BigEndian Semiconductors raises $3 mn in funding led by Vertex Ventures

BigEndian Semiconductors, a fabless semiconductor design startup, announced that it has raised $3 million in funding led by Vertex Ventures SEA & India, with participation from other strategic investors.

The funds will be used to expand the company’s engineering team, enhance research and development capabilities, and scale operations to meet the growing demand for advanced surveillance technology both in India and globally.

India's semiconductor sector, despite being home to 20-25 per cent of the global design talent, has historically lacked a significant presence in the global market. However, recent shifts in the global supply chain and increasingly favourable policies encouraging indigenous semiconductor design are creating fertile ground for semiconductor innovation in India.

Sunil Kumar, co-founder and CEO of BigEndian, in a statement, said, "This investment enables us to accelerate our journey of disrupting the value chain with open, secure, and collaborative technology. Besides our SoCs, we are also building an advanced, truly Indian ecosystem with upstream and downstream innovations, which would be transformative in the nascent Indian semiconductors industry."

This investment will accelerate BigEndian’s trajectory of building semiconductors from India to the world, including its upcoming surveillance system-on-chip (SoC) solution, and further drive the growth of India’s burgeoning semiconductor ecosystem.

Ben Mathias, managing partner of Vertex Ventures SEA & India, said, "Realignment of electronics supply chains has provided a rare opportunity for India to become a global leader in semiconductors. We are excited to be a part of this macro trend, starting with our investment in BigEndian. Their approach to developing a surveillance SoC aligns perfectly with the growing demand for advanced security solutions globally, and the founding team has all the elements that point to BigEndian becoming a future leader in the global semiconductor industry."

BigEndian’s founding team has decades of experience in semiconductor design and a track record of building multiple SoCs out of India. The founders have deep experience leading teams in top global organisations like ARM, Intel, Broadcom, and Cypress, and in cutting-edge startups like Beceem and Arcus.