In a significant boost for the coastal Karnataka tech corridor, a semiconductor startup originally from North India has chosen Udupi as the base for its research and development operations. Sophrosyne Technologies, which focuses on innovative healthcare technologies, has formally inaugurated its product design and R&D centre in the region, often hailed as India's Silicon Beach.
Funding and Strategic Expansion in Udupi
The startup's journey in Udupi began about a year ago with a modest office. According to co-founder and chief business officer Jatin Gupta, the company secured a strong financial foundation early on, raising $2 million in seed funding from Bluehill VC. The recent inauguration marks the opening of a larger, permanent facility. Adding to its capital, Sophrosyne has also been awarded a $1.2 million grant under the central government's Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, a program designed to boost domestic semiconductor design.
Founder and CEO Manish Srivastava detailed the team's growth trajectory. The Udupi centre launched with a core team of six full-time employees and four consultants. Within a year, that number has swelled to 30 professionals, including in-house experts and domain specialists. The company has an ambitious hiring plan. "We aim to build a robust entry-level talent pipeline and develop engineers for mid-level roles, while also bringing in lateral hires for critical positions," Srivastava stated. The goal is to scale the team to over 50 professionals dedicated to product development and commercialisation within the next year and a half.
Innovative Focus on Healthcare Semiconductors
Sophrosyne Technologies is working on cutting-edge semiconductor solutions tailored for the medical field. The startup is among the pioneering Indian companies developing a single, low-power System-on-Chip (SoC) that can simultaneously measure multiple vital signs like ECG, PPG, temperature, and respiration. This technology is targeted at the next generation of healthcare wearables and AI-driven platforms that provide real-time health insights.
The company's research explores several advanced areas. These include systems for real-time health monitoring, smart surgical navigation tools, brain health chipsets, and radio frequency (RF) based energy-harvesting technologies. The latter is particularly crucial as it aims to significantly extend the battery life of implantable and wearable medical devices.
Why Coastal Karnataka Became the Chosen Hub
Despite being headquartered in North India, both founders have deep roots in Karnataka's professional landscape. Their familiarity with the state's innovation ecosystem led them to select the Manipal-Udupi region. Manish Srivastava explained that the area provides a "natural fit" for their work in medtech and semiconductors.
The founders highlighted a unique collaborative advantage: the close intersection of healthcare and engineering. Proximity to institutions like Kasturba Medical College in Manipal allows for direct collaboration with clinicians. This enables the team to identify real-world medical challenges and validate their use cases early in the development cycle.
On the talent front, the region offers a rich pool of skilled graduates and a strong research culture, thanks to institutions such as NITK Surathkal and MIT Manipal. This combination of clinical proximity and academic excellence creates a powerful feedback loop for sustained R&D. The founders also see long-term potential for phased manufacturing expansion in the region, moving from prototyping and validation to full-scale quality assurance and medical device production.
With its strategic location, government support, and clear growth roadmap, Sophrosyne Technologies' move underscores coastal Karnataka's rising prominence as a serious destination for high-tech innovation and semiconductor design in India.
