Starshine Semiconductor, which manufactures radio frequency (RF) filters and modules, has raised 1 billion yuan ($137.6 million) in its Series B funding round.
RF filters are imperative for all electronic devices as they can receive or block certain frequencies, hence wireless communication can allow voice and data to traverse through the airwaves without interference.
The round saw the participation of Chinese telecom giant China Mobile and Wenzhou City’s state investment platform, per the release.
Founded in November 2020, the Wenzhou-headquartered firm previously gathered 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) in an equity financing round from several local investment firms Anxin Capital, Fenghua Capital, and Walden International, as well as mobile terminal applications firm Shenzhen eCell Communication Technologies, in September 2022.
With offices across Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Xi’an, and Suzhou, the firm taps into an RF front-end market that has long been dominated by foreign players including the likes of Skyworks, Qorvo, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and Murata.
As China ramps up its efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in chips, firms like StarShine have been attracting rising investor attention.
Chinese chip-making startups completed the most deals in May as the country continues to strive for semiconductor self-sufficiency. The strategic sector saw 24 startups raising a total of $243.9 million, according to DealStreetAsia’s proprietary data.