Vervesemi, DLI Scheme-Backed Chip Design Startup, Raises $10 Million in Series A Funding
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New Delhi: Vervesemi Microelectronics, the first company approved under the Government of India's Design Linked Incentive Scheme, has raised $10 million (approximately ₹90 crore) in a Series A funding round. The investment marks a significant vote of confidence in India's semiconductor design ecosystem.
Funding Details
The funding round was led by investor Ashish Kacholia and Unicorn India Ventures, with participation from Roots Ventures, Caperize Fina, and MAIQ Growth Scheme.
The funds will be utilized for three strategic purposes. The company will accelerate commercialization of its machine learning-enhanced analog signal chain chip portfolio including advanced data converters and intelligent power and sensing solutions for industrial, smart energy, motor control, and avionics applications.
The investment will also support production readiness and qualification of existing silicon, along with expansion of engineering and applications teams to serve global customers. Additionally, the company will expand its IP portfolio and strengthen R&D in next-generation precision analog architectures while building market presence across Asia, the United States, and other key semiconductor markets.
Company Background
Founded in 2017 by industry veterans with experience at global semiconductor companies, Vervesemi holds an impressive portfolio of over 140 semiconductor IPs, 25 IC products, 10 granted patents, and 5 trade secrets.
The company is developing chips for space, defence, industrial, and smart energy applications. It was the first startup approved under the government's DLI Scheme and has also received support under the Chips to Startup programme.
Key Chip Designs and Applications
Vervesemi has developed multiple chip variants targeting diverse applications across sectors.
A Data Acquisition avionic chip for identified space customers has been fabricated and is undergoing customer evaluation at a space customer. It is manufactured at 55nm UMC foundry with production targeted for 2027 first quarter.
A BLDC Controller chipset with 90 percent indigenous BOM combines three chips including an indigenous RISC-V microprocessor, quad gate driver chip with DC-DC, and power MOSFET. It is designed for fans, exhaust systems, solar applications, and power inverters. The controller chip is in fabrication while the gate driver-MOSFET chip has been fabricated and is undergoing customer evaluation. Production is targeted for 2026 fourth quarter.
A Precision Motor-Control chip using RISC-V microprocessor is designed for drones, EVs, and industrial automation. It has been fabricated and is undergoing testing at 55nm UMC foundry with production targeted for 2026 third quarter.
An Energy Metering chip fabricated and tested at 180nm TSMC foundry is targeted for energy meter applications with production scheduled for 2026 fourth quarter.
A Bridge Applications chip for weighing scales and force touch applications has been fabricated and tested at 180nm TSMC foundry with production targeted for 2026 third quarter.
Government Support and Vision
The project for BLDC motor controller targeted for fans and exhaust systems was awarded to Vervesemi by Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw on March 20, 2025.
During the award ceremony, the Minister emphasized that India must evolve from a service nation to a product nation through indigenous software and hardware solutions. He stressed that innovation should emerge from a broad ecosystem involving academia, startups, students, and researchers, with development spanning the full technology spectrum from high-volume deployment chips to high-value strategic platforms.
The progress achieved by Vervesemi in less than a year since the announcement demonstrates that DLI-supported firms are delivering multiple chip tape-outs, silicon-proven designs, patents, reusable IPs, trained talent, and operational design infrastructure.
DLI Scheme Impact
The Design Linked Incentive Scheme under the Semicon India Programme has approved 24 semiconductor design projects from domestic startups and MSMEs for financial support. These companies are developing chips for strategic and commercial applications including satellite communications, drones, surveillance cameras, IoT devices, LED drivers, AI systems, telecom equipment, and smart meters.
Over 400 organizations including more than 100 startups and 300 academic institutions have been granted access to advanced chip design tools hosted centrally at C-DAC Bengaluru, cumulatively utilizing 2.25 crore hours of tool usage, making this one of the largest user bases globally.
Bottom Line
Vervesemi's successful $10 million funding round demonstrates that structured government support under the DLI Scheme has strengthened investor confidence in India's semiconductor design ecosystem. As silicon-validated designs move toward volume manufacturing and deployment, Indian companies are positioning themselves as credible global suppliers while strengthening domestic supply chains and self-reliance.