The World Is Bigger Than the Logic Right in Front of You | 5Y News Monthly
The big news from last month.
5Y News Monthly
"5Y News Monthly" is a regular column from 5Y Capital. At the start of each month, we look back at news from the past month involving 5Y and our portfolio companies, sharing it with friends who follow us in the hope of giving you a deeper understanding of 5Y.
01 Portfolio Company Highlights
Major news on funding, IPOs, strategic partnerships, breakthroughs, and product launches from 5Y portfolio companies.
02 5Y Capital Updates
News on 5Y honors, investor interviews, and thought leadership.
Note: Companies are listed in alphabetical order by pinyin.
01
Portfolio Company Highlights
Volkswagen and Horizon Robotics Deepen Partnership; Next-Gen Advanced Autonomous Driving to Hit the Road Next Year
On April 7, Horizon Robotics and Volkswagen Group announced expanded collaboration in the advanced autonomous driving space based on Horizon's full-scenario intelligent driving solution HSD (Horizon SuperDrive™). CARIZON, the joint venture between CARIAD China and Horizon Robotics, will develop a next-generation advanced autonomous driving solution that will gradually roll out on Volkswagen Group's new models starting in 2026. Read more
XtalPi and Zhongyan Dadi Enter Strategic Partnership
On April 2, XtalPi and Zhongyan Dadi signed a strategic partnership agreement to apply AI to next-generation construction materials development. The two parties will focus on geotechnical solidification agents and soft-ground solidification, deeply integrating Zhongyan Dadi's industry expertise with XtalPi's AI technology to build a next-generation intelligent geotechnical materials system, empowering major infrastructure projects and the global expansion of China's construction industry. Read more
StepFun and Yuanli Lingji Enter Strategic Partnership
On April 17, StepFun and Yuanli Lingji formally signed a strategic partnership agreement. The two companies announced they will leverage their respective strengths to collaborate deeply on multimodal large model technology, intelligent terminal agents, and embodied intelligence scenarios. With the vision of "Reasoning in the real world," they will jointly develop "RoboAgent" to advance the application of artificial general intelligence (AGI) in the physical world. StepFun founder and CEO Daxin Jiang and Yuanli Lingji co-founder Haoqiang Fan witnessed the signing. StepFun COO Zhimin Cao and Yuanli Lingji CTO Erjin Zhou signed on behalf of their respective companies. Read more
PhiGent Robotics Closes Tens of Millions of Dollars in B-1 Funding
On April 29, PhiGent Robotics, a provider of combined assisted driving systems, announced the completion of a B-1 funding round of tens of millions of dollars, marking the company's successful entry into large-scale mass production. The round was led by a strategic investor from the automotive industry chain, with Microlight Venture Capital and other financial investors participating, and existing shareholders making additional investments. Read more
Kuaishou and Changan Automobile Enter Strategic Partnership
On April 23, the opening day of the Shanghai International Auto Show, Changan Automobile and Kuaishou reached a strategic partnership on intelligent marketing infrastructure. Witnessed by Du Wang, Vice President of the China Automobile Dealers Association, Zhixiong Yuan, Deputy General Manager of Changan Automobile's Brand Division and General Manager of Gravity Marketing, and Sixun Wang, Head of Kuaishou's Automotive Business, signed the "Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Intelligent Marketing Infrastructure," jointly launching a new chapter in automotive intelligent marketing. Read more
MedSci Healthcare and Shanghai Anda Hospital Successfully Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement
On April 15, MedSci Healthcare and Shanghai Anda Hospital successfully signed a strategic partnership agreement, marking the formal beginning of a new chapter of complementary strengths and collaborative progress. Under the framework of this strategic cooperation, both parties will fully leverage their respective advantages, integrating medical resources with digital capabilities to work closely together across enterprise health management, commercial insurance services, medical funds, and other areas. They will jointly advance the upgrade of full-loop service capabilities spanning "healthcare + insurance + pharmaceuticals," and explore innovative enterprise health benefit service models. Read more
SenseTime and Openverse Enter Strategic Partnership
On April 16, 2025, at SenseTime's Technology Exchange Day, SenseTime and Openverse reached a strategic partnership, marking the two companies' joint effort to write a new chapter in embodied intelligence. Both parties agreed to pursue in-depth collaboration on embodied intelligence data simulation, R&D pipelines, and customer service, with the goal of providing industry customers with more comprehensive end-to-end R&D solutions and accelerating the adoption and application of embodied intelligence technology. Read more
Pony.ai Receives Luxembourg's First Robotaxi Testing Permit
On April 3, Pony.ai announced it had received the first Robotaxi testing permit issued by Luxembourg's Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, becoming one of the first companies approved to conduct road tests in the country. This follows the company's autonomous driving testing permits in China, the United States, and South Korea, representing another significant milestone in Pony.ai's global autonomous driving efforts. Read more
Xpeng Motors Enters Strategic Partnership with Bahrain's Premier Automotive Group Ebrahim K. Kanoo
On April 3, Xpeng Motors announced a strategic partnership with Ebrahim K. Kanoo, a leading automotive group in Bahrain, officially entering this key Gulf market. Under the plan, Xpeng's three flagship models — the G6, G9, and X9 — will launch in Bahrain in the second half of 2025, leveraging Kanoo Group's nationwide sales and service network to bring innovative intelligent mobility experiences to local consumers. This partnership marks a deep breakthrough for Xpeng Motors' "Globalization 2.0" strategy in the Middle East, further expanding the company's global footprint. Read more
Xpeng Motors and CALB Deepen Strategic Partnership
On April 11, CALB and Guangzhou Huitian Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. (Xpeng Motors) signed an agreement to deepen their strategic partnership. Previously, CALB had exclusively provided the power battery with the highest mass-production energy density in the industry for the Land Aircraft Carrier X3. Building on this successful collaboration, CALB will continue to exclusively supply power batteries for Xpeng Motors' next-generation aircraft. Jingyu Liu, Chairman of CALB, and Deli Zhao, President of Xpeng Motors, witnessed the signing. Read more
Beijing Zuoyi Technology Co., Ltd. and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University Jointly Launch Next-Generation Pediatric "AI Family Doctor"
On April 7, the next-generation pediatric "AI Family Doctor" jointly developed by Beijing Zuoyi Technology Co., Ltd. and Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University was featured on CCTV. This product delivers true multi-scenario, multimodal interaction capabilities through an end-to-end AI Agent architecture combined with China's first pediatric evidence-based knowledge base designed for large model applications. The new pediatric "AI Family Doctor" brings convenience and peace of mind to tens of thousands of families, while also demonstrating Zuoyi Technology's technical accumulation and strategic vision in building AI general practitioners. Read more
02
5Y Capital Updates
5Y Capital Receives Multiple Honors from ChinaVenture and Diyixinsheng
On April 18, the 2024 ChinaVenture rankings were released. As an independent third-party organization, ChinaVenture publishes the China Venture Capital and Private Equity series rankings — the "ChinaVenture Rankings." Known in the industry for their professionalism, authority, and rigor, these rankings are regarded as a bellwether for China's equity investment industry and serve as an important reference for major institutional LPs when making allocation decisions. 5Y Capital was named to multiple lists including "ChinaVenture 2024 Top 10 Best Venture Capital Firms in China," "ChinaVenture 2024 Top 10 Best-Performing Venture Capital Firms in China," "ChinaVenture 2024 Top 5 Best Foreign Venture Capital Firms in China," and "ChinaVenture 2024 Top 30 Best Investment Firms in AI and Big Data." Read more
On April 17, the ChinaVenture 2024 Nova · Rising Investor rankings were released. As an independent third-party organization, ChinaVenture published the "ChinaVenture Rankings · Nova · Rising Investor" list for the third time since 2022. Among them, Xutian Jing, Managing Director at 5Y Capital, was named to the "ChinaVenture 2024 Nova · Top 50 Rising Investors" list. Read more
On April 11, Diyixinsheng released the Invest in China 2024 Annual Investment Institutions and Individuals Rankings. In 2024, Diyixinsheng conducted four rounds of cumulative research across four quarters, collecting over 480 questionnaires, conducting over 300 interviews, and conducting focused research on over 150 institutions and enterprises, ultimately selecting the "Invest in China — 2024 Annual Investment Institutions and Individuals Rankings." 5Y Capital was named to the "Top 30 Most Active Venture Capital Firms in China" and "Top 20 Most Active Investment Firms in AI" lists, and Xutian Jing, Managing Director at 5Y Capital, was named to the "Top 30 Best Young Investors in China" list. Read more
Spending 72 Hours with AI: No Food, Water, or Phone — What Happens? | In Search of the "Cyber Robinson Crusoe"
In 1999, as the internet was just emerging, a "72-Hour Internet Survival Test" captured public attention. At the time, people could scarcely imagine how thoroughly the internet would reshape their way of life. In 2025, AI is sweeping the world with equal momentum, and the consensus that it will transform how we live has already formed. But how deeply has AI's influence actually penetrated? Can it sustain our survival?
5Y Capital plans to launch a pioneering experiment for the AI era — spending 72 hours in a sealed room with AI, with no food, phone, or water. What will happen? Read more
When AI Meets Gaming and Creation, Which Visions Are Becoming Reality? | 5Y Tavern Vol. 29 [Podcast]
This episode features excerpts from the second 5Y Tavern closed-door session. Once again centered on the theme of "AI and Content and Game Creation," we invited more than a dozen creators, developers, and researchers on the front lines to engage in deep dialogue on how AI empowers creation, sparks inspiration, and translates into real products. Read more
5Y Capital seeks out, supports, and inspires lone entrepreneurs, providing them with support from the spiritual to the operational. We believe that if the world begins to believe in the madness that others see in you, the world will become a different place.
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