April: Curiosity and New Paths | 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 helping you better understand 5Y.
01 Portfolio Company Highlights
Major news about funding rounds, IPOs, strategic partnerships, breakthroughs, and new product launches from 5Y portfolio companies.
02 5Y Updates
News about 5Y honors, investor interviews, and perspectives.
Note: Companies are listed in alphabetical order by pinyin.
01
Portfolio Company Highlights
Vastai Technologies Partners with H3C Group
On March 4, Vastai Technologies, a domestic high-end GPU chip provider, reached a strategic partnership with H3C Group, a subsidiary of Unisplendour Corporation. Vastai successfully qualified for and won a bid for a data center equipment expansion and upgrade procurement project for a leading state-owned enterprise in the energy sector. The two parties jointly delivered over 100 high-performance GPU servers equipped with hundreds of domestic GPU cards, supporting large model, computer vision, and cloud desktop application deployments. Notably, computing nodes deeply adapted to the DeepSeek large model accounted for over 60% of the deployment. The project has now fully passed acceptance, marking another milestone in domestic GPUs empowering intelligent upgrades in the energy sector. Read more
HAI ROBOTICS Unveils Revolutionary FlashPick System
On March 18, HAI ROBOTICS launched its next-generation tote-handling robot system — FlashPick — simultaneously in China and Japan. Representing another major breakthrough in the company's tote robot technology, FlashPick introduces an innovative product form that pushes "goods-to-person" automated warehouses toward a new stage of greater simplicity and flexibility. The system comprises the redesigned FlashPick robot, matching workstations, shelving and totes, and the HaiQ intelligent warehouse management platform. It offers rapid deployment, easy scalability, extremely high throughput efficiency, and ultra-high storage density. Through its simple yet powerful solution, FlashPick delivers a revolutionary intelligent warehousing experience for customers across industries. Read more
XtalPi Secures Major Partnership with UAE Royal Family
On March 21, XtalPi (stock code: 2228.HK), a global leader in digital and robotic automation R&D platforms, formally signed a commercial cooperation agreement with the Office of Sheikh Hamad Rakadh Salem Rakadh of the UAE royal family in Abu Dhabi. The two parties will jointly establish the Middle East's first automated laboratory for modernizing traditional medicine, with an initial investment of $30 million (paid according to construction progress), creating a new paradigm for traditional medicine R&D in the region. This partnership marks XtalPi's first large-scale export of automated laboratory capabilities to the Arab world. It aligns with the UAE's National Investment Strategy 2031 and its core objective of promoting technology and emerging industries, setting a new benchmark for China-Middle East technology cooperation. Read more
StepFun and AgiBot Enter Deep Strategic Partnership
On March 12, StepFun and AgiBot formally signed a deep strategic cooperation agreement. The two companies will combine their strengths in foundation large models and robotics R&D, collaborating on world model technology exploration, embodied intelligence data partnerships, and application scenarios such as new retail. Together, they will explore technical breakthroughs and application innovations in "large models + embodied robots." Specifically, the partnership extends to model R&D, industry solutions, and data systems, including joint exploration of 4D world model development and the deployment of embodied intelligence applications in intelligent marketing and supply chain management within new retail scenarios. Read more
Moore Threads Partners with Arcvideo
On March 19, Moore Threads and Arcvideo reached a deep cooperation, successfully completing deep integration of Arcvideo's BlackEye multimodal audio-visual large model with domestic GPUs. The two parties have jointly built a professional-grade audio-visual "engine" and successfully deployed it in ultra-high-definition GPU computing scenarios. A Moore Threads representative noted that the company's full-function GPUs can meet the training demands of large-scale datasets, providing efficient and stable computing support for hundred-billion-parameter models. With high bandwidth, large memory capacity, and strong interconnect capabilities, Moore Threads' deep integration with Arcvideo's core technologies in ultra-high-definition video and AI promises broad collaboration prospects in audio-visual content production, graphics rendering, and video encoding/decoding. Read more
Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shukun Technology, and Huawei Form Tripartite Partnership
In March, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shukun Technology, and Huawei formed a deep tripartite cooperation, achieving in-hospital deployment of the DeepSeek-R1 model and Shukun's "Shukun Kun" multimodal medical health large model. The three parties are jointly building a comprehensive solution for intelligent hospital construction based on medical specialty large models, which will inject strong momentum into improving the hospital's medical and research capabilities and open a new chapter in hospital-wide medical intelligence. Read more
Medbanks Health Technology Partners with Vista-SK
On March 6, Medbanks Health Technology (stock code: 0314.HK) and Vista-SK formally signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Shenzhen. Seizing this partnership as an opportunity, the two companies will integrate their respective advantages, focusing on professional development of workplace medical services and global network layout for medical institutions. Together, they will explore building a new ecosystem for enterprise health services and create full-scenario health management solutions for enterprises and individuals. Read more
Pony.ai and ComfortDelGro Launch Robotaxi Service in Guangzhou
On March 12, Pony.ai and ComfortDelGro officially launched their joint robotaxi service, beginning operations in Guangzhou. In July 2024, the two parties announced a memorandum of cooperation, planning to commence robotaxi operations in China with subsequent expansion to other countries and regions. After nearly six months of preparation, their first joint robotaxi service has now officially launched in Guangzhou. The project aims to leverage complementary strengths to provide users with safe, convenient autonomous ride-hailing experiences. Read more
Xpeng AeroHT's "Land Aircraft Carrier" Makes First Flight in Hunan
On March 27, Xpeng AeroHT held the first flight event for its "Land Aircraft Carrier" in Changde's Liuye Lake Tourism Resort in Hunan Province. Innovative formats such as "aerial flower viewing," "lake-circling flights," and "cross-lake flights" will gradually integrate into local life, injecting new momentum into the cultural tourism industry. During the on-site test flight, the "Land Aircraft Carrier" simulated a cross-lake flight scenario: after automatically separating from its ground-based "mothership," the aircraft's arms slowly unfolded, taking off smoothly from the Datang Sima Memorial Archway, ascending to 40 meters, crossing the lakeside road, circling once above Liuye Lake, and landing safely. Read more
Xpeng Motors Announces Entry into Four European Markets Including Poland
On March 11, Xpeng Motors achieved a significant milestone in overseas expansion, successfully entering the markets of Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The Xpeng P7, Xpeng G9, and Xpeng G6 are scheduled to go on sale in Q2 2025. Simultaneously, Xpeng Motors signed official agency agreements with Inchcape, a leading automotive distribution enterprise, and Hedin Group, a well-known European dealer group. Under the agreements, Inchcape will handle import and national distribution for the Polish market, while Hedin Group will be fully responsible for the Swiss, Czech, and Slovak markets. Read more
Syneron Bio Partners with AstraZeneca
On March 21, Syneron Bio, an innovative oral macrocyclic peptide drug R&D company, announced a strategic partnership with AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical leader, to jointly develop first-in-class macrocyclic peptide drugs for chronic diseases. Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will gain access to Syneron Bio's proprietary Synova™ technology platform. This intelligent high-throughput macrocyclic peptide drug R&D platform will help advance innovative drug development for chronic diseases including rare diseases, autoimmune disorders, and metabolic diseases. Read more
CS Biomatter Raises RMB 200 Million in Series A+ Round
On March 5, CS Biomatter announced a RMB 200 million Series A+ funding round led by CITIC Jinshi and Puhua Capital, with participation from Yunhui Capital and Hangzhou Capital. Existing shareholders Legend Capital, 5Y Capital, and Yuhang State Investment continued to increase their stakes. The proceeds will be used for construction of a 10,000-ton production facility in Taixing, Jiangsu, accelerating capacity expansion to further reduce costs. Founded in July 2021, CS Biomatter has already established continuous production processes for HMF (5-hydroxymethylfurfural) and FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid). In downstream derivative development, the company has completed development and validation of high-value-added furan bio-based monomers including THFDM (tetrahydrofuran dimethanol) and BAMF (2,5-bis(aminomethyl)furan). Read more
Multiple 5Y Portfolio Companies Named to ChinaVenture 2024 Rising Companies List
In March, ChinaVenture released its "Rising Companies 100" list for the fifth consecutive year, covering technology innovation sectors including AI, robotics, low-altitude economy, commercial aerospace, and healthcare. The 2024 list selects companies with high funding activity and strong growth potential based on capital market activity in these sectors. 5Y portfolio companies METiS Pharmaceuticals, StepFun, Xpeng AeroHT, XinYaohui, Moonshot AI, and Jaguar Micro were named to the list. Read more
5Y Updates
Their Paths, Methods, and Conviction | 5Y Tavern Vol.27 Women's Day Special
This edition of 5Y Tavern is a Women's Day special. We were honored to invite female founders and investors from 5Y to share how they renew themselves, shape their thinking, and maintain focus in a rapidly changing market environment. Though each person's path differs and perspectives vary, true growth never comes from blind pursuit — it's about learning to find your own rhythm amid change. From their sharing, perhaps you too can find some inspiration and insights :) Read more
AI + Gaming: Unlimited Potential, But Where's the Innovation Entry Point? | 5Y Tavern Vol.28
From Elon Musk founding an AI game studio to Haoyu Cai's AI game release at miHoYo; from Palworld using AI to generate in ten minutes pet models that would have taken art teams half a year, to the infinite narrative possibilities with AI catgirl girlfriends in AI2U — AI gaming is drawing increasing attention. Beyond being an efficiency tool, what new gameplay and possibilities can AI unlock?
In this edition of 5Y Tavern, gaming entrepreneurs and 5Y investors (who are also veteran gamers) discussed their expectations for the gaming sector this year, AI's impact on the gaming industry, and the new changes it brings :) Read more
72 Hours with AI, No Food, Water, or Phone — What Happens? | In Search of the "Cyber Robinson"
In 1999, when the internet was just emerging, a "72-Hour Internet Survival Test" shocked the public. At the time, people could hardly imagine how the internet would completely reshape ways of life.
In 2025, AI is sweeping the world with the same momentum. That it will transform life is already consensus. But how deeply has AI's influence penetrated? Can it sustain our survival?
5Y plans to launch a pioneering experiment for the AI era — a 72-hour AI survival experiment. Click the link to learn more and sign up :) Read more
5Y seeks out, supports, and inspires lonely entrepreneurs, providing them with support from the spiritual to all operational aspects. We believe that if the "crazy" you in others' eyes begins to be believed in, the world will become a different place.
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