Semiconductor startup CEO says ‘starting company in Bihar was worst decision’; here’s why

Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the semiconductor startup Suresh Chips and Semiconductor Pvt. Ltd., Chandan Raj, in a social media post on platform X, said that starting a company in Bihar was the “worst decision” of his life.

“Worst decision of my life to start a company in Bihar,” said Chandan Raj in his post on platform X. 

The founder called Bihar “The land of frustration,” and said that there are a lot of problems to survive in the state as a semiconductor and Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) company.

“Lots of problems and struggle to survive here as a semiconductor/VLSI Company,” said Chandan Raj in his post on platform X on October 9.

VLSI is a process which refers to a company making integrated circuits by combining millions or in some cases, billions of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistors onto a single chip.

Why not a Semiconductor company in Bihar?

Chandan Raj expressed his views and said that his company's clients refused to work with them due to the infrastructure lagging behind in the area. He also highlighted that he has been waiting for the last four years for the road and infrastructure development but has received no help from anyone.

“Our customers and client went away and refused to work with us. I have been waiting for the last 4 years for the road and infrastructure and no help from anyone. I think the Bihar government does not understand the semiconductor industries,” said Raj, reflecting on an incident from July 8, 2023, according to his post on platform X.

In response to his thread of posts, the official account of Muzaffarpur's District Magistrate replied to Raj's post saying that administrative approval had already been given for constructing the road and that it would start immediately after Dussehra, according to the post. 

About Chandan Raj

The semiconductor startup founder earned his bachelor's degree in Electronics & Telecommunication from Odisha's Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) in 2009, according to Chandan Raj's LinkedIn profile.

He also worked with Samsung Electronics, Intel in Malaysia and Israel, Silicon Service SRL in Romania, and Nokia Bell Labs and NXP, both in Shanghai and for AMD as a remote consultant.

Raj founded Suresh Chips and Semiconductor in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, in December 2020, according to his profile.