Frontier-tech-focused venture capital firm Bluehill.VC has led a ₹10.2 crore seed funding round in Makr Microsystems, a semiconductor metrology startup developing technologies to visualise and measure hidden structures and defects beneath semiconductor surfaces. The round also saw participation from Artha Venture Fund.
Makr Microsystems is developing nanoscale 3D subsurface metrology solutions based on innovations including Acoustic Atomic Force Microscopy (AAFM), Optical Tomography and advanced 3D data analytics software. Its technology aims to provide high-resolution, non-destructive analysis for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
The company plans to deploy the fresh capital towards technology development, customer validation and commercialisation. Its initial applications include advanced packaging, hybrid bonding, buried interfaces, chiplet interconnects and defect detection.
“Makr is solving a difficult problem in semiconductor manufacturing at a time when the industry is moving toward increasingly complex architectures. We believe this is a global opportunity, and that world-class semiconductor equipment and technology can be built from India,” said Manu Iyer, General Partner, Bluehill.VC.
Founded and led by Ashwin Lal, Makr is focused on addressing growing inspection challenges as semiconductor architectures become increasingly three-dimensional. Lal holds an M.Sc. in Physics from IIT Kanpur and a Ph.D. in Microtechnology from EPFL, and has previously founded Shilps Sciences and worked as an engineer at Applied Materials.
“Understanding what is happening beneath the surface is becoming critical to improving yield. Our goal is to make the subsurface measurable, non-destructively and at the resolution the next generation of chipmaking demands,” said Ashwin Lal, Founder, Makr Microsystems.
The investment comes soon after Bluehill.VC announced the final close of its maiden fund at ₹400 crore. The firm said Makr reflects its strategy of backing deeptech companies addressing critical layers of the semiconductor value chain, including equi
ment, measurement and manufacturing technologies.
The funding also comes amid India’s expanding semiconductor ambitions under India Semiconductor Mission 2.0, which increasingly encompasses semiconductor equipment, materials, R&D and supply-chain capabilities alongside chip design and fabrication.
With the semiconductor industry globally moving toward advanced packaging, chiplets and 3D architectures, Makr aims to build a globally relevant metrology platform from India for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.
