Participated · Series B · Apr 2026

Founded in 2022, EVAS Intelligence develops full-stack RISC-V AI computing chips and platform solutions, centering on its Epoch series optimized for large-model training and deep learning. The Epoch series uses a TPU-like architecture on an open-source RISC-V and RVV technical foundation, natively supports FP8 quantization, and is compatible with low-precision formats such as FP4 and MXFP4. EVAS has achieved mass production of the Epoch chips and has built a product matrix that includes chips, PCIe cards, servers, and intelligent computing clusters for deployments from single units to large-scale infrastructure. The company plans to commercialize and ramp up production of the Epoch series, develop a next-generation flagship chip, strengthen its software-hardware ecosystem, and expand globally.

Participated · Series B · Sep 2021

SynSense focuses on neuromorphic (brain‑inspired) perception computing and delivers soft‑hardware integrated solutions for edge scenarios. Its product portfolio includes the Speck™ dynamic-vision SoC series, DVS event cameras, the Aeveon™ fusion camera, and neuromorphic processors such as DYNAP™-CNN and Xylo™. The core team was assembled in 2017 and the company was incubated from the Zurich Neural Information Research Institute; it operates R&D centers and joint labs in Zurich, Ningbo, Shanghai, and Chengdu. SynSense emphasizes low‑power, low‑latency, high energy‑efficiency perception and claims 2–3 orders of magnitude improvement in power, real‑time performance, and compute efficiency versus traditional AI approaches. The company is prioritizing DVS event camera mass production and integration with its edge neuromorphic chips, while also developing the next‑generation Aeveon™ fusion camera for mobile, automotive, robotics, and XR markets. Raised funds will be used for mass production of DVS and Aeveon products, R&D on high‑compute neuromorphic edge inference chips, and deeper collaboration with academic and research institutions. SynSense, founded in 2017, develops ultra-low-power neuromorphic hardware and application solutions that bring brain-inspired sensing and on-device processing to edge use cases. Its core products include Speck™, a smart vision sensor with an integrated neuromorphic AI processor that delivers real-time vision processing at milliwatt power consumption, and the Xylo™ product family for ultra-low-power audio and bio-signal processing. Speck has entered mass production, and Xylo-Audio is scheduled to enter mass production in the second half of the year. The company expanded into China in 2020 and has established partnerships with BMW, CETHIK, leading animal husbandry firms in China, and various European tech companies and innovation institutions. SynSense plans to use new capital to accelerate mass production of Speck and to support development of edge computing applications across smart homes, intelligent security, precision farming, autonomous driving, and drones. The company is a Venture Kick and Venture Leaders alum and received a CHF 10,000 Venture Kick award in 2016. SynSense is a neuromorphic (brain‑inspired) intelligent chip design and R&D company that develops ultra‑low‑power, ultra‑low‑latency solutions for edge AI. Founded in February 2017 in Zurich and relocated its headquarters to China in April 2020, the firm draws on more than two decades of neuromorphic research from the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. In July it launched Speck, a fully event‑driven dynamic vision SoC integrating DVS sensing and a DYNAP‑CNN compute core, claiming milliwatt‑level power and millisecond latency for privacy‑preserving edge vision. The company reports R&D centers in Zurich, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu and Suzhou and nearly 100 technical staff, with ~80% of employees in R&D and roughly half holding PhDs or equivalent. SynSense highlights broad industry partnerships and awards, small‑scale Speck production expected by end of 2021, and plans to use new funding to accelerate neuromorphic chip R&D and industrialization for AI edge computing. SynSense (formerly aiCTX) develops neuromorphic computing and smart vision sensor technology focused on ultra-low-power, ultra-low-latency edge AI. The company’s patented event-routing technology targets applications including autonomous robots, always-on mobile co-processors, wearable healthcare, security, IoT and network-edge computing. SynSense recently closed a Series A fundraising to fund R&D and business development and accelerate commercialization. Following the round it announced expansion into China with offices and R&D teams in Shanghai and Chengdu and a roadmap to commercialization in China in 2020. The funds are intended to sharpen the company’s technology and drive industrial penetration in Smart Home, robotics and smart surveillance markets. Leadership emphasizes using the new capital and investor resources to strengthen SynSense’s position in key sectors. aiCTX develops full‑stack custom neuromorphic processors aimed at ultra‑low‑power, ultra‑low‑latency AI edge applications such as autonomous robots, always‑on co‑processors for mobile and embedded devices, wearable health systems, security, IoT, and network‑edge computing. Its technology builds on over 20 years of neuromorphic computing hardware research from the Institute of Neuroinformatics at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich. The company is working toward commercial, product‑driven solutions rather than purely academic computing fabrics, pursuing dedicated chips tailored to specific applications. aiCTX recently received a capital increase of USD 1.5M to accelerate development of commercial neuromorphic chips and their application-specific variants. It also secured a four‑year FET‑Proactive H2020 grant to explore brain‑silicon neural closed‑loop systems as a step toward compact brain‑machine interfaces. The new funding and grant support are intended to speed product development and commercialization efforts.

Led · Series A · Sep 2020

SemiDrive Technology is a Chinese automotive chipmaker that develops and supplies chips for vehicles. The company is backed by investor HongShan. On July 12 the company announced it had raised 1 billion yuan ($137.7 million) in strategic funding. The financing was described as strategic funding; the article did not specify whether it was equity, debt, or another instrument. No revenue, user metrics, past rounds, or specific future plans were disclosed in the article. Nanjing SemiDrive Technology Co., Ltd develops automotive system-on-chip (SoC) products. The company is presented as a Chinese startup with Nanjing in its name. It announced a significant Series B financing, signaling growth-stage capital inflow. The raise amounted to nearly 1 billion yuan (about $154 million). The article does not provide operating metrics, product roadmap details, or future plans. No information on investors or specific use of proceeds was included in the report. Nanjing SemiDrive Technology completed a 500 million yuan (about $73 million) Series A round led by CTC Capital. The article provides no details on the company's products, market focus, founding year, or location. No operating metrics, revenue figures, or user numbers were reported. The coverage did not disclose additional participating investors or specific deal terms beyond the round size and lead investor. This item appeared in a China Digest roundup alongside other regional venture activity.

Led · Series E · May 2020

思必驰 is a professional conversational artificial intelligence platform company that develops language large models and AI dialogue technologies. The company says it will increase R&D investment in language large models and conversational AI. It plans to accelerate deployment of standardized software and hardware products across multiple scenarios. 思必驰 reports nearly 1,500 authorized pieces of intellectual property, including about 550 invention patents. The company has led or participated in more than 70 technical and product standards. The recent financing will support its technology development and product rollouts. AISpeech develops vocal biometrics and a voice assistant platform that can identify a speaker and analyze their tone of voice. The company provides natural language processing for a variety of IoT devices and produces its own voice recognition AI chip (TH1520) as an alternative to chips from larger tech firms. Its technology is used by companies including Alibaba, Xiaomi, and Lenovo. AISpeech plans to increase research and production capacity and is targeting digitization projects for government and finance as well as expanding its presence in cars. The firm highlights automotive ambitions through partnerships and investors such as BAIC Capital. The startup has raised about $179.2 million to date and, according to China Money Network, is making plans for an IPO.