China's sci-tech sector is maturing thanks to incentives and strategic financial support. The T1 robot soccer team, developed by Beijing-based humanoid robotics startup Booster Robotics, clinched a sweeping 9-0 victory at the RoboCup German Open in March. Standing 1.2 meters tall and weighing 30 kilograms, the T1 robot is now capable of delivering powerful shots, executing free kicks and performing fluid, human-like motions. Cheng Hao, Founder and CEO of Booster Robotics, said the T1 model was specifically designed for developers with an emphasis on being lightweight, agile and exceptionally durable. “For example, the robot can withstand hundreds of falls and still function without issue. The technical resilience and adaptability have helped the high-tech startup expand its market presence well beyond China. The company has already delivered hundreds of humanoid robots to customers worldwide, including in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Japan. Cheng Hao said the Beijing municipal government provided great support in terms of equity investment and major project funding, which has helped the company achieve technical and production breakthroughs in a short time.
According to Liang Hongjun, Senior Official at the Beijing Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, China's capital has built a world-class financing system for emerging industries like robotics. “The city government has set up a multi-billion yuan robot industry development fund, with heavyweight investment firms such as Sequoia Capital, Hillhouse Capital and IDG Capital establishing a dense presence in the sector. This structure combines public funding with private capital, forming a complete investment chain that supports startups from initial research and development (R&D) through pilot production to real-world application,” Liang said. Such systematic financial backing comes at a time when China is intensifying its focus on achieving high-quality economic growth and technological self-reliance through upgraded and innovative measures.
A policy document stated the need to strengthen the role of venture capital as a driving force for technological innovation. It calls for the establishment of national startup investment funds, encourages the development of secondary private equity market funds (S funds), and supports bond financing for both venture and industrial investments. According to Shaw Wang, Founder of Unity Ventures, technology innovation usually requires long-term, patient capital to endure its lengthy development cycles. “Patience is the most critical quality for early-stage investment. Technological development is always a long journey – we must give entrepreneurs sufficient time and patience,” Wang said. He added that Unity Ventures is often the first investor in its portfolio companies, accompanying them from their earliest days and helping shape their strategies, fundraising plans, recruitment and branding efforts, with some investments even spanning seven to 10 years.
The philosophy underpins the investor’s portfolio, which includes Beijing-based Haawking, a chip tech startup that just completed a new pre-B+ financing round, bringing its total funding to several hundred million yuan. As one of China’s rare players in the field of digital signal processor chips, Haawking is the first in the world to design, develop, and mass-produce DSP chips using the open RISC-V instruction set architecture, a crucial step toward domestic technological independence. “The innovative tech rose from a global DSP market which has long been dominated by U.S. companies, with Chinese firms struggling to establish a meaningful presence,” said Li Renwei, Founder and Chairman of the company.
According to the company, its self-developed Haawking-HX2000 DSP chip series, the world’s first based on RISC-V architecture, has already developed more than 10 chip models. Several versions have entered mass production and are shipping at an annual volume approaching 10 million units. Li emphasized the company’s heavy focus on innovation, noting that over 60% of its employees are R&D specialists and that total R&D investment has exceeded several hundred million yuan to date. “Technological breakthroughs become even more valuable during periods of rapid market change,” said Wang of Unity Ventures. “The more uncertain the environment is, the more we should invest in companies with breakthrough potential, as technology remains the underlying force driving social progress.”
In this sense, Chinese policymakers are also moving to streamline capital market access for such hard-tech firms. One key highlight is the recent establishment of a growth tier to the STAR Market at the Shanghai Stock Exchange as part of efforts to deepen reform in the technology-focused board, the China Daily reports.
