Netrasemi, a Kerala-based semiconductor startup, has raised ₹107 crore in a Series A funding round from Zoho Corporation and Unicorn India Ventures.
The fresh funds raised will be used to accelerate research and development initiatives, expand manufacturing capabilities, enhance marketing efforts to capture larger domestic and global market share, bring four system-on-chip variants with advanced AI and video analytics features into production and address compute platform requirements of original equipment manufactures (OEMs) for surveillance, industrial robotics, and smart infrastructure products.
In December 2024, Netrasemi raised ₹10 crore in its pre-Series A funding round from Unicorn India Ventures.
Founded in 2020 by Jyothis Indirabhai, Sreejith Varma and Deepa Geetha, Netrasemi is an Indian Edge AI semiconductor technology company building system-on-chips (SOC) to enable the new-age need for optimal computing for smart IoT products. The company is focused on developing system-on-chips (SoCs) that enable optimal computing for smart IoT products, particularly for addressing complex workloads like video processing. The company’s chips are designed to perform advanced AI-based analytics directly on devices, eliminating the need to send data to servers or the cloud. This capability is powered by Netrasemi’s energy-efficient deep-neural AI acceleration core (NPU) and comprehensive portfolio of in-house silicon intellectual properties.
Netrasemi has received substantial financial and infrastructure support from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) and Chips to Startup (C2S) semiconductor programs.
In the last 12 months, the company has completed development of two Edge-AI chips with advanced video capabilities, initiated development of CCTV AI camera chip for Indian market, established partner agreements for evaluation boards and platform development, signed multiple MOUs with global partners for sample release and product R&D and secured interest and requirements from multiple OEMs for platform development using Netrasemi SoCs.
The company has also successfully completed development of two SoC products currently in the tapeout stage, targeting TSMC’s 12nm technology node.
In the next 12-18 months, Netrasemi aims to complete full mask production of all three SoC families and initiate R&D for next-generation ultra-high-performance SoC, potentially addressing edge-servers and smart NVR compute requirements.
Netrasemi plans to double the current workforce from 83 to 166 chip engineering professionals, targeting diverse applications across surveillance, industrial robotics, smart home devices, smart city infrastructure and retail sectors.
Additionally, the company also plans to increase customer and partner engagement activities, along with a focus on next-generation chips with superior performance and features. Netrasemi is currently in the R&D and prototyping stage of their upcoming launches, which are expected in early 2026.
Jyothis Indirabhai, Co-founder & CEO, Netrasemi, said, “In the new age of AI-based automation and next-generation smart devices, domain-specific optimization is no longer a nice-to-have feature—it’s a necessity. Netrasemi’s efficient Domain Specific Architecture (DSA) and optimal intellectual property silicon cores enable both performance and energy efficiency needed for real-time on-device, on-premise computing at the edge. Our chips are designed based on various end-customer application requirements and are both power-efficient and cost-effective. Netrasemi chips enable solution players to develop advanced ML and vision application use cases faster and with ease. We not only make advanced System-on-Chips, but own the IP cores that go inside to make them achieve edge-efficient computing.”
Shailesh Davey, Co-founder and CEO, Zoho Corporation, said, “Supporting the growth of a strong deep-tech ecosystem in India is a key focus for Zoho, and our investment in Netrasemi reflects that ongoing effort. Developing advanced technological capabilities and expertise within the country can drive long-term progress in critical sectors, ultimately contributing to economic resilience and self-reliance. Our interests with Netrasemi also align on the R&D front especially in areas such as Robotics, AI and Edge processing. Through this investment, we are supporting the development of indigenous IP and innovation, paving the way for globally competitive products to be built in India.”
Anil Joshi, Managing Partner, Unicorn India Ventures, said, “The global edge AI market is evolving at a rapid rate with profound transformations and driving demand for specialized energy-efficient semiconductor solutions capable of running AI workloads in real time. We believe Netrasemi has opened up new markets and will be leading the next wave of innovation in the semiconductor industry. The company has witnessed remarkable progress with its smart computing and domain-specific AI chips and has been growing significantly. The funding will help the company build advanced Edge AI SoC and also scale its services globally.”
