Nowadays, the RISC-V instruction set architecture (ISA) is gaining traction among engineers and companies thanks to its royalty-free and open-source nature. Following in the footsteps of highly successful open-source software projects (e.g., Linux, GNU, etc.), RISC-V represents an attractive choice to build an open-source hardware community that actively supports updates and ensures continuous improvement. RISC-V can be used without any fees, making it a cost-effective solution for enabling smart heterogeneous embedded systems, which include sensors and actuators, such as nano-drones, smart assistants, and wearables. In this landscape, the availability of simulation platforms is a key ingredient for making RISC-V based hardware solutions pervasive.