Engineers at a semiconductor facility examining a surveillance SoC prototype.
Fabless semiconductor startup BigEndian Semiconductors has secured $6 million (approximately ₹57.1 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round. The investment was led by IAN Alpha Fund, with participation from Vertex Ventures SEA & India and IvyCap Ventures, alongside undisclosed angel investors.
The company plans to utilize the capital to bring its initial system-on-chip (SoC) for surveillance equipment to market. Funds will also support scaling product engineering, strengthening foundry partnerships, and developing form factors. BigEndian has indicated the round may remain open for an additional $4 million in funding.
An SoC integrates essential computing components onto a single chip, offering benefits such as reduced space, enhanced power efficiency, and improved performance. BigEndian’s co-founder and CEO, Sunil Kumar, stated that the sample chipset is expected by the end of May, followed by regulatory approvals for testing.
Commercial availability of the SoC is anticipated in the third or fourth quarter of the current fiscal year. Initially, BigEndian will focus on the Indian market before expanding to Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Founded in 2024, BigEndian develops custom integrated circuits and SoCs for surveillance systems. Future plans include expanding into chipsets for enterprise, consumer electronics, and automotive applications. The company had previously raised $3 million in seed funding in August 2024 from Vertex Ventures.
This development aligns with India’s push to bolster its semiconductor industry, highlighted by the recent announcement of India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 in the Union Budget 2026-27. Furthermore, a new mandate requiring surveillance equipment to comply with the Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification regime aims to favor domestic manufacturers over foreign competitors.
The semiconductor startup ecosystem is attracting significant investor interest. Recently, Morphing Machines raised approximately ₹42 crore ($4.4 million) for its chip development, and Vervesemi secured $10 million in Series A funding for its ML-enhanced analog signal chain IC portfolio and existing chip production.
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