique and innovative technologies and partnering with Siemens can bring the scale and scope necessary to help their business succeed."

The Frontier Partner program supports startups in the product development phase. Startups accepted into the pilot receive a year-long development license to a comprehensive suite of Siemens PLM software that enables them to develop the new product. Additionally, participants have access to Siemens development mentors and other technology partners who utilize Siemens software.

"Businesses across the globe in industries from autos to aerospace to consumer electronics are constantly striving to get products to market faster and more efficiently," said Chuck Grindstaff, CEO and President, Siemens PLM Software. "Our PLM software solutions are being utilized today by virtually every segment of the industrial base worldwide, helping to enable the next era of advanced manufacturing. Were proud to offer our tools to Frontier Partner startups as they work to bring their own manufacturing-focused innovations to market."

Initial Frontier participants are:

Authentise -engineering software to securely stream 3D designs directly to printers.
Avante Technology, LLC -providing software that repairs & prepares 3D files for printing.
Matterfab -developing a metal 3D printer for industrial use.
MatterMachine -platform enabling scalable bespoke manufacturing.
nTopology, Inc. -building software to generate optimized 3D lattice structures.

"We're delighted to be part of the Siemens Frontier Partner program to bring our secure delivery tools for additive manufacturing to a greater audience," said Andre Wegner, Founder and CEO of Authentise. "This is just the start of a long partnership to learn and develop products for a distributed manufacturing future together."

The pilot startups were chosen because they are all focused on solving industrial users challenges that are encountered with 3D printing including reliability, scalability, and ease-of-use for mass-scale applications. Now, startups with a focused on robotics will also be able to access the Frontier Partner program.

The expansion of the Frontier Partner program was announced at Bold Bets: Tomorrows Industrial Entrepreneurship (And How Everything Will Change) - an event held by The Atlantic at the University of California, Berkeley that focused on the digitalization of infrastructure and how the infusion of entrepreneurship and data will impact industrial manufacturing and software. The event was underwritten by Siemens.

Startups looking to join the Frontier Partner program can apply today at www.ttb.siemens.com/frontier.

Visit http://inr.synapticdigital.com/siemens/IndustrialEntrepreneurship for video and other details.

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Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality for more than 165 years. With 343,000 employees in more than 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of approximately $98 billion in fiscal 2014. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $22.2 billion, including $5.2 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

"Shaping the Future - with Passion for Research, Technology and Innovation" - this is the mission of Siemens Corporate Technology (CT). Under the leadership of the Chief Technology Officer and in cooperation with the operative units, CT develops the companys technology and innovation strategy, promotes business excellence through consulting and development services, and protects Siemens intellectual property. As a strategic partner to the companys businesses, CTs central research and development unit plays a key role in advancing Siemens digitalization strategy. CT supports the company along the entire value chain, from research and development to production technology and manufacturing to the testing of products and solutions. Its Technology to Business, Berkeley, located in California, is chartered with discovering and launching emerging technologies into profitable businesses.

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, systems and services with over nine million licensed seats and more than 77,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with its customers to provide industry software solutions that help companies everywhere achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by making real the innovations that matter.