Kerala-based semiconductor startup Netrasemi has raised Rs 107 crore in a Series A funding round led by Zoho Corporation Ltd and Unicorn India Ventures. This fresh investment aims to help Netrasemi speed up research and development, grow manufacturing capacity, and increase marketing reach in both Indian and global markets.
Founded in 2020 by Jyothis Indirabhai, Sreejith Varma, and Deepa Geetha, Netrasemi is building system-on-chips (SoCs) designed for smart IoT devices that process complex tasks like AI-based video analytics directly on the device itself.
Netrasemi Funding
The company is already in the tapeout stage for two advanced SoC products using TSMC’s 12nm technology. Over the next 12–18 months, Netrasemi plans to roll out four SoC variants featuring AI and video analytics, which will serve industries like surveillance, industrial robotics, and smart city infrastructure.
These chips aim to cut the need to send data to the cloud, improving speed and privacy. Netrasemi’s designs rely on energy-efficient deep neural processing units (NPUs) and a full suite of in-house silicon intellectual property.
Plans Workforce Growth
With the new funding, Netrasemi aims to double its workforce from 83 to 166 chip engineers. The startup is also increasing partnerships, customer engagement, and work on next-generation chips with even higher performance.
In the last year, Netrasemi has signed multiple MOUs with global partners and launched projects to create AI chips for India’s CCTV market. They have also secured early interest from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Zoho’s Strategic Support
Zoho’s Co-founder and CEO, Shailesh Davey, shared that the investment aligns with Zoho’s goal to strengthen India’s deep-tech sector, drive local innovation, and create competitive global products. Zoho recently opened an R&D centre in Kottarakara, Kerala, to promote rural talent and will collaborate with Netrasemi there.
Unicorn India Ventures also sees Netrasemi as a leader in the fast-growing edge AI market, which requires specialized, energy-efficient chips for real-time AI workloads.
Who is Sridhar Vembu?
Sridhar Vembu is the Co-founder of Zoho Corporation, an Indian SaaS company known globally for its suite of software products. He is widely respected for promoting rural development and creating technology jobs outside major cities, helping build a more inclusive tech ecosystem in India.
By blending AI innovation with local manufacturing and strategic support from Zoho, Netrasemi is set to boost India’s semiconductor sector and deliver advanced AI chips for tomorrow’s smart devices.
