Clockwork Raises $20.5 Million in Funding

Clockwork, a San Francisco, CA–based software-driven fabric company for AI and high-performance workloads, has raised $20.5 million in a funding round.

The round was led by NEA, with participation from Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, former Cisco CEO John Chambers, Carl Ledbetter, and e& Capital.

NEA is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors, and geographies. Founded in 1977, NEA manages more than $27 billion in assets under management (AUM) and invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages of a company’s lifecycle, from seed to IPO. The firm’s track record includes more than 280 portfolio company IPOs and over 470 mergers and acquisitions.

The company will use the funding to scale its AI infrastructure software, accelerate adoption of FleetIQ, and support expansion into enterprise and neocloud GPU deployments.

Founded by Yilong Geng, Deepak Merugu, and Professor Balaji Prabhakar, Clockwork is redefining large-scale AI infrastructure with software-first solutions. Its flagship product, FleetIQ, delivers microsecond-level visibility and dynamic traffic control across heterogeneous GPU clusters, optimizing performance, reliability, and energy efficiency. Hardware-agnostic and cloud-compatible, FleetIQ prevents AI job slowdowns, eliminates idle compute cycles, and enables enterprises, hyperscalers, and neoclouds to achieve higher GPU utilization and lower infrastructure costs. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Clockwork serves customers including Uber, Wells Fargo, DCAI, Nebius, Nscale, and White Fiber.

Funding Details

Company: Clockwork Systems, Inc.

Raised: $20.5M

Round: Unknown

Funding Date: September 2025

Lead Investor: NEA

Additional Investors: Lip-Bu Tan, John Chambers, Carl Ledbetter, e& Capital

Company Website: https://clockwork.io/

Software Category: AI Infrastructure / GPU Optimization