Bengaluru-based fabless semiconductor startup Sensesemi Technologies has raised ₹25 crore in a seed round led by Piper Serica, with participation from LetsVenture Angel Fund, Sun Icon Ventures, MyAsiaVC, Whitepine Investments, Jain Oncor, REAN Foundation and several angel investors. The funding comes as India intensifies efforts to build domestic semiconductor design capabilities, particularly for edge-AI, IoT, automotive electronics and medical devices.
Funding to accelerate product development and team growth
Sensesemi says the ₹25 crore will be deployed to accelerate chip development, including upcoming tape-outs and the creation of reference designs. The company also plans to expand its engineering and research teams to support the next phase of productisation and commercialisation.
A strategic objective is to deepen partnerships with original device manufacturers (ODMs) and ecosystem players to speed up adoption. Closer collaboration with device makers is intended to shorten integration cycles and enable quicker go-to-market timelines for Sensesemi’s silicon solutions.
Edge-AI SoCs tailored for low-power, real-world applications
Founded in 2014 by Vijay Muktamath and Namit Varma, Sensesemi is a DLI-approved fabless startup developing ultra-low-power system-on-chips (SoCs) that combine AI inferencing, wireless connectivity and precision analogue signal processing on a single platform. Its architecture emphasises on-device processing rather than cloud-dependent workflows.
Processing data at the edge reduces latency, improves data privacy and lowers energy use—advantages critical for industrial IoT, automotive electronics and healthcare devices where responsiveness, security and battery life matter.
Focus on power-efficient analog AI inference
A notable strand of Sensesemi’s roadmap is an analogue AI inference processor designed to significantly cut power consumption. This approach targets applications such as battery-powered wearables and implantable medical devices where energy efficiency is paramount.
By shifting portions of AI computation into the analogue domain, the startup aims to extend device uptime without sacrificing inference performance—potentially enabling new use cases in continuous monitoring, remote sensing and long-life medical implants.
Addressing a fast-growing global market
The global edge-AI chipset market is projected to expand sharply over the coming decade as smart sensors and connected devices proliferate. Industry estimates point to annual shipments of edge-AI chipsets reaching into the billions by the end of the period.
Sensesemi positions itself to address this demand with integrated, scalable and energy-efficient silicon. Its emphasis on differentiated architecture and domain-specific solutions is intended to support not only domestic adoption but also exports to global markets.
Outlook
With fresh capital, Sensesemi can accelerate its development cycle and move closer to commercial deployments while attracting specialised engineering talent. The seed round underscores growing investor interest in Indian semiconductor startups that blend AI, low-power design and vertical-specific expertise—an area likely to influence India’s semiconductor design landscape in the coming years.
