Axelera AI
Axelera AI makes AI acceleration hardware and software for enterprise applications. The 289-person semiconductor startup has raised $488M, including a Series C in February 2026 backed by BlackRock and European government funds.
The growth story
Axelera AI grew from 22 to 289 employees between 2021 and 2026, raising $488M along the way, most recently a Series C in February 2026.
About
Axelera sells specialized chips and accompanying software designed to speed up AI workloads, primarily targeting large enterprises with intensive computing needs. The company operates R&D centers across Europe and serves 15 countries.
The firm has scaled rapidly since its 2021 founding, reaching near-300 employees with heavy engineering focus. Its $488M funding haul includes significant participation from European government innovation programs alongside traditional VCs.
Founders and leadership
Engineering dominates with 130 staff, reflecting the hardware/software hybrid nature of the product. The company maintains a distributed R&D footprint across Belgium, Switzerland, UK and Italy alongside its Eindhoven HQ.
The Axelera AI org chart
Fabrizio Del Maffeo (Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder) leads 59 mapped leaders with 10 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 136 (+16% YoY), Sales 24 (+118% YoY), Arts and Design 18 (+20% YoY), Business Development 15 (+36% YoY), Quality Assurance 14 (0% YoY), Information Technology 14 (+17% YoY).
Talent flow
Nearly 20% of analyzed employees came from Intel, with Arm and ETH Zürich also major talent sources. Alumni dispersion is minimal, with most going to other chip firms like Graphcore and AMD.
Most common previous employers of Axelera AI staff: Intel (27), Arm (15), ETH Zürich (14), Imagination Technologies (11), Qualcomm (10), imec (10). Former Axelera AI employees most often moved to Graphcore (2), Analog Devices (2), AMD (2), Reducate (1), Orange Tulip Consultancy (1), Eva (1).
Alumni worth knowing
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 32% direct, 51% search, 2% social, 5% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Axelera AI: C (Programming Language) (121), Python (Programming Language) (110), C++ (109), Embedded Systems (91), Linux (77), MATLAB (70), Project Management (58), VHDL (57).
Where the team actually sits
Axelera AI people are concentrated in North Brabant, Netherlands (24), Zurich, Switzerland (16), Flemish Region, Belgium (12), Netherlands (11).
Search footprint
Axelera AI attracts about 249 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $2K a month if bought through ads. It gained 58 ranking keywords and lost 50 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.90 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.90 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.90 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.90 / 5
Frequently asked
Axelera AI has 289 employees as of September 2026.
Axelera AI has raised $488M in total, most recently a Series C round in February 2026.
Axelera AI was founded in 2021 by Fabrizio Del Maffeo, Evangelos Eleftheriou, Bram-Ernst Verhoef.
Fabrizio Del Maffeo (Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder) sits at the top of Axelera AI's reporting structure, with 10 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Axelera AI staff are Intel (27 people), Arm (15 people), ETH Zürich (14 people).
Former Axelera AI employees most often move to Graphcore (2), Analog Devices (2), AMD (2).
Axelera AI attracts about 249 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $2K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Axelera AI staff are C (Programming Language), Python (Programming Language), C++, Embedded Systems, Linux.
Axelera AI staff are concentrated in North Brabant, Netherlands (24), Zurich, Switzerland (16), Flemish Region, Belgium (12).
Axelera AI has about 136 people in Engineering, up 16% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Axelera AI has about 24 people in Sales, up 118% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 240 current and 74 former Axelera AI profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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