AGNIT Semiconductors just raised $2.6 million in a seed extension round led by Shastra VC, its first bet on India’s semiconductor scene with follow-on support from 3one4 Capital and Zephyr Peacock, who kicked off the original $3.5 million seed.
Born out of a seven-year incubation at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Bengaluru startup calls itself India’s first fully vertically integrated GaN chipmaker, covering everything from raw materials to RF devices.
The new funding will supercharge production, aiming for around 100,000 GaN components over the next two years as they shift from pilot runs to real commercial scale. Backed by a solid patent stash in GaN materials, wafer fab processes, and RF design all stemming from over a decade of IISc research they’re gunning for high-power uses where GaN blows silicon out of the water.
GaN Chip Sweet Spots: Defense, Telecom, Power
Right now, AGNIT has three pilots underway and a fourth teed up soon, with early traction from defense apps like radar systems and jammers that could gobble up 10,000+ chips each.
CEO Hareesh Chandrasekar says at least two should hit volume production in 6-9 months, opening doors in telecom gear and power electronics.
The big picture is to push GaN to replace clunky silicon power amps in RF setups, chasing silicon-level costs at scale for 5G base stations, ultra-fast chargers, solar inverters, and EVs.
With backing from ex-Cognizant CEO Lakshmi Narayanan, they just signed an MoU under India’s iDEX scheme with the Ministry of Defence for next-gen GaN wireless transmitters.
Leadership Comments
Hareesh Chandrasekar, Co-founder & CEO: “We’ve got three pilots live now, fourth coming by month-end. Two at least will scale to volume in 6-9 months. GaN’s huge upside in 5G, charging, and inverters is still wide open—we’re driving silicon economics with IISc and MeitY in our corner.”
Ashis Nayak, Founding Partner at Shastra VC: “GaN is the backbone of high-performance electronics. AGNIT’s IP story, built on killer IISc patents, puts India on the GaN map. Excited to fuel their growth.”
Chandrasekar on going global: “Starting local, but the world’s our oyster. Beefing up the team as deals turn commercial.”
