Zoho Backs Netrasemi with $12.5 Million to Power India's Chip Dreams
- Netrasemi raised $12.5 million in Series A led by Zoho, with Unicorn India Ventures and Maithan Alloys also investing.
- The startup’s valuation jumped over 6x to $74 million from $11 million in its previous round in Dec 2024.
- Founded in 2020, Netrasemi builds energy-efficient AI-powered SoCs for IoT devices, enabling on-device analytics without cloud reliance.
Thiruvananthapuram-based semiconductor startup Netrasemi has raised $12.5 million in its Series A funding round, led by software giant Zoho Corporation. The funding round also saw participation from existing investor Unicorn India Ventures and new investor Maithan Alloys.
According to regulatory filings, Zoho invested around $10.2 million to secure a 13.83% stake in the startup. Unicorn India Ventures added nearly $1.94 million, while Maithan Alloys contributed about $400,000. This latest investment has pushed Netrasemi’s valuation to $74 million, a sharp rise from $11 million during its pre-Series A round in December 2024.
Founded in 2020 and incubated at IIM-Kozhikode, Netrasemi specializes in designing system-on-chips (SoCs) for smart IoT products. Its energy-efficient chips come with an in-house AI acceleration core and silicon intellectual properties, allowing devices to process complex tasks like video analytics directly on the device instead of relying on servers or cloud infrastructure.
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The startup has now raised a total of $14.6 million across four funding rounds. In FY24, it reported operating revenue of Rs 1.7 crore and a net profit of Rs 5.3 lakh, according to Tracxn data.
With this fresh capital, Netrasemi plans to scale its technology and strengthen its position in India’s growing semiconductor industry.
