Mela Ventures, 1Crowd, others invest Rs 20 crore in start-up SimYog

Mela Ventures—founded by the co-founders of erstwhile IT major Mindtree—along with 1Crowd has participated in a funding round of SimYog, a start-up providing electromagnetic interference and compliance (EMI/EMC) simulation testing platform.

Mela Ventures Trust is a Sebi-approved AIF Category-2 fund for early-stage companies and focuses on building a portfolio in areas such as AI/ML, AR/VR, IoT, Cloud Migration and Deep Technologies. Mela Ventures was founded by industry veterans, Krishnakumar Natarajan and Parthasarathy NS who co-founded Mindtree.

The funding round also saw existing investor IdeaSpring participating in the fund raise that saw the start-up raising Rs 20 crore.

Bengaluru-based SimYog, which is also an IISc incubated start-up, is a unique collaboration among academia, corporate, and venture capitalists to back a deep tech solution out of India for the world. Founded by Prof. Dipanjan Gope, Anant Devi, and Harikiran Muniganti, the company is already working with Fortune 100 and emerging companies.

The focus area of the start-up assumes significance because with the density of electronics increasing in all kinds of systems, there comes an inherent challenge of EMI/EMC as the only solution available today is to test the final product in a lab. 

Incidentally, EMI/EMC contributes to a significant percentage of compliance failures in products at verification and the mandatory certification stage with global research institutions estimating that around 50 per cent of all electronic devices falter when it comes to EMI/EMC certification on the first trial. 

This also causes cost escalations, delays in product introduction while potentially causing post-launch product recalls, and consequently leading to a negative financial impact -- the cumulative loss across all companies globally is pegged in billions of dollars every year.

Founded in 2017, SimYog makes EMI/EMC simulation software for front-loading at the early design stage. The platform tests product designs for EMI/EMC compatibility across a spectrum of scenarios and user applications, which, in turn, increases the probability of passing certification tests on the first attempt. 

Interestingly, the platform does not only pinpoint the EMI/EMC-related issues at the design stage, but using its diagnostics prowess, also recommends beneficial design modifications that are not typically possible in traditional physical labs.

“I am very excited about the collaboration with academia, corporate and venture capitalists. It clearly shows the overall confidence in the problem we are trying to solve and the solution itself,” said Dipanjan Gope, Founder and CEO, SimYog.

“The mentorship from Mela Ventures is going to be invaluable in our global growth story. It is our dream to say that there is a bit of SimYog in every electronic device one touches. This investment will help us reach many customers who are facing the challenge of EMI/EMC testing and help them release quality products faster and cost effectively,” added Gope.

RK Shenoy, CTO Bosch Global Software Technologies, said, “SimYog’s EMI/EMC simulation at the design stage significantly reduces the risk of delays & higher verification cost during the certification stage. One can benefit from sample production cost savings, faster time-to-market, and improved product performance. SimYog plays a significant part in our product success, and we are excited about the promising roadmap.”

In a similar context, N.S. Parthasarathy, Managing Partner, Mela Ventures, said that with higher expectations from consumers, product companies are packing more technology in constrained spaces, leading to potential challenges in signal interferences. 

“EMI/EMC simulation tool in the early stages of the design cycle is crucial need. SimYog has cracked the code on that front, and we are delighted to see the rapid progress they are making in this space. Having an enviable client roster is a testimonial by itself to the category they have chosen to own and lead,” said Parthasarathy.

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