Female-founded semiconductor AI startup SixSense raises $8.5M

Based in Singapore, SixSense, a deep tech startup, is transforming the semiconductor industry with its innovative AI-driven platform. The company has successfully raised $8.5 million in its Series A funding round, increasing its total funding to approximately $12 million. This funding round was spearheaded by Peak XV’s Surge, previously known as Sequoia India & SEA, along with contributions from Alpha Intelligence Capital, Febe, and other investors. Founded in 2018 by engineers Akanksha Jagwani, the Chief Technology Officer, and Avni Agarwal, the Chief Executive Officer, SixSense is tackling a critical issue in semiconductor manufacturing. The startup's goal is to convert large volumes of raw production data—from defect images to machinery signals—into actionable insights, helping factories avert quality problems and optimize yield. Despite the extensive data generated on production lines, the co-founders were surprised by the lack of real-time intelligence available. Akanksha Jagwani brings a wealth of experience in manufacturing and quality control from her tenure at companies like Hyundai Motors and GE, where she developed automation solutions. Avni Agarwal, with her background at Visa, has expertise in building significant data analytics systems, many of which were later secured as trade secrets. Her interest in applying AI to traditional industries led them to focus on semiconductors after exploring various sectors. During discussions with over 50 engineers, they discovered a considerable opportunity to modernize quality inspection processes, which remain predominantly manual and fragmented. Despite the precision expected in the semiconductor sector, Agarwal highlighted the inefficiencies in current inspection methods, stating, "Most tools just display data without analysis, leaving engineers to manually identify patterns and anomalies, which is slow and subjective." SixSense’s platform equips engineers with early alerts to potential issues, featuring capabilities such as defect detection, root cause analysis, and failure prediction. The platform is tailored for process engineers, allowing them to adjust models using their own fab data and implement them quickly—often within two days—without needing any coding skills. In a competitive landscape that includes in-house teams using tools like Cognex and Halcon, as well as AI integration from inspection equipment manufacturers, SixSense's technology is already being utilized by leading semiconductor firms like GlobalFoundries and JCET. The results have been impressive, with customers reporting production cycles that are up to 30% faster, a 1-2% increase in yield, and a 90% reduction in manual inspection efforts. The startup's target market includes large chip manufacturers, such as foundries and integrated device manufacturers, with ongoing projects in regions like Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Israel, and plans to expand into the U.S. The shifting geopolitical landscape, particularly between the U.S. and China, is prompting new investments in chip manufacturing worldwide. Agarwal noted, "New facilities are emerging in Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, India, and the U.S., which presents a favorable environment for our AI-native solutions, especially as they start without legacy systems."