SwitchOn Raises $8 Million to Take AI Quality Inspection to More Factories

SwitchOn, a Bengaluru-based manufacturing tech startup, has raised $8 million in a Pre-Series B funding round led by IvyCap Ventures. SIG Tattva and Trifecta Capital also joined the round.

The company builds AI-based quality inspection systems for factories. In simple words, its technology helps manufacturers find product defects automatically, using cameras and computer vision instead of depending only on manual checking.

This is a serious problem in manufacturing. A small scratch, wrong label, crack, missing part or surface defect can lead to rejected products, recalls, customer complaints and wasted material. SwitchOn wants to help factories catch these problems faster and more accurately.

What SwitchOn does

SwitchOn was founded by Aniruddha Banerjee and Avra Banerjee. The startup works in the industrial AI space, especially quality inspection for manufacturing lines.

Its flagship platform, DeepInspect, uses computer vision to inspect products moving quickly on production lines. Computer vision means AI that can “see” and understand images from cameras.

The company says its system can inspect more than 1,200 products per minute, deliver over 99 percent detection accuracy and reduce quality-related costs by up to 50 percent.

That is useful for sectors where speed and accuracy both matter, such as consumer goods, automotive, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

Funding details

SwitchOn has raised $8 million in Pre-Series B funding. The round was led by IvyCap Ventures, with participation from SIG Tattva and Trifecta Capital.

The startup plans to use the money for international expansion, stronger research and development, and bigger sales and go-to-market teams.

It will also invest in next-generation physical AI. Physical AI refers to AI systems that work with real machines, cameras, sensors and factory equipment, not only software screens.

Startup aim and purpose

SwitchOn’s aim is to make quality inspection faster, smarter and less dependent on human fatigue.

Manual inspection has limits. A person checking products for hours can miss tiny defects, especially on fast-moving lines. Some defects are also too small or too repetitive for human eyes to catch consistently.

SwitchOn’s purpose is not to remove people from factories completely. The better way to see it is this – AI handles the repetitive inspection work, while humans focus on decisions, maintenance, process improvement and quality control.

For example, if a packaged food company needs to check whether labels are printed correctly on thousands of packets, AI can scan each item quickly. If a car parts maker wants to detect scratches or surface defects, the system can flag doubtful pieces before they move ahead.

Why manufacturers need this

Factories are under pressure to produce more, waste less and keep quality consistent. A single bad batch can hurt margins and brand trust.

AI inspection can help in three ways. It can catch defects early, reduce rejected goods and create data about where problems are happening.

That last part is important. If defects are happening again and again at one machine or one stage, the factory can fix the root cause instead of only removing bad products at the end.

This is where SwitchOn’s technology can become more valuable than a simple camera setup.

Current reach and customers

SwitchOn says it has deployed systems on more than 170 production lines across over 60 manufacturing facilities in four continents.

Its customer list includes names such as Unilever, Bosch, Maruti Suzuki and ALPA. That gives the startup credibility because large manufacturers usually test such systems carefully before using them in production.

The company’s first production deployments started in 2021, and it has since moved beyond India into global markets.

Competitors

SwitchOn competes in a growing industrial AI and machine vision market.

Globally, companies such as Cognex, Keyence, Landing AI, Instrumental and other machine vision firms operate in related areas. In India, manufacturing automation and robotics startups are also building solutions for inspection, factory intelligence and process automation.

SwitchOn’s edge will depend on how well its system works in real factory conditions. Factory floors are not clean demo rooms. Lighting changes, products move fast, dust appears, machines vibrate and defect types can vary. The best system is the one that keeps working accurately after installation.

Why this funding matters

The funding comes at a good time for India’s manufacturing push. Sectors like electronics, automobiles, semiconductors, consumer goods and pharmaceuticals are all trying to improve quality and scale.

Government programmes such as Make in India and PLI schemes have also pushed companies to build more locally. As manufacturing grows, quality systems must grow with it.

For SwitchOn, this is a chance to become an Indian industrial AI company with global relevance.

Challenges ahead

The opportunity is big, but the work is hard. Selling to factories takes time. Each production line may need custom setup, testing and integration.

The company will also need to prove that its AI can handle different materials, shapes, speeds and defect types. A system that works well in one industry may need changes for another.

Cost will matter too. Manufacturers will adopt AI inspection only if it clearly saves money, improves quality or reduces downtime.

Conclusion – Key takeaways

SwitchOn’s $8 million Pre-Series B funding gives it fresh capital to expand its AI quality inspection systems across global manufacturing markets.

Founded by Aniruddha Banerjee and Avra Banerjee, the Bengaluru startup is using computer vision and physical AI to help factories detect defects faster and reduce quality-related losses.

Its bigger purpose is clear – make manufacturing quality more reliable, data-driven and less dependent on slow manual checks. If SwitchOn can scale without losing accuracy, it can become an important player in industrial AI.

Facts Input- YS