Led · Equity · Dec 2024

Headquartered in Sacramento, California with an additional engineering base in Hyderabad, India, Azimuth AI designs highly integrated, energy-efficient SoCs that push AI processing to the edge. Its flagship product, the ARKA-GKT1 chip, is built on a Software-Defined Silicon architecture that delivers up to 10× performance improvement over general-purpose integrated chips while enhancing security and reliability. The chip was publicly launched in November 2025 by India’s Minister of Electronics & IT, marking the nation’s first smart-utility-focused silicon and reinforcing Azimuth AI’s role in bolstering semiconductor self-reliance. ARKA-GKT1 is currently undergoing full qualification and customer testing and is slated to reach production volumes later in 2026. With customer pilots already underway, the company plans to scale into large-scale deployments across smart utilities and industrial IoT during 2026. Although no revenue figures were disclosed, the firm highlights more than 30 successful SoC tape-outs by its leadership team and is positioning itself for global market expansion following its latest capital infusion.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2019

Cylus builds CylusOne, a rail cybersecurity platform that offers continuous monitoring and 360-degree real-time protection for mainline and urban railway systems. The platform enables real-time threat detection, advanced forensics, mitigation, and simplified security operations while integrating with new and legacy systems without network-architecture changes. CylusOne installs in a few hours with zero downtime and claims full visibility within seconds. The company announced a $30M Series B and said total funding now exceeds $57M; it did not disclose a post-money valuation. Cylus plans to use the capital to expand globally across North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific and to hire specialists in cybersecurity, traffic management and onboard/trackside systems. The company also intends to strengthen its AI and machine learning capabilities and has announced a strategic partnership with Alstom to protect the Tel-Aviv red line’s signaling and train control systems. Cylus is an Israel-based company founded in 2017 that develops cybersecurity solutions tailored to the railway sector. Its flagship product, CylusOne, is designed for the diversity and complexity of rail and metro environments and protects signalling, control, communications, trackside and onboard systems. CylusOne uses machine learning to speed detection of malware and artificial intelligence to determine behaviour and handle responses. The system is compatible with CBTC and ETCS and is intended for both mainline and urban networks to maximize performance, capacity and availability. Cylus entered a commercial partnership with Alstom, which invested US$7 million for a minority stake and will take one board seat; the technology is slated for initial implementation on the Tel Aviv metropolitan light rail system serving about 200,000 passengers a day. The partnership aims to integrate cybersecurity into rail processes and solutions globally and to help drive cyber-resilience standards for mobility. Cylus is a Tel Aviv-based company that develops cybersecurity solutions for railways and metro operators. Its core product, CylusOne, detects threats across signalling and control networks, as well as trackside and onboard systems, enabling timely responses before harm occurs. The company says rail systems have become technologically advanced and face growing cyberattack threats. Cylus reports established relationships with key players in the rail industry and growing partnerships with leading rail operators. Financially, Cylus secured $12 million in its latest funding round from Cyient, Cerca Partners, GlenRock, and FollowTheSeed, bringing total funding to $17 million to date. Cylus develops a platform that enables rail companies to detect cyber-attacks in their operational networks, including signaling systems and rolling stock, and to block attackers before they can cause damage. Key platform features include enhanced security that preserves existing safety mechanisms, centralized operational visibility through a unique interface that makes trackside and trainborne devices visible to operators, multi-vendor integrated systems protection to identify weak links, and preemptive threat response. The company targets railways and metros and is led by CEO Amir Levintal, formerly director of the IDF Cyber R&D Division; Boaz Zafrir serves as president and is a former CEO of Israel Railways. Cylus was founded in 2017 by veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces' Intelligence Corps' technological intelligence and security units. As of January 2018 the company raised $4.7M in seed funding from investors including Zohar Zisapel, Magma Venture Partners, Vertex Ventures and the SBI Group. The platform's focus on safety-integrated cybersecurity and multi-vendor support positions it to serve operators seeking centralized visibility and proactive defense.