Cognichip is an AI-first company revolutionizing semiconductor design with its Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI)® platform. ACI® is the world's first physics-informed foundation AI model tailored for chip design, aiming to fundamentally reshape its economics. The platform promises a 75% reduction in design effort, 50% faster completion, and elimination of excessive chip size and power. Cognichip addresses a critical bottleneck in hardware development, where chip design takes 3-5 years compared to rapid AI software innovation. Their approach is AI-first, physics-informed, human-centered, and built for speed, democratizing chip design and allowing chips to keep pace with software advancements. The company was founded by experts from Amazon, Google, Apple, Aquantia, and Synopsys, and has raised $33 million in seed funding from investors including Mayfield, Lux Capital, FPV, and Candou Ventures. Cognichip is leading the AI disruption in the legacy chip design industry.
Cognichip is an AI-first company revolutionizing semiconductor design with its Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI)® platform. ACI® is the world's first physics-informed foundation AI model tailored for chip design, aiming to fundamentally reshape its economics. The platform promises a 75% reduction in design effort, 50% faster completion, and elimination of excessive chip size and power. Cognichip addresses a critical bottleneck in hardware development, where chip design takes 3-5 years compared to rapid AI software innovation. Their approach is AI-first, physics-informed, human-centered, and built for speed, democratizing chip design and allowing chips to keep pace with software advancements. The company was founded by experts from Amazon, Google, Apple, Aquantia, and Synopsys, and has raised $33 million in seed funding from investors including Mayfield, Lux Capital, FPV, and Candou Ventures. Cognichip is leading the AI disruption in the legacy chip design industry.
Core product: ACI® — a physics-informed foundation AI model for semiconductor chip design
Founded: 2024
Headquarters: Redwood City, California
Seed funding: $33M (May 2025)
Founding team: Faraj Aalaei, Ehsan Kamalinejad, Mehdi Daneshpanah, Simon Sabato
Company Overview
Problem Domain
Semiconductor chip design — long, expensive hardware development cycles and suboptimal size/power tradeoffs.
Founded
2024
Industry
DeepTech
Tech Stack
CDN JS
Cloudflare JS
Common Crawl
CommonCrawl Top 10m
Font Awesome
GStatic Google Static Content
Kong
nginx
Funding Track Record
Seed- 2025-05-15
$33,000,000
Round included participation from FPV Ventures and Candou Ventures; disclosed when company emerged from stealth.
Investor Signal
“Led by institutional deep‑tech investors (Lux Capital and Mayfield) with participation from FPV Ventures and Candou Ventures”
Founders
What we do
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Join the Team
Sales Director
On-SiteRedwood City, CA, US
On-Site • Redwood City, CA, US
Why this matters
AI is sparking a generational shift in semiconductor design, and pioneering sales leadership is critical to driving this evolution. At Cognichip, you won’t just sell software; you’ll lead the market adoption of cutting-edge AI technology that accelerates silicon innovation globally. This is a generational opportunity to defi ne and close high-value deals that sit at the intersection of deep tech and real-world impact for one of the world’s most impactful industries.
Who you are
You are an exceptional, technically profi cient professional at the intersection of AI, semiconductors, and enterprise sales. You are a dynamic, self-motivated leader who can cultivate strategic relationships with C-suite executives and R&D leaders at major semiconductor companies. You're passionate about evangelizing the value of AI in chip design and possess a proven ability to lead and close complex, multi-million dollar software deals. You thrive in cross-functional teams and communication comes naturally to you, effortlessly translating deep technical concepts into compelling business value.
Teeming tracks opportunities at over 24,000 AI startups, then works with you to find (and land) the one you'll love.
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What you'll do
●
Drive Strategic Account Penetration
: Identify, prioritize, and penetrate ideal-fi t accounts within the semiconductor industry, leveraging existing relationships with key decision-makers (CTOs, VPs of Engineering, R&D Directors).
●
Define & Deliver Complex Solution Selling
: Lead the entire enterprise sales cycle, which often involves long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders, from initial qualifi cation to negotiation and deal closure.
●
Cross-Functional Leadership (Technical Consultation & PoCs)
: Act as a trusted advisor in the AI and chip design space, guiding customers through their AI adoption journey. Collaborate with pre-sales engineering teams to manage technical demonstrations and successful proof-of-concepts (PoCs).
● Establish & Analyze Metrics for Success (Pipeline Management):
Drive disciplined pipeline management, provide accurate sales forecasts to executive leadership, and ensure effi cient use of resources.
●
Champion AI Innovation (Value Proposition & ROI Crafting):
Articulate the comprehensive technical and business value of our AI solutions, co-building strong ROI cases that address core client pain points like time-to-market acceleration and cost reduction. Partner closely with Product Management and Engineering teams to ensure customer feedback is integrated into the product roadmap.
What You Bring
●
Experience:
A minimum of 7-10 years of experience selling complex, high-value software solutions (ideally Electronic Design Automation/EDA or AI software) to the semiconductor or related advanced technology industries.
●
Industry Network:
A strong, existing network of contacts and proven relationships within semiconductor R&D labs and major integrated device manufacturers (IDMs).
● Technical Acumen: Deep understanding of semiconductor design workfl ows and the application of AI/Machine Learning within the design lifecycle.
● Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a similar technical fi eld is highly desirable).
●
Skills:
Exceptional complex solution selling and negotiation skills, and the ability to translate deep technical concepts into clear business value for C-suite decision-makers. Profi ciency with CRM software and sales analytics tools.
Bonus Points
The following items are not required but are great bonuses:
● Hands-on chip design or EDA application engineering experience is a plus.
● Prior experience in Market & Competitive Intelligence, continuously monitoring industry trends to adjust sales strategies and inform product development.
● Demonstrated history of closing multi-million dollar software deals in the EDA space.
What it's like here
We’re a rapidly growing, VC-backed startup where “raw talent and collaborative spirit over ego” isn’t just a motto—it’s how we work every day. You’ll be surrounded by teammates who have built companies from zero to IPO, led teams at Google and
Amazon, and earned medals in international science Olympiads. We value relentless curiosity, humble problem-solving, and a bias toward action.
Logistics
● Location:
Cognichip HQ, Redwood City, CA
● Schedule:
As needed to drive sales goals
● Occasional travel to customer satellite locations (US) Cognichip accepts applications that require H1B transfer.
How to apply
Don’t meet every single requirement? Feel over-qualifi ed? That’s okay—if you're excited about our mission, we’d still love to hear from you. We are growing fast and need a world class team of various experience levels.
