https://www.scmp.com/rss/325824/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC), the government’s investment arm, has teamed up with venture capital firm Gobi Partners and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to launch a fund on Tuesday to invest in technology start-ups spun off from the university’s research breakthroughs, according to an HKIC statement. Gobi-HKU Fund I made two investments at its launch: Manifold Tech, which develops spatial intelligence for robotics, and AilsynBio, which focuses on artificial intelligence-driven drug... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3347689/hkic-gobi-partners-and-hku-team-fund-backing-university-research-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3347689/hkic-gobi-partners-and-hku-team-fund-backing-university-research-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:21:49 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian The momentum in China’s venture-capital industry, which is recovering after years of decline, is likely to continue this year, mainly bolstered by government financing, but an expert warned that the lack of funding diversity poses a hidden risk. Fundraising picked up in 2025, with most of the gains coming from government sources, as central policymakers loosened rules to allow local governments to issue more bonds to finance government guidance funds, according to a report released on Tuesday by... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3345502/chinas-venture-capital-revival-fuelled-state-cash-faces-risk-losing-momentum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3345502/chinas-venture-capital-revival-fuelled-state-cash-faces-risk-losing-momentum?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 03:20:41 +0000 Malaika Thiam-Bockman Malaika Thiam-Bockman The United States has been constructing a new dimension of its economic security policy: outbound investment rules. Since January last year, Washington has not only established its first outbound investment screening programme but codified it into law and explicitly provided for its expansion. These rules are gaining teeth, giving rise to a compliance architecture that conditions US foreign direct investment on national security priorities. As firms begin to operationalise these rules, capital... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342148/beyond-china-asia-will-bear-brunt-us-builds-walls-around-tech-capital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3342148/beyond-china-asia-will-bear-brunt-us-builds-walls-around-tech-capital?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 12:30:38 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) is eyeing investments in fintech, aerospace and artificial intelligence, tapping the city’s strengths and a wave of incoming talent and enterprises as geopolitical shifts create new opportunities, according to its CEO. The city’s wholly owned investment vehicle, which manages HK$62 billion (US$8 billion) in funds, would look at these new sectors in addition to its other focus areas, “playing to Hong Kong’s advantages in the context of the global... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3341515/hong-kongs-us8-billion-wealth-fund-eyes-fintech-aerospace-and-ai-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3341515/hong-kongs-us8-billion-wealth-fund-eyes-fintech-aerospace-and-ai-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:48:09 +0000 Themis Qi,Zhang Shidong Themis Qi,Zhang Shidong The US-China tech rivalry is no longer confined to the laboratories, fabs and boardrooms of the industry’s biggest names – the artificial intelligence battlefield has now expanded into the capital markets, where ambition is priced in real time. As Washington and Beijing push rival technology ecosystems, initial public offerings and listings are becoming a high-stakes referendum on who gets funding, credibility and, most of all, the runway to scale. Across the Pacific, the contest has been... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340999/labs-listings-us-china-ai-race-makes-capital-markets-new-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340999/labs-listings-us-china-ai-race-makes-capital-markets-new-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Jan 2026 02:00:14 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s pursuit of commercial nuclear fusion technology has intensified this year, fuelled by a fresh round of financing for start-ups and state-backed initiatives. Startorus Fusion last week raised 1 billion yuan (US$143 million) from its series A round, a record for a single financing round by a private nuclear fusion company on the mainland, according to a report by the Securities Times. The deal, announced on January 12, was led by state-owned funds in Shanghai, which contributed around 400... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340430/chinas-nuclear-fusion-start-ups-power-record-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3340430/chinas-nuclear-fusion-start-ups-power-record-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang China’s mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is poised for another year of growth as investors regain confidence in the country’s assets and long-term growth prospects, and look beyond geopolitical and economic headwinds, according to industry experts. Investor optimism in 2026 would build on a deeper understanding of risks associated with regulatory restrictions, improved market conditions and success stories in the past year, said Kevin Yu Zhe, Shanghai-based partner at Zhong Lun Law... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3338262/chinas-ma-market-poised-2026-expansion-investors-regain-confidence-assets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3338262/chinas-ma-market-poised-2026-expansion-investors-regain-confidence-assets?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 00:30:09 +0000 Luna Sun,He Huifeng Luna Sun,He Huifeng China has launched a national fund designed to channel state-backed money into early-stage bets on tech, a move officials said could ultimately steer trillions of yuan into preferred avenues of investment. Beijing’s National Venture Capital Guidance Fund was unveiled on Friday, at a ceremony which also introduced three investment vehicles covering major cross-regional agglomerations: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. At... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337798/china-launches-venture-capital-fund-lead-charge-tech-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337798/china-launches-venture-capital-fund-lead-charge-tech-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Themis Qi Themis Qi China’s artificial intelligence still needs to improve in six aspects, from ecosystem to funding, but the emergence of DeepSeek has significantly boosted the sector’s confidence in overcoming US restrictions, according to a mainland venture capital firm. China and the US were the two top players in global AI development, with the former leading in humanoid robotics and open-source large language models, according to Zhou Qi, managing partner of GSR United Capital, which focuses on early-stage... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336241/chinas-ai-sector-poised-growth-despite-us-tech-restrictions-venture-capitalist-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3336241/chinas-ai-sector-poised-growth-despite-us-tech-restrictions-venture-capitalist-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Danielle Popov Danielle Popov Deep Robotics – one of the “Six Little Dragons” from Hangzhou, the capital of eastern Zhejiang province – on Tuesday said it had raised 500 million yuan (US$70 million) in fresh funding from a group of Chinese investors. According to the company’s statement, its latest round of financing was led by CMB International, China Asset Management and funds under state-owned telecommunications network operators China Telecom and China Unicom. Deep Robotics founder and CEO Zhu Qiuguo, who also serves as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335806/chinas-deep-robotics-raises-us70-million-fresh-funds-sector-draws-more-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3335806/chinas-deep-robotics-raises-us70-million-fresh-funds-sector-draws-more-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Dec 2025 01:00:21 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Asia-Pacific private equity managers are more upbeat on the deal outlook, expecting stronger returns and fewer geopolitical risks than their global counterparts, even as deal activity in the region continues to soften, a new survey shows. Respondents in the region expected an average net return of 17.4 per cent from the private equity industry this year, slightly higher than the 17.1 per cent expected by North American, European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) executives, according to... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3334804/healthcare-and-tech-drive-asia-pacific-private-equity-deals-amid-slower-growth-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3334804/healthcare-and-tech-drive-asia-pacific-private-equity-deals-amid-slower-growth-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Skims, an apparel company co-founded by celebrity businesswoman Kim Kardashian, is worth US$5 billion after a recent fundraising round. The brand, known for its sleek bras and tank tops and sculpting bodysuits, completed a US$225 million capital raise last week led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. It was one of the largest private raises for a consumer brand in the United States this year. Hollywood-based Skims plans to put the funds towards its physical retail footprint and international... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3333475/how-did-kim-kardashian-turn-skims-us5-billion-brand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3333475/how-did-kim-kardashian-turn-skims-us5-billion-brand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 02:31:26 +0000 Richard Harris Richard Harris Economist Paul Samuelson famously quipped that stock markets accurately predicted nine of the last five recessions. The same could be said of financial economists. So-called leading indicators like market sentiment swing with the daily news. Optimism is the default option but bull markets die hard. Still, most seasoned financial economists now recognise that stock markets are becoming more fragile. And so does the crowd. The frequency of online searches for “stock market bubble” has surged since... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331666/amid-fragile-markets-how-predict-when-bubble-will-burst?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3331666/amid-fragile-markets-how-predict-when-bubble-will-burst?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic has overhauled its smallest AI model, Haiku, as companies increasingly opt for AI systems that are nearly as capable as the most advanced tools but come at a fraction of the cost. Anthropic said on Wednesday that the updated model, called Haiku 4.5, was about one-third the cost of Sonnet 4, one of its medium-sized models, and one-fifteenth the cost of its most advanced offering, Opus. The new Haiku model performed as well or better than Sonnet 4 on a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3329180/us-start-anthropic-unveils-cheaper-model-widen-ais-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3329180/us-start-anthropic-unveils-cheaper-model-widen-ais-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 02:00:53 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Elon Musk-backed artificial intelligence start-up xAI is raising more financing than initially planned – including an equity investment from Nvidia – to bring its ongoing funding round to US$20 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The financing, which includes equity and debt, would be tied to the Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) that xAI planned to use in Colossus 2, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information was private. That is the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328175/nvidia-invest-musks-xai-part-us20-billion-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3328175/nvidia-invest-musks-xai-part-us20-billion-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 02:12:20 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Venture capitalists poured US$192.7 billion into artificial intelligence start-ups so far this year, setting new global records and putting 2025 on track to be the first year in which more than half of total VC dollars went into the industry, according to data provider PitchBook. Most of the capital went to established start-ups – Anthropic and xAI both raised billions in funding this quarter – while some other lesser-known upstarts struggled, especially companies that are not focused on AI. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3327775/ai-dominates-venture-capital-investing-2025-pulling-us1927-billion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3327775/ai-dominates-venture-capital-investing-2025-pulling-us1927-billion?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 08:16:59 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Blackstone hit a US$10 billion target for its latest Asia buyout fund as investors bet an entrenched India presence and expanding footprint in Japan will keep powering strong returns, people familiar with the matter said. The world’s biggest asset manager was set to wrap up fundraising by the first quarter of next year, the people said. The New York-based firm was likely to reach its US$12.9 billion hard cap, the maximum set out in marketing materials, the people said, asking not to be... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3327730/blackstone-hits-us10-billion-goal-asia-buyout-fund-amid-pe-chill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3327730/blackstone-hits-us10-billion-goal-asia-buyout-fund-amid-pe-chill?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 04:34:41 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Anthropic is releasing a new artificial intelligence model that is designed to code longer and more effectively than prior versions, its latest attempt to stay ahead of rivals like OpenAI in offering tools for software developers. The new model, Claude Sonnet 4.5, was better at following instructions and could code on its own for up to 30 hours straight, the company said on Monday. By comparison, a previous model called Claude Opus 4 is said to be able to field coding tasks for up to seven hours... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3327314/anthropic-says-new-model-can-code-its-own-30-hours-straight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3327314/anthropic-says-new-model-can-code-its-own-30-hours-straight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 02:48:26 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow The Beijing-based start-up behind the popular artificial intelligence video generator PixVerse has raised US$60 million in a funding round led by Alibaba Group Holding, the largest single amount raised by a domestic AI video generation firm, according to an announcement on Wednesday. Other participants in the funding round included Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm Antler and the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund. A valuation was not disclosed. The deal comes as... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3325151/alibaba-leads-us60-million-investment-ai-video-generation-start-aisphere?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3325151/alibaba-leads-us60-million-investment-ai-video-generation-start-aisphere?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:30:36 +0000 Cheryl Arcibal Cheryl Arcibal A venture capital firm backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is taking a minority stake in an AI-powered logistics technology start-up backed by Hong Kong’s wealthiest man, as it looks for investment opportunities in the Greater China region to more than triple its assets under management by the end of 2025. Doha-based Rasmal Ventures, backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), has invested US$2 million (HK$15.6 million) in Hong Kong’s Nexx, an 18-month-old start-up backed by Li... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3325067/qatari-fund-invests-us2-million-ai-start-nexx-backed-hong-kongs-wealthiest-man?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3325067/qatari-fund-invests-us2-million-ai-start-nexx-backed-hong-kongs-wealthiest-man?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding’s artificial intelligence and cloud computing services unit recently led a 1 billion yuan (US$140 million) Series A+ funding round for X Square Robot, a Shenzhen-based developer of embodied intelligence models. The deal marked Alibaba Cloud’s first investment in the embodied intelligence field, according to a statement on Monday from X Square Robot. The start-up said it expected “multidimensional support” from the Hangzhou-based company. Alibaba owns the South China Morning... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324780/alibaba-cloud-leads-us140-million-funding-round-embodied-ai-start-x-square-robot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324780/alibaba-cloud-leads-us140-million-funding-round-embodied-ai-start-x-square-robot?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 12:22:47 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow US artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic has updated its service restriction policy to prohibit access from global subsidiaries of Chinese companies – the latest limit imposed by a major player in an increasingly divided AI landscape. In a statement published on its website on Friday, the San Francisco-based company laid out its updated terms of service, which now broaden access restrictions to entities “more than 50 per cent owned, directly or indirectly, by companies headquartered in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3324504/tech-war-us-start-anthropic-blocks-chinese-firms-subsidiaries-worldwide-ai-access?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3324504/tech-war-us-start-anthropic-blocks-chinese-firms-subsidiaries-worldwide-ai-access?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 09:31:41 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Chinese venture capital firm Lanchi Ventures is doubling down on investing in China’s artificial intelligence and robotics start-ups while raising a new fund amid increased global investor appetite for the country’s early-stage tech firms, its executives said. Lanchi Ventures, formerly known as BlueRun Ventures China, would continue to be “all in” on AI and robotics, focusing on AI applications, multimodal AI models and firms targeting overseas markets, managing partner Jui Tan said in an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324384/venture-capital-firm-lanchi-doubles-down-chinese-ai-robotics-start-ups-new-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3324384/venture-capital-firm-lanchi-doubles-down-chinese-ai-robotics-start-ups-new-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 23:00:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Anthropic is nearing a deal to raise as much as US$10 billion in a new round of funding, according to people familiar with the matter, a higher than expected sum and one of the largest rounds to date for an artificial intelligence start-up. The discussions were ongoing and the final amount could change, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. Bloomberg News previously reported Anthropic was in advanced discussions to raise up to US$5 billion in the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3322733/anthropic-talks-raise-us10-billion-new-funding-rival-openai-xai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3322733/anthropic-talks-raise-us10-billion-new-funding-rival-openai-xai?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu Bowtie Life Insurance, the city’s first virtual insurer, on Friday said it raised US$70 million in its third funding round from existing shareholder Sun Life, its largest such effort since its establishment in 2018. “The stock market rally in Hong Kong this year has improved market sentiment, paving the way for many start-ups and companies to raise funds in both private and public markets,” said Fred Ngan, Bowtie’s co-founder, in an interview on Friday. The city’s Hang Seng Index benchmark is up... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3318659/hong-kong-virtual-insurer-bowtie-life-raises-us70-million-third-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3318659/hong-kong-virtual-insurer-bowtie-life-raises-us70-million-third-funding-round?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 02:00:17 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen The company behind the general-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) agent Manus laid off most of its staff in Beijing last week, according to local media reports, amid a reorganisation in line with relocating its headquarters to Singapore. Manus AI has also scrubbed all of its content on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and RedNote. Logging in returns this message: “Manus is not available in your region.” That marked a change from the earlier message that said its “Chinese version is under... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3318310/manus-ai-lays-china-staff-scrubs-social-media-shelves-mainland-service?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3318310/manus-ai-lays-china-staff-scrubs-social-media-shelves-mainland-service?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:00:21 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Harmonic AI, an artificial intelligence start-up co-founded by Robinhood Markets chief executive officer Vlad Tenev, has raised US$100 million in funding to tackle a problem that has sometimes confounded AI models: maths. The series B funding round was led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures and Paradigm. The deal valued the AI start-up at US$875 million, said Tenev, who serves as the company’s executive chairman, a non-operating role. Harmonic’s CEO is... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3317799/robinhood-ceos-ai-maths-start-valued-us875-million-just-shy-unicorn-status?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3317799/robinhood-ceos-ai-maths-start-valued-us875-million-just-shy-unicorn-status?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 03:50:07 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre gives it an edge in artificial intelligence (AI) development in spite of rising geopolitical tensions, according to experts, as the city boosts computing power resources to support companies involved in the vital technology. “For AI companies, having easy access to capital is extremely important,” SenseTime chief financial officer Wang Zheng said in a panel discussion at the South China Morning Post’s China Conference 2025 on Tuesday. “Hong... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3317424/hong-kongs-international-financial-centre-role-gives-it-edge-ai-market-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3317424/hong-kongs-international-financial-centre-role-gives-it-edge-ai-market-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 12:30:14 +0000 Hannah Wang Hannah Wang A Hangzhou-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up specialising in enterprise AI agents has secured over 100 million yuan (US$14 million) from investors led by Alibaba Group Holding’s cloud unit, as Chinese companies strive to leverage the technology to raise business efficiency. BetterYeah AI, a prominent player in China’s enterprise AI sector founded by former Alibaba executives, said on Wednesday it had completed its latest financing round with contributions from Alibaba Cloud and venture... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3316819/alibaba-leads-us14-million-funding-round-chinese-corporate-ai-agent-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3316819/alibaba-leads-us14-million-funding-round-chinese-corporate-ai-agent-start?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 10:00:29 +0000 Hannah Wang Hannah Wang Unitree Robotics, a leading player in China’s booming robotics industry, has completed a new round of financing, attracting investment from some of the country’s biggest tech companies amid excitement surrounding this sector. The Hangzhou-based company, founded by Wang Xingxing, was valued at over 10 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion), according to investors and local media reports. Notable backers in the latest funding round included ByteDance-linked Jinqiu Capital, Alibaba Group Holding and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3315225/unitree-robotics-reaches-unicorn-status-bytedance-alibaba-tencent-funding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3315225/unitree-robotics-reaches-unicorn-status-bytedance-alibaba-tencent-funding?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Jun 2025 09:00:15 +0000 Aileen Chuang Aileen Chuang Shares of a few dozen China-based start-ups may be up for grabs as their investor, US venture-capital firm Eight Roads, plans to exit its Chinese technology holdings. The move, reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, comes as geopolitical tensions and a sluggish Chinese economy prompt some global investors to retreat. Domestic and government-backed funds and financing products would increasingly drive start-up funding in the world’s second-largest economy, analysts said. Fidelity Ventures-backed Eight... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3314052/us-firm-unload-stakes-40-chinese-tech-start-ups-venture-funding-turns-inward?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3314052/us-firm-unload-stakes-40-chinese-tech-start-ups-venture-funding-turns-inward?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Chinese humanoid robot maker Unitree Robotics plans to conduct a new round of fundraising, according to a local media report, intensifying speculation around the start-up’s potential initial public offering (IPO). Hangzhou-based Unitree’s latest financing initiative would value the company between 10 billion yuan and 15 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion and US$2.1 billion), Chinese digital media outlet Sohu Tech reported on Friday, citing sources. That would follow Unitree’s restructuring last week,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313444/chinas-unitree-eyes-pre-ipo-fundraising-valuing-robot-maker-us2-billion-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313444/chinas-unitree-eyes-pre-ipo-fundraising-valuing-robot-maker-us2-billion-report?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jun 2025 01:00:42 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg RedNote’s valuation surged to US$26 billion in recent market transactions via a major fund, an unusually fast ascent that underscores how the Chinese social media phenomenon is making headway against TikTok in the US. The start-up’s price tag emerged through a document from a GSR Ventures Management vehicle that showed shares of the fund changing hands. RedNote comprises 91 per cent of the GSR fund’s assets, according to the internal document reviewed by Bloomberg News. The portfolio’s stated... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313105/chinas-rednote-tiktok-alternative-sees-valuation-soar-backing-gsr-ventures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3313105/chinas-rednote-tiktok-alternative-sees-valuation-soar-backing-gsr-ventures?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Jun 2025 02:05:10 +0000 Jeffrey Wu Jeffrey Wu In just two months, we’ve had news that US venture capital company Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly launching a US$20 billion megafund to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) completed a US$5.2 billion initial public offering (IPO) – the world’s largest this year and a major boost to Hong Kong’s subdued markets. But behind these headlines, venture funding across Asia fell to just US$65.8 billion last year, its lowest... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3312938/geopolitics-hits-venture-capital-asia-must-start-funding-its-own-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3312938/geopolitics-hits-venture-capital-asia-must-start-funding-its-own-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 08:30:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital and investment firm Capital Group have in recent months visited China to learn about its artificial intelligence (AI) industry, joining a growing number of US investors rekindling interest in the country after DeepSeek’s advances stunned Silicon Valley. Senior people at Thrive met companies and funds in China to discuss AI, people familiar with their visit to the country said. Kushner did not join the delegation, one of the people said, asking to remain anonymous... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313006/us-venture-capital-firms-visit-china-study-its-ai-scene-deepseek-rekindles-interest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3313006/us-venture-capital-firms-visit-china-study-its-ai-scene-deepseek-rekindles-interest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Jun 2025 07:07:52 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse For Silicon Valley venture capitalists, the world has split into two camps: those with deep enough pockets to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) behemoths, and everyone else waiting to see where the AI revolution leads. The generative AI frenzy unleashed by ChatGPT in 2022 has propelled a handful of venture-backed companies to eye-watering valuations. Leading the pack is OpenAI, which raised US$40 billion in its latest funding round at a US$300 billion valuation – unprecedented largesse in... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3312693/silicon-valley-venture-capitalists-sit-back-investing-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3312693/silicon-valley-venture-capitalists-sit-back-investing-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Jun 2025 04:09:49 +0000 Aileen Chuang,Eric Ng Aileen Chuang,Eric Ng Hong Kong is in a prime position to be a global hub for “patient capital”, an investment strategy that takes a longer view and is driven by “purpose and impact”, as it continues to advocate for technology start-ups, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Thursday. Patient capital plays a critical role in supporting innovation, though it carries higher risks because of extended time frames and uncertain outcomes, Chan said at the inaugural International Forum for Patient Capital hosted by... https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3311374/hong-kong-be-global-hub-patient-capital-nurturing-tech-start-ups-paul-chan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3311374/hong-kong-be-global-hub-patient-capital-nurturing-tech-start-ups-paul-chan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 09:00:23 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Chinese augmented reality (AR) firm Xreal is back in the spotlight via a partnership with Google to create the first eyewear powered by the US tech giant’s Android XR operating system, intensifying competition in the nascent market for spectacles supported by artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The start-up’s venture with Google, dubbed Project Aura, was among the key announcements made on Tuesday at the opening of the US internet search company’s annual I/O developer conference, which... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311264/what-if-ai-had-eyes-meet-chinese-firm-xreal-googles-partner-ar-glasses-project?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311264/what-if-ai-had-eyes-meet-chinese-firm-xreal-googles-partner-ar-glasses-project?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 13:00:13 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Some of China’s most popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot apps, made by leading developers including Zhipu AI and Moonshot AI, had been collecting excessive user information, authorities found. Zhipu’s Qingyan, also known as ChatGLM, was found to have collected information beyond what users authorised, while Moonshot’s Kimi had accessed data irrelevant to its functions, according to a list published on the WeChat account of the National Cyber Security Information Centre on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311175/chinas-ai-tigers-zhipu-moonshot-accused-collecting-excessive-data-chatbot-apps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3311175/chinas-ai-tigers-zhipu-moonshot-accused-collecting-excessive-data-chatbot-apps?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 06:00:14 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Venture capital investment in Asia-Pacific fell to the lowest level in more than a decade last quarter, while mega deals involving US artificial intelligence (AI) companies attracted capital and stole the limelight, according to KPMG. Funding across the region dropped 32 per cent to US$12.9 billion from the preceding three months, the accounting firm said in a report on Thursday, while deal volume shrank 15 per cent to 2,149, with weaker activity in major investment markets like China, India and... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3309599/asia-pacific-venture-capital-funding-hits-decade-low-us-steals-limelight-kpmg-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3309599/asia-pacific-venture-capital-funding-hits-decade-low-us-steals-limelight-kpmg-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2025 11:00:15 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Shoucheng Holdings, a Hong Kong-listed car park operator under state-owned steel producer Shougang Group, has pledged to invest in about 50 robotics firms on the mainland within the next few years, bolstering China’s efforts to lead this industry. That initiative aims to accelerate the company’s pace of investments via the 10-billion-yuan (US$1.4 billion) Beijing Robot Industry Development Investment Fund that it manages, as the sector continues to see significant changes, according to Shoucheng... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3308709/why-car-park-operator-shoucheng-doubling-down-china-robotics-investment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3308709/why-car-park-operator-shoucheng-doubling-down-china-robotics-investment?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 May 2025 23:00:17 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Dalton Venture, a Chinese life sciences-focused venture capital firm, will expand operations to Hong Kong and invest in start-ups, eyeing new opportunities as mainland companies grow overseas on the back of the city’s efforts to become a technology hub. With dual headquarters in Shanghai and Shenzhen, Dalton Venture will apply for an asset-management licence in Hong Kong next month and expects to start pursuing investments next year after receiving government approval, founding managing partner... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3307976/china-life-sciences-focused-dalton-venture-expands-hong-kong-targets-new-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3307976/china-life-sciences-focused-dalton-venture-expands-hong-kong-targets-new-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Apr 2025 23:00:13 +0000 Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is seeking to raise about US$20 billion in what will be the largest fund in its history, to capitalise on global investors’ interest in backing US artificial intelligence companies, sources told Reuters. The tech investment firm, known informally as a16z, has told limited partners that the fund will be dedicated to growth-stage investments in AI companies and draw upon global investors keen on investing in American companies, the sources said. The record... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3305765/andreessen-horowitz-seeks-raise-us20-billion-megafund-amid-interest-us-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3305765/andreessen-horowitz-seeks-raise-us20-billion-megafund-amid-interest-us-ai-start-ups?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Apr 2025 03:45:07 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen A pre-eminent Google scientist, Luo Jianlan, has joined Chinese humanoid robotics company AgiBot, known on the mainland as Zhiyuan, to lead the Shanghai-based start-up’s new artificial intelligence (AI) research centre. Known as a leading scholar in AI and robotics, Luo will spearhead the establishment of the Zhiyuan Embodied Intelligence Research Centre as the newly appointed chief scientist of AgiBot, a start-up co-founded in 2023 by former Huawei Technologies “Genius Youth” recruit Peng... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3304950/ex-google-engineer-joins-shanghai-robotics-start-take-lead-advanced-ai-research?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3304950/ex-google-engineer-joins-shanghai-robotics-start-take-lead-advanced-ai-research?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:00:08 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Chinese venture capitalist Allen Zhu Xiaohu publicly questioned the commercial viability of humanoid robots while revealing that his fund had exited several investments in the sector, sparking a heated debate in the country’s robotics community amid surging interest in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered machines. While the concept of embodied AI – the application of AI in physical systems equipped with sensors – had been gaining traction, its commercial path remained uncertain, in particular... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3304571/chinese-venture-capital-veteran-allen-zhu-questions-humanoid-robots-commercial-value?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3304571/chinese-venture-capital-veteran-allen-zhu-questions-humanoid-robots-commercial-value?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:00:16 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen Bolstered by its recent expansion into Hong Kong, London Technology Club (LTC), a venture-capital firm, is raising a US$250 million fund, with Asia expected to provide a third of the capital, according to its CEO. The company launched its Hong Kong branch, its second international office following Dubai, on Thursday. Asia is a “natural magnet” for investors looking to diversify their assets, CEO Konstantin Sidorov told the Post in an exclusive interview. “Hong Kong is the best place where we not... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3304319/venture-capital-club-expands-hong-kong-plans-us250m-fund-asian-investors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3304319/venture-capital-club-expands-hong-kong-plans-us250m-fund-asian-investors?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Mar 2025 10:00:23 +0000 China and the United States accounted for 75 per cent of all venture capital investment in the robotics space over the past six years, allowing them to build a formidable lead in a crucial emerging industry, according to a study by the analytics firm GlobalData. The scale of investment into US and Chinese robotics start-ups between 2018 and 2024 shows the two powers are “emerging as dominant forces” and “reinforcing their leadership in driving innovation, attracting investor interest, and... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3304070/us-and-chinese-robotics-start-ups-attract-75-global-funding-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3304070/us-and-chinese-robotics-start-ups-attract-75-global-funding-study-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Mar 2025 06:30:10 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s state statistics agency has introduced a new data series on “service robots” in its monthly industrial output report, in addition to the existing “industrial robots” category, offering a clearer view of the country’s growing robotics industry. While China is already the world’s leading industrial robot market, accounting for over half of global installations, the country’s service robot sector – including professional, consumer, and medical robots – is also rapidly expanding, fuelled by... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3302720/china-debuts-economic-data-service-robots-humanoid-industry-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3302720/china-debuts-economic-data-service-robots-humanoid-industry-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 00:00:26 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China’s eastern Zhejiang province emerged as the biggest recipient of venture capital funding in 2024, buttressing its efforts to become a major hub for advanced technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. A total of 41 new corporate venture capital funds were registered in the coastal province last year, the highest number among those recorded in 18 mainland provinces in the same period, according to the latest data from CYZone Research Centre in China. Zhejiang’s capital,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3302444/venture-capital-funds-flock-chinas-eastern-zhejiang-province-amid-hi-tech-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3302444/venture-capital-funds-flock-chinas-eastern-zhejiang-province-amid-hi-tech-push?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:02:55 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s robotics market is witnessing an investment boom, as start-ups in the field obtain increased venture- capital funding, raising the sector’s potential to become as important as the country’s electric-vehicle (EV) industry. In the first two months of the year, nearly 2 billion yuan (US$276 million) in new funding went to humanoid robot developers across 20 deals, up from 1.2 billion yuan generated from 4 transactions a year earlier, according to data from ITJuzi, which tracks China’s... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3301571/chinas-robotics-start-ups-emerge-new-venture-capital-darlings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3301571/chinas-robotics-start-ups-emerge-new-venture-capital-darlings?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Mar 2025 01:00:17 +0000