The 180nm open source eFabless shuttle runs that are sponsored by Google are done by X-fab, which is owned by Melexis’ founder as well.
I don’t see how this garage stuff (impressive as it is!) can be turned into a startup. It’s not as if there is some kind of breakthrough here?
The [potential] breakthrough is in accessibility. Like GP said, this is a non-cleanroom process. Package it up into something reproducible and sell the entire 10um node for 6 figures and you'll have a few takers (unis, high networth enthusiasts). Get it down to 5 figures and you can break into some of the hobbyist market. Iterate/improve the node from there.
The path from here to unicorn startup is not really easy to imagine, but getting from here to cottage industry has some sliver of a chance if Sam wanted to go that route.
Universities could totally do what he is doing. But that’s still far removed from commercializing this tech (unless the product is “a mini fab for universities for educational purposes only.”)
For a real product, you’d need to meet all kinds of reliability requirements: life time, voltage range, temperature range, parameter control etc.
(Once again: what he’s doing is awesome. It’s just important to keep some perspective.)