BigEndian Semiconductors raised $6 M Pre-series A funding from IAN Alpha Fund

Startup of a fabless semiconductor In a pre-Series, BigEndian Semiconductors has raised $6 million. IAN Alpha Fund is leading the funding round, which also includes strategic angel investors, IvyCap Ventures, and current investors Vertex Ventures SEA and India.

The Bengaluru-based startup had previously raised $3 million from Vertex Ventures in an August 2024 seed funding round.

According to a press release from the company, the proceeds will be utilized to scale product engineering, commercialize its first system on chip SoC, and improve relationships with foundries, IP ecosystems, and OEMs.

BigEndian Semiconductors is a fabless semiconductor startup that was founded in March 2024 by Sunil Kumar, Renuka Prasad, Dinesh Annayya, Kanagaraju Ponnusamy, and Jansen Cheng. The company creates safe, high-performing SoCs in India for use in international applications. The company specializes in creating silicon platforms for enterprise systems, telecom, IoT, and surveillance.

With knowledge of embedded software, system architecture, and VLSI, BigEndian combines hardware and software. It is creating reliable silicon solutions for both commercial and national security applications.

Fabless semiconductors require long-term funding, in-depth technical knowledge, and a high tolerance for early-stage risk—areas where India’s ecosystem is still developing. The company is developing unique silicon intellectual property while managing intricate design, verification, and tape out cycles as global supply chains diversify.

BigEndian is working to support semiconductor innovation from architecture and tape out to product launch through strategic partnerships in Taiwan and India.

Netrasemi, L&T, Mindgrove, and Novatek are significant participants in this market.