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Tag: Chip design
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Polsky Center selects 20 Indian deep tech startups, new funding rounds at Flo Mobility, HrdWyr
(00:00) Just the headlines, if you only have a minute
(01:26) The Polsky Center selects 20 Indian startups for first accelerator
The University of Chicago’s Polsky Center has named 20 startups to the first cohort of its India Deep Tech Accelerator, a global programme for IIT-affiliated ventures. The 10-week accelerator is designed to help founders turn research-heavy ideas into market-ready companies through workshops, coaching, and access to customers, partners and investors in India and the US.
The cohort spans AI, robotics, climate and energy, healthtech, semiconductors, space and industrial software. Selected companies include Adaapt, Augle.AI, BioSky Space Innovations, Curium Life, Folium Sensing, NXPEC Technologies, Timble AI and Zodhya Technologies.
The first cohort of the India deep tech accelerator at University of Chicago’s Polsky Center. Image courtesy Polsky Center. (02:20) C-CAMP opens applications for NBEC 2026
C-CAMP has opened applications for the 9th National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition, a platform for bio-entrepreneurs, startups, student teams, researchers and innovators in the life sciences. The programme will offer mentorship, industry exposure and funding support, with selected startups and individuals eligible for cash prizes and investment opportunities of up to INR 20 crore.
Student teams can win up to INR 10 lakh, and shortlisted applicants will attend a two-day bootcamp led by experts from IIM Ahmedabad. The competition was launched by Karnataka IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge at C-CAMP.
(03:15) IIT Madras opens California hub for Indian deep-tech startups
IIT Madras Global Research Foundation has launched its first US centre in Menlo Park, California, to help Indian deep-tech startups scale internationally. The hub, established with CA Startups, will focus on research, startup incubation, commercialisation and access to global capital, markets and partnerships.
The project carries a planned investment of $7.5 million, including a $4.5 million greenfield investment from IITM Global. The centre is positioned near Silicon Valley and is intended to strengthen India–US innovation ties, with a second US centre planned for the East Coast.
(04:02) IIT Bombay launches India’s first CCUS field lab
IIT Bombay has inaugurated an integrated pilot facility for carbon capture, utilisation and storage, marking India’s first end-to-end CCUS field laboratory. The project combines an indigenous carbon capture plant with geological CO2 sequestration in Deccan basalt formations, and was launched by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan under the Bharat Innovates 2026 initiative.
The institute said the facility uses a patented aqueous CO2 capture technology and is meant to support India’s long-term net-zero goals through a self-reliant carbon mitigation model.
(04:49) Government maps climate risk in 651 farm districts
The Centre has assessed climate vulnerability across 651 predominantly agricultural districts and found 310 to be at risk, including 109 classified as very highly vulnerable and 201 as highly vulnerable. The assessment, carried out under ICAR’s National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture programme using IPCC protocols, is being used to scale up climate-resilient farming practices, district agriculture contingency plans and farmer support measures across India.
ICAR has also expanded climate-resilient technologies through model villages, KVKs and training programmes, while the government is promoting crop insurance, water-efficient irrigation and resilient seed varieties to help farmers cope with droughts, floods and heat stress.
(05:52) India’s clean energy transition bolsters economic resilience
Clean energy transition is now central to India’s economic resilience and growth strategy, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said at the CII Green Business Summit 2026. He highlighted that India has achieved 47 percent of its power capacity from non-fossil sources, ahead of schedule for the 2030 target of 50 percent, with renewables growing at 15.4 percent annually against 4.1 percent for fossil fuels.
Minister Joshi emphasised investments in green hydrogen, battery storage and nuclear energy as key to energy security and net-zero goals by 2070.
(06:41) Flo Mobility raises $2.5 million in pre-Series A
Bengaluru-based construction robotics startup Flo Mobility has raised $2.5 million in a pre-Series A round co-led by Mela Ventures and Arali Ventures. The funding will scale manufacturing, enhance its AI and autonomy stack, expand deployments across India and enter international markets, particularly the Middle East.
The company builds autonomous robots for material movement on construction sites, addressing labour shortages and improving efficiency. Flo Mobility’s robots are already deployed across 10 Indian states with clients including Larsen & Toubro, Godrej Properties and Sobha.
(07:28) HrdWyr raises $13 million Series A to build AI-native chips
HrdWyr has raised $13 million in Series A funding led by Ideaspring Capital, with participation from Singularity AMC, Avatar Growth Capital and Persistent Systems. The fabless semiconductor company in Bengaluru will use the capital to accelerate development of its AI-native System-on-Chip products and expand customer engagements across global markets.
HrdWyr said its chips are designed for “Physical AI” use cases, with a focus on edge intelligence, lower power consumption and faster response times. The company also highlighted a recent strategic collaboration with boAt as early validation of its approach.
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How India’s chip startups are evolving: 5 takeaways from a conversation with Sunil Cavale and Vishal Katariya
Vishal Katariya (L) at Ankur Capital and Sunil Cavale at Speciale Invest have recently released their semiconductor startup landscape in India report. In a recent episode of Conversations at India Tech Report, Sunil Cavale at Speciale Invest and Vishal Katariya from Ankur Capital discussed their report on the Semiconductor Startup Landscape in India, which was released last month. The two deep-tech VC investors outlined some of the top trends they see developing “on the ground”.
They also spoke about what gave them a sense of optimism about this sector’s growth in India, including the personas of the founders of emerging startups, the deal flows and origination of capital and developments such as entrepreneurs seeking to go beyond fabless chip design into manufacturing in India for India and from India for the world. Here are my top five takeaways from the conversation.
1. Funding maturation signals investor confidence
India’s semiconductor startups are graduating faster through funding stages. Multiple companies — including Mindgrove, Netrasemi, and Morphing Machines — raised Series A rounds within 18 months of their seed funding. These rounds are two to three times larger than previous raises; Netrasemi’s was about 10 times bigger.
The speed and scale reflect technical validation and market traction. Zoho, a software company, led Netrasemi’s recent round, signalling that non-traditional investors now see merit in the sector. Around $100 million has flowed to chip product startups in India over the past three years or so, mostly from domestic funds including Speciale Invest, Ankur Capital, Peak XV Partners and others.
Growth capital remains limited compared with global standards, but the trajectory suggests that larger rounds will follow as products reach customers.
2. India’s semicon ambitions expand beyond chip design
Entrepreneurs are now building for the manufacturing side, not just fabless design. Startups are developing quality-inspection tools, lithography equipment, process innovations, and low-volume prototyping capabilities. This shift responds to government investment in fabrication and packaging infrastructure.
The ecosystem is moving towards full-stack semiconductor capability — design, manufacturing, and packaging — rather than remaining concentrated in design services. Founders recognise that India’s semiconductor mission allocates substantial capital to manufacturing, creating a domestic market for ancillary technologies. This diversification reduces dependence on global supply chains and addresses geopolitical risks.
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3. Talent pool deepens with second-time founders, researchers turning entrepreneurs
Industry experts widely believe India holds 20 per cent of global semiconductor design talent, much of it in services roles. A growing cohort has worked in multinational companies — Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Intel — then spent years in Silicon Valley or Europe before returning to start-up semiconductor product companies in India.
These founders bring experience beyond design: sales, business development, application engineering, and management. They understand how ecosystems function elsewhere and can build well-rounded teams. Four founder profiles dominate: academics commercialising decades of research, returnees from multinationals, second-time entrepreneurs, and recent graduates who studied abroad. Government schemes and policy support have incentivised these founders.
4. Product diversity spans edge computing to compound semiconductors
Startups are building chips for edge applications — IoT devices, cameras, smart meters — addressing high-volume, lower-value markets in India. Others focus on communication and radio-frequency products for 5G, 6G, radar, and defence.
Compound semiconductor activity is emerging in gallium nitride and silicon carbide, led by teams from top institutions including IIT Bombay and IISc in Bangalore. Photonics startups are developing networking and interconnect technologies. Some companies target data-centre compute, while others integrate artificial intelligence into edge devices.
Products vary in complexity, cost, and timescale: consumer electronics may reach market within two years, while high-performance computing or photonics chips need three to four years.
5. Geopolitical and capital constraints remain substantial
Taiwan dominates chip fabrication. ASML in the Netherlands controls the high-end lithography equipment. Geopolitical instability poses risks that affect all startups, not just Indian ones. Talent costs are high. Semiconductor engineers command premium salaries globally and in India.
Startups often cannot afford top-tier multinational employees on current funding. Markets move quickly, creating product-fit risks. While acquisitions such as Kinara (bought by NXP for $300 million) demonstrate exit potential, Indian startups have not yet raised the hundreds of millions that global peers routinely secure.
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India to modernise Semiconductor Laboratory spending Rs. 4,500 crore
India’s Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnav recently visited SCL, and outlined a plan to modernise the chip facility. (00:20) India to invest Rs. 4,500 crore to modernise SCL Mohali
India will invest Rs. 4,500 crore to modernise and expand the government-run Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, targeting a 100-fold increase in wafer production while ruling out privatisation, Electronics and IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said during a site visit. SCL will support chip fabrication for students, startups and defence-linked agencies as part of a broader push for indigenous semiconductor capability, according to a statement from the ministry.
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(00:55) Mixx Technologies raises $33 million series A fundingMixx Technologies, a US-based deep-tech startup founded by specialists from Intel and Broadcom, has raised $33 million in Series A funding led by ICM HPQC Fund alongside TDK Ventures, Systemiq Capital, and others. The capital will accelerate development of its HBxIO silicon-integrated optical engine, boost global R&D (including in India), and drive adoption of high-efficiency AI infrastructure platforms.
(01:29) Lightspeed Photonics raises $6.5 million for optical AI chips
Lightspeed Photonics has raised $6.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by Pi Ventures to scale its solderable optical interconnects for AI and high-performance computing data centres. The Bengaluru-based startup claims 4x faster data transfer and roughly 2x lower power use than existing links, and plans to split the funds between R&D and commercial pilots through 2026.
(02:01) Reditus Space plans reusable reentry vehicle for microgravity R&D
US startup Reditus Space has raised $7.1 million in seed funding to build ENOS, a reusable reentry spacecraft aimed at fast-turnaround missions for microgravity research and in-space manufacturing, Payload Space reports. The first ENOS flight, targeting a SpaceX rideshare next summer, will carry a pharma payload, reenter at over Mach 24, and test hardware designed for 20-plus missions and 40 kg payloads.
(02:38) IonQ, CCRM to apply quantum tech to advanced therapies
IonQ has struck an investment and technology partnership with Canada’s Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine to apply hybrid quantum and quantum-AI tools to bioprocess optimization, disease modelling and advanced therapy manufacturing. IonQ becomes core tech partner across CCRM’s global network, with initial quantum-biotech projects in Canada and Sweden slated for 2026 as part of IonQ’s expanding European strategy.
(03:10) Sparrow Quantum raises €27.5 million for photonic quantum chips
Denmark’s Sparrow Quantum has raised €27.5 million in Series A funding, in what it calls Scandinavia’s largest quantum-tech investment, to scale production of its Sparrow Core single-photon chip for room-temperature photonic quantum systems. The company plans to expand manufacturing and develop next-generation devices based on Niels Bohr Institute research, aiming to become a leading quantum chip supplier for European and global markets.
(03:44) Vayavya Labs, SimDaaS tie up on autonomous mobility tools
Software engineering firm Vayavya Labs has signed an MoU with IIT Kanpur–incubated SimDaaS Autonomy to co-develop simulation-led tools for autonomous driving, ADAS and AI-based virtual validation. The partners will combine digital twin, virtual electronic control units and traffic-scenario simulation capabilities to accelerate virtual testing for complex Indian conditions and export solutions to global mobility markets.
(04:17) AI-detected ‘hidden’ lion roar may boost conservation
Scientists have identified a previously unknown “intermediary” lion roar that occurs alongside the classic full-throated call, using AI to sort thousands of recordings with about 95 percent accuracy. The added vocal signature can improve passive acoustic monitoring, helping estimate lion numbers and track individuals more reliably as wild populations fall to roughly 20,000–25,000 across Africa.
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Sunil Cavale and Vishal Katariya on the evolving chip startup landscape in India
In today’s episode, I bring you a conversation with Sunil Cavale at Speciale Invest and Vishal Katariya at Ankur Capital, both VC firms well known as early-stage backers of deep tech startups in India.
Vishal and Sunil discuss their recent report on the Semiconductor Startup Landscape in India.
India’s chip industry has made significant strides from being only a location for the development centres of global companies, designing to foreign specifications.
Today, a new cohort of founders — professors spinning out decades of research, veterans of Qualcomm and Texas Instruments, and second‑time chip entrepreneurs — is trying to build products, not just provide services. Their targets range from high‑volume microcontrollers for cameras and smart meters to AI accelerators for data centres and the edge.
Venture capital is following. Seed rounds are giving way to briskly timed Series-A investments, some closing within 18 months of the seed funding and at two to ten times the earlier cheque sizes. Capital is also broadening beyond specialist funds: family offices, strategic corporates like Zoho and the venture arms of global chipmakers now want a role in the India semicon story.
Meanwhile, entrepreneurs are pushing beyond fabless design into manufacturing‑adjacent niches such as metrology tools, lithography subsystems and low‑volume prototyping — hedging against the geopolitical fragility of a supply chain still concentrated in Taiwan and the Netherlands.
Link to the report at Speciale Invest:
https://www.specialeinvest.com/community?pgid=mdx2tvo7-e24d7063-961f-4de4-b405-ce9282527498
Link to the report at Ankur Capital:
https://www.ankurcapital.com/post/semiconductor-startup-landscape-in-india-2025-perspectiveThis week’s conversation brings together two investors who have had a ringside view of these shifts. Sunil and Vishal have spent the past few years swapping notes on deals, founders, failures and successes. Out of those conversations that started during one fateful meeting at a McDonald’s in Ghatkopar, in Mumbai, came their Semiconductor Startup Landscape in India report, first presented at IIT Bombay’s SemiX conference.
Rather than rehearse well-known talking points, they have tried to document what is actually happening on the ground: who the founders are, where the money originates, which verticals are getting crowded and where the genuine white spaces lie. In this episode, they explain why India’s chip moment may finally be real — and what it will take to sustain it.
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India backs JCM, seeks global action on energy for small islands at COP30, and more
AI generated image for illustration. India is backing the international solar alliance with a call for global action on energy for small island developing nations, at the COP30 meet.
(00:20) India calls joint crediting mechanism a model for equitable climate actionAt UNFCCC COP30 in Brazil, India’s Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) is crucial for scalable, technology-driven climate solutions. India-Japan cooperation under JCM will mobilise investments, deploy low-carbon technologies, and build capacity, supporting national climate goals and Article 6 implementation. India’s Carbon Market portal will aid JCM transparency and impact.
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(00:50) India urges global solar push for energy security in small island statesSeparately, Minister Yadav highlighted support for Small Island Developing States through the International Solar Alliance. India showcased rooftop solar, solar pumps, and battery projects, calling for global action to boost clean energy, cut diesel imports, and build climate resilience. Over 124 nations now participate in ISA’s initiatives.
(01:18) Mehta Family Foundation announces two conferences with IITsThe Mehta Family Foundation will host two conferences under its collaboration for academic and research excellence or CARE initiative in partnership with IIT Madras and IIT Guwahati. The events focus on bioengineering and AI, convening global and Indian researchers to advance interdisciplinary collaboration and showcase innovations, marking the Foundation’s growing role in India’s academic ecosystem.
(01:48) Glow-in-the-gut pill offers non-invasive colonoscopy alternativeResearchers in China have developed a pill embedded with heme-sensing bacteria that glow in response to gastrointestinal bleeding, enabling early colitis detection without invasive colonoscopies. Tested safely in mice, the pill’s magnetic microspheres are retrieved from feces and produce light proportional to disease severity, potentially revolutionizing gut health diagnostics.
(02:17) JuliaHub and Synopsys partner to power AI-driven digital twinsJuliaHub will integrate its Dyad simulation platform with Synopsys’ Ansys TwinAI™, blending physics-based modelling and adaptive AI for more accurate, cloud-based digital twins. The collaboration aims to accelerate innovation in hardware design and system optimization, merging JuliaHub’s SciML tech with Synopsys’ robust simulation ecosystem.
(02:45) Rift raises €4.6M to launch Europe’s first on-demand aerial networkFrench startup Rift has raised €4.6 million to deploy autonomous drone stations across Europe, creating a real-time aerial intelligence network for public safety and critical infrastructure monitoring. The “Surveillance-as-a-Service” platform aims to mitigate wildfires, border breaches, and infrastructure threats with plans to deploy 20 stations by 2027.
(03:14) Teradar exits stealth with $150M series B for terahertz vision sensorsTeradar, a Boston startup, has unveiled its terahertz vision sensor technology for automotive safety after raising $150 million in Series B funding. The modular terahertz sensor offers all-weather perception to enhance autonomous driving and commercial vehicle safety, with production targeted by 2028. Investors include Lockheed Martin Ventures and VXI Capital.
