Makr Microsystems, a Bengaluru-based semiconductor metrology startup, has raised Rs 10.2 crore (US$1.08 million) in a seed funding round led by frontier-tech venture capital firm Bluehill VC. Artha Venture Fund also participated in the investment. The company plans to use the capital to advance its technology, validate products with customers, and move toward commercial deployment.
Addressing Critical Inspection Challenges
As semiconductor devices become smaller and more complex, many important structures are moving beneath the chip surface. Makr is developing nanoscale 3D subsurface metrology products that allow chipmakers to visualize and measure hidden features without damaging the device. This capability is increasingly important for advanced packaging, hybrid bonding, chiplet interconnects, and three-dimensional chip architectures.
The company's platform combines Acoustic Atomic Force Microscopy, optical tomography, and advanced 3D data analytics. These tools support high-resolution, non-destructive inspection of buried interfaces, chiplet interconnects, and internal defects. Makr aims to make the subsurface measurable at the resolution that next-generation chipmaking demands, reducing the need for destructive sample preparation.
Founder Expertise and Product Focus
Makr Microsystems is led by founder Ashwin Lal, who holds a Ph.D. in Microtechnology from EPFL and an M.Sc. in Physics from IIT Kanpur. He previously worked as an engineer at Applied Materials and founded Shilps Sciences. The broader team brings expertise in semiconductor metrology, atomic force microscopy, MEMS, embedded systems, and scientific instrumentation.
The new funding will support continued technology development, customer validation, and progression toward commercial deployment. Makr plans to test and refine its products with semiconductor manufacturers to ensure they meet industry requirements. The company is positioning itself to serve an increasingly three-dimensional manufacturing environment where traditional inspection methods face significant limitations.
Investor Confidence and Strategic Context
Bluehill VC views Makr as a bet on the deeper layers of the semiconductor value chain, where equipment and measurement technologies are critical but often less visible. The investment follows Bluehill VC's final close of its maiden fund at Rs 400 crore. The firm focuses on frontier technologies across defence, space, semiconductors, advanced materials, energy, and industrial sectors.
According to Bluehill VC General Partner Manu Iyer, world-class semiconductor equipment and technology can be built from India. He said the firm is excited about companies that sit deeper in critical technology value chains. Makr is solving a difficult problem as the industry moves toward increasingly complex architectures, and Bluehill considers this a global opportunity.
India is expanding its semiconductor ambitions beyond fabs and chip design to include equipment, materials, research, and broader supply-chain capabilities. The India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 reflects this wider focus on building a more complete ecosystem. Makr's work aligns with these efforts to create globally relevant deeptech companies from India and serve global markets.
With its seed funding in place, Makr Microsystems is set to advance a technology that could improve process control, defect detection, and yield in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The startup is addressing a hard-to-reach part of the value chain at a time when chip architectures are becoming more three-dimensional across the industry. Its progress will be closely watched as India builds deeper capabilities in semiconductor equipment and metrology for global markets.