Sensilicon Secures Over $10 Million in Funding and Launches Signal Chain Products at International Advanced Levels
Dalton Venture
Venture Capital Institutions in the Medical and Health Field
BlueRun Ventures China
Venture Capital Institution
SCGC
Investment Institutions in Innovative Fields
SENSILICON, a domestic manufacturer of high-performance mixed-signal and signal chain ICs, completed two rounds of financing totaling over $10 million in 2021. The angel round was led by BlueRun Ventures China, and the Pre-A round was led by Shenzhen CO-WIN Venture CAPITAL Investmen Limited (National SME Development Fund), with participation from SCGC and Dalton Venture. The funds are primarily designated for new product development and operational expansion.
Shanhai Semiconductor was established in 2020, with operations in Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hefei. Its core team members hail from TI, Qualcomm, and leading domestic semiconductor companies, bringing nearly two decades of industry experience in both market and technical domains. The company focuses on the research, development, and sales of high-performance mixed-signal and signal chain chips, primarily serving the industrial and automotive markets.
The Shanhai Semiconductor team stated:According to a report by IC Insights, the global market size for mixed-signal and signal chain chips is expected to exceed $12 billion in 2022 (excluding specialized products such as RF chips), with the Chinese market accounting for more than one-third. As Industry 4.0 and the new energy sector accelerate, future growth prospects remain highly optimistic. However, China’s self-sufficiency rate for chips used in advanced industrial and automotive manufacturing remains below 10%, predominantly comprising low- to mid-end products, while core components still rely heavily on imports. Driven by international geopolitical dynamics and supply shortages over the past two years, the industry has operated as a “demand-driven seller’s market,” but it is now transitioning toward a “value- and differentiation-driven realistic market.” Shanhai focuses on high-end and mid-range products that represent critical technological bottlenecks (“choke points”). With the capability and patience to overcome significant challenges, Shanhai faces substantial market opportunities for growth.
Shi Jianping, Investment Partner at BlueRun Ventures China, stated: “The industrial and automotive sectors present extremely high market and technical barriers, imposing stringent requirements on team capabilities. The marketing and systems teams at Shanhai Semiconductor hail from top-tier companies such as Texas Instruments (TI), demonstrating a deep and precise understanding of applications and customer needs. Its R&D team has focused on high-performance analog technologies for nearly two decades and possesses extensive experience in mass production. We are highly optimistic about this pragmatic team that balances both market insight and technological expertise, and we believe they will achieve steady and long-term success.”
Zhang Wenjun, Executive Partner at CO-WIN Venture Capital, stated: “Currently, a significant portion of domestically produced chip products remains concentrated in the mid-to-low-end market, with few offerings capable of benchmarking against advanced international standards. Since investing in Shanhai, we have been excited to see them pioneer the launch of products in China whose core performance metrics match the high-end levels of Texas Instruments (TI) and Analog Devices (ADI), effectively filling a domestic gap. We are highly confident that Shanhai’s products will not only achieve widespread adoption within China but also successfully expand into global markets.”
Zhang Zhikai, head of SCGC Industrial Fund, stated: “Against the dual backdrop of long-term dominance of the domestic market by overseas chip giants and the global chip shortage and price hikes last year, China’s advanced manufacturing industry has become acutely aware of supply chain security issues, accelerating the adoption and commercialization of products from domestic semiconductor companies. SCGC is highly optimistic about Shanhai Semiconductor’s strategic positioning to address ‘chokepoint’ chip technologies critical to national security, and looks forward to Shanhai safeguarding the vast advanced manufacturing industries in which SCGC has invested.”
Sun Qi, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture, stated: “China’s medical equipment and device sector is flourishing, yet the upstream chip supply remains heavily reliant on imports. This not only affects the cost of critical medical devices but also threatens supply chain security and sustained technological innovation within the industry. With its outstanding market capabilities and technical advantages, Shanhai Semiconductor is expected to continue empowering the development and innovation of China’s medical equipment and device industry.”