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Start-ups

Start-ups
Articles about early-stage companies; pre-IPO, including those still being funded by angel investors, private equity or venture capitalists.
3D-printed footwear accounts for 60 per cent of PollyPolymer’s total revenue. Photo: Handout
Robotics

How a Chinese start-up is scaling 3D printing from sneakers to robots

Materials expert Wang Wenbin founded PollyPolymer in 2017 and developed a mature 3D-printing technology for footwear two years later.

Banking & finance

China launches venture capital fund to lead the charge on tech investment

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Semiconductors

Chinese EV battery giant CATL and Guoxin Micro set up new automotive chip firm

Artificial intelligence

China’s AI toy boom: Huawei, JD.com, UBTech make big push into growing sector

China’s AI toy sector is forecast to expand to US$12 billion by 2030, up from US$3.5 billion this year.

Huawei Technologies’ Smart Hanhan marks the latest foray by Chinese Big Tech companies into the growing global AI toy market. Photo: Huawei
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance, other major Chinese tech firms lead local consumer AI market: report

ByteDance-owned Doubao remains the country’s top consumer AI app, as DeepSeek’s namesake chatbot takes the No 2 spot.

Robotics

China’s AgiBot aims for US$142 million revenue as humanoid robots gain momentum

Fast-growing robotics start-up expects to ship out 5,000 units in 2025 amid Beijing backing of the embodied intelligence industry.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s Zhipu and MiniMax release latest AI models ahead of Hong Kong listing

The near-simultaneous release on Monday underscores the two firms’ efforts to drum up interest for their respective Hong Kong IPOs.

Zhipu AI, known internationally as Z.ai, says its new GLM-4.7 model features improved coding abilities. Photo: Shutterstock
TikTok

Exclusive | TikTok owner ByteDance’s valuation hits US$500 billion as US plan advances

Figure marks a record for China’s tech giant, which will divest its US entity into a joint venture that includes Oracle and Silver Lake.

IPO

Chinese GPU maker Biren kicks off bookbuilding for US$624 million Hong Kong IPO

The company, which is selling 247.7 million shares between HK$17 and HK$19.60 each, will become the first listing of 2026 on January 2.

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Artificial intelligence

SenseTime pushes open-source AI model to provide a ‘smart brain’ for every robot

The Chinese AI pioneer also releases first robot dogs under new venture Ace Robotics.

The first robot dog products unveiled on Thursday by Ace Robotics, a new venture of SenseTime. Photo: Handout
Robotics

CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale in China plant

The initiative underscores the growing use of intelligent Chinese-made robots in the country’s manufacturing industry.

Built by start-up Spirit AI, the Xiaomo humanoid robot works on the assembly line of electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo: CATL
Artificial intelligence

Xiaomi launches open-source model to compete against DeepSeek, OpenAI systems

MiMo-V2-Flash ‘particularly excels in reasoning, coding and agentic scenarios’, Xiaomi says.

Artificial intelligence

OpenAI in talks to raise US$10 billion from Amazon and adopt Trainium chips

The deal is under discussion could value OpenAI upwards of US$500 billion, a source said.

China technology

Video | Humanoid robots take centre stage at Shanghai summit

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services.

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services
Artificial intelligence

Chinese expert calls for world models and safety standards for embodied AI

Turing Award winner Andrew Yao says embodied AI needs reasoning, planning and control in one framework.

Andrew Yao speaks at the Global Developer Pioneers Summit in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
US-China tech war

Kimi developer Moonshot shows China’s growing AI depth: US government report

Washington’s evaluation highlights an increasing number of Chinese companies developing world-leading open-weight AI models, not just DeepSeek.

United States

China’s AI sector poised for growth despite US restrictions: venture capitalist

China’s AI sector gains confidence with DeepSeek’s emergence, but tech ecosystem needs to improve, GSR United Capital’s Zhou Qi says.

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Made in China 2025

China’s Unitree teases platform allowing users to control robots via smartphones

Hangzhou robotics unicorn’s platform is designed to bring embodied intelligence into everyday life.

Unitree Robotics is preparing for a listing on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style Star Market. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Sea change: China narrows AI gap with US 3 years after ChatGPT shock

The turning point came when DeepSeek released its V3 and R1 models, which were on par with OpenAI’s GPT and Meta’s Llama models at the time.

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China-Africa relations

Entrepreneurs vie for Africa’s Business Heroes titles in start-up bonanza

Record 32,000 applications from 54 nations vie for seventh Africa’s Business Heroes awards to recognise 100 start-ups over 10 years.

Artificial intelligence

China’s Xreal to power Google’s Android AI glasses as smart eyewear demand grows

Project Aura, which features dual-chip design and optical see-through lenses, is a fresh example of China’s expanding R&D capabilities.

Aura projects applications directly into the user’s sightline, enabling interaction via hand gestures and granting access to Google Play apps. Photo: Handout
Robotics

China’s Deep Robotics raises US$70 million as sector draws more investors

Company founder Zhu Qiuguo says the new funding would be used for research and the recruitment of top robotics talent.

Deep Robotics’ LYNX M20 quadruped robot is designed to support logistics and delivery operations. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Chinese open-source models account for 30% of global AI use: report

Producing globally competitive models makes China a close peer of the US in AI development.

Made in China 2025

China’s Pudu Robotics rolls out overseas charm offensive with robot dog

Quadruped dubbed D5 from Pudu – founded by former HKUST engineering student Felix Zhang – draws crowds at Tokyo expo.

Artificial intelligence

Can China fund its AI push? Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt casts doubt

Capital from the government and Big Tech firms is set to make up for any lack of market-driven capital, analysts say.

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Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, speaks at a forum on November 6, 2025, in Miami, Florida. Photo: Getty Images
Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s investment body posts US$300 million income in first year

Every dollar invested by the HKIC has attracted more than six in long-term market capital, Financial Secretary Paul Chan says.

View of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. Photo: Shutterstock
Robotics

Shenzhen robotics start-up Daimon secures China Mobile backing for AI push

Daimon Robotics, co-founded by HKUST professor Wang Yu, received a fresh injection of funds from the mobile operator’s Lianchang Fund.

Artificial intelligence

OpenAI CEO declares ‘code red’ to improve ChatGPT as rivals move in

The call comes after Google released its Gemini 3 AI model last month that gained praise for its capacity to reason and code.

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