Startup funding in India for deeptech manufacturing got another boost: speciality chemicals manufacturer Scimplify has raised $25 million in a funding round led by Hitachi Ventures, as it plans to expand its research and manufacturing operations in the US, cofounder Sachin Santhosh told ET. The round also saw participation from existing investors Accel India, Bertelsmann India Investments, Omnivore and 3one4 Capital, alongside new strategic investors Henkel and Teknor Apex — both customers of the company.
The Bengaluru-based company plans to invest around $10 million over the next two years in the US, expanding its presence in the market for advanced materials used in semiconductors, batteries and critical minerals. The raise takes Scimplify's total equity funding to $80 million.
Profitable, sevenfold growth, and a $200M revenue run rate
Founded in 2023 by Sachin Santhosh, Salil Srivastava, Dheeraj Dhingra and Hersh Manek, Scimplify builds an AI-enabled platform, Scinode, that maps over 500 manufacturing facilities to develop and scale chemical processes. Its revenue has grown more than sevenfold since its previous fundraise, and the company says it has turned profitable, with an annualised revenue run rate of about $200 million and customers across more than 40 countries.
Why it matters for founders
Scimplify is what deeptech investors now hunt: profitable, scaling fast, and solving a supply-chain problem Western governments will pay to fix. The strategic angle matters — customers Henkel and Teknor Apex invested and will manufacture alongside it. Founders in hard-tech should court strategic investors early: their cheques come with purchase orders.