Uncovering New Opportunities: Four Interdisciplinary Innovation Firms Announce Nine-Figure Funding Rounds | FreeS Family Funding News Vol.17
Looking forward to working alongside more outstanding founders.
"FreeS Family Funding News" is a regular column where we share updates on funding rounds for companies in the FreeS Fund portfolio. Coverage includes both new investments and follow-on rounds for our existing portfolio companies. Together, we witness each step of innovation — from 0 to 1, from 1 to 10, and from 10 to 100.
This edition at a glance:
- Optics + Computing: Chuguang 3D completed a nearly ten million RMB angel round, with FreeS Fund as the sole lead investor.
- Materials + Micro-nano Processing: Pulin Technology raised tens of millions of RMB in its angel round, with FreeS Fund as the exclusive investor.
- AI + Robotics: LimX Dynamics, a FreeS Fund angel-round project, completed angel and Pre-A rounds totaling nearly 200 million RMB, with FreeS Fund continuing to invest.
- Materials + Mechanical + Chemical Engineering: Huayu New Materials, a FreeS Fund angel-round project, completed a tens-of-millions RMB Pre-A+ round.
(Funding information in this summary is limited to publicly disclosed rounds from September to October, sorted by announcement date.)
▲ Spectral confocal technology principles behind Chuguang 3D's two core products. Image source: Chuguang 3D, 36Kr
Chuguang 3D, a manufacturer of optical micro-nano 3D sensors, completed an angel round of nearly ten million RMB, led exclusively by FreeS Fund.
**/ From the Investors / **
As processing precision capabilities and applications continue to advance, industry demand for high-precision imaging — particularly 3D imaging — keeps growing. The boundaries between traditional precision manufacturing and semiconductor processes are increasingly blurring. Building on this trend, the Chuguang team leverages years of industry experience and research expertise, using spectral confocal imaging, coded imaging, and other technology platforms to achieve high-speed, high-precision measurement of micro-nano structures. We believe that amid the wave of industrial upgrading and advanced manufacturing, Chuguang can become a leading precision measurement platform company.
**/ Company Details / **
Chuguang 3D uses spectral confocal imaging technology as its entry point, aiming to build the next-generation precision optical 3D imaging technology platform and become a global leader in micro-nano scale optical 3D sensing and measurement instruments. The company's first product, a "line spectral confocal 3D sensor," has completed its engineering prototype and is among the first line spectral confocal products in China to enter mass production. Its second product, an "area confocal 3D microscopy sensor," has completed prototype refinement and is the world's first commercialized product using "area-array light + confocal imaging" technology, enabling efficient, high-resolution micro-nano 3D measurement and inspection. (See full coverage: [36Kr] Optical micro-nano 3D sensor manufacturer "Chuguang 3D" completes nearly ten million RMB angel round, led exclusively by FreeS Fund)
▲ Image source: Pulin Technology, 36Kr
Pulin Technology completed a tens-of-millions RMB angel round, with FreeS Fund as the exclusive investor.
**/ From the Investors / **
Nanoimprint lithography, a micro-nano processing technology that achieves nanoscale pattern transfer through physical molding, has been the subject of sustained academic and industry efforts since its invention in 1995 to apply it in IC and other micro-nano processing fields at scale.
In recent years, the scaled application of nanoimprint lithography in micro-nano optical devices and biochips has laid the groundwork for the rapid commercialization of this frontier technology. Abroad, Canon's persistent R&D investment in nanoimprint lithography has enabled its use in flash memory chip industrial production, replacing traditional photolithography processes and demonstrating the broad prospects of nanoimprint as an alternative to photolithography in the IC field. Pulin Technology's core founding team possesses not only top-tier nanoimprint lithography expertise in China and globally, but also integrated end-to-end R&D and mass production capabilities spanning equipment, resins, and processes. FreeS Fund has long been bullish on the frontier development and application of observation, processing, and control technologies at the microscale. We believe that with the team's unwavering dedication, Pulin can bring higher-quality, higher-efficiency, and lower-cost scaled nanoimprint lithography solutions to the industry.
**/ Company Details / **
Founded in 2017, Pulin Technology primarily produces and develops nanoimprint lithography equipment and materials. The company's founder and chief scientist, Professor Ge Haixiong, studied under Professor Stephen Chou — the inventor of nanoimprint lithography — and has been engaged in nanoimprint research for over two decades, developing spin-coating UV-cured nanoimprint processes and material systems. Compared to photolithography, nanoimprint lithography offers relatively simpler processes, lower costs, ultra-high resolution, 3D complex nanostructure fabrication, direct functional material molding, and no need for developing, among other technical advantages. Pulin Technology's team has established a complete nanoimprint lithography technology system, and with partners has achieved ultra-high resolution imprinting with 8nm pitch and 4nm line width — proving that nanoimprint lithography resolution can meet the demand for ever-smaller line widths in future integrated circuit manufacturing. (See full coverage: [36Kr] Pulin Technology raises tens of millions in angel round, focused on nanoimprint lithography technology)
▲ Image source: LimX Dynamics
LimX Dynamics, a general-purpose legged robotics company, completed angel and Pre-A rounds totaling nearly 200 million RMB. The angel round saw joint investment from several top-tier VC firms including FreeS Fund, Zhishu Capital, Future Capital, and Kinzon Capital. The Pre-A round was led by Oasis Capital, with Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group also participating.
**/ From the Investors / **
As the robotics industry gradually moves toward more complex scenarios and real-world deployment, general-purpose legged mobility and AI have become key directions for industry advancement. The evolution of all-terrain mobility capability is not merely a matter of hardware form factors — it requires real-time environmental perception and intelligent integration of motion control, thereby upgrading the robot's "brain" and "cerebellum."
The LimX Dynamics team has deep foundational expertise in motion control technology, with internationally leading self-developed software algorithm capabilities across multiple legged configurations including wheeled-legged, humanoid bipedal, and quadrupedal forms, while continuously exploring the cutting edge of AI-robotics motion integration. We are optimistic about LimX Dynamics' approach of starting from key technologies to drive the ongoing development of general-purpose robotics products, and crossing the commercialization threshold in the near future.
**/ Company Details / **
LimX Dynamics' humanoid bipedal and quadrupedal robots share core underlying technologies, using a hybrid Model-based and Learning-based approach focused on breakthroughs in terrain perception and complex terrain adaptation for humanoid bipedal robots. LimX Dynamics will first build an all-terrain mobility platform for legged robots, becoming "the DJI of ground robotics" — enabling robots to move stably from point A to point B across all terrains. With over a decade of deep accumulation in robotics, the core team possesses world-leading perception-based motion control algorithms, legged robot reinforcement learning algorithms, and fully self-developed high-performance legged joints. The technology development strategy is clear: continuously leverage the technical advantage of software-defined hardware, drive the intelligentization of legged robot movement, and build powerful, reliable motion control capabilities for future general-purpose AI robots. (See full coverage: [LimX Dynamics] LimX Dynamics raises nearly 200 million RMB to advance wheeled-legged, humanoid bipedal, and AI R&D and deployment)
Carbon fiber composite materials company Huayu New Materials recently completed a tens-of-millions RMB Pre-A+ round, jointly invested by Silicon Harbor Capital and Qisheng Fund, a fund under Septwolves.
**/ From the Investors / **
Huayu has been deeply engaged in high-end carbon fiber applications for over a decade, establishing deep technical moats across multiple industries. It is currently the only domestic manufacturer to have achieved designated supply and mass production of carbon fiber drive shafts and e-motor rotor sleeves, with extensive applications beyond new energy vehicles into medical devices and sports and leisure products. FreeS Fund was Huayu's angel-round investor, and throughout our journey with the company, the founder's passion and dedication to carbon fiber has been deeply impressive — highly aligned with FreeS Fund's founding principle of "doing what's right, not what's easy." **/ Company Details / **
Huayu New Materials is a new materials technology innovation product supplier, currently focused on carbon fiber applications in the automotive sector, with core products including carbon fiber drive shafts, carbon fiber e-motor rotor spindles and sleeves, among others. Carbon fiber applications span multiple industries including new energy, automotive, medical devices, and sports and leisure products. Carbon fiber is lightweight yet high-strength, with shock resistance and corrosion resistance. Applied in automobiles, it reduces vehicle weight and improves motor electromagnetic efficiency, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and EV range while also improving overall vehicle comfort and service life. However, due to relatively high costs, the material previously saw limited automotive application. In recent years, as automakers have raised requirements for vehicle dynamics and comfort, carbon fiber has begun opening up markets in automotive powertrain components. As industry capacity further expands, carbon fiber applications in the automotive sector will see even more opportunities. (See full coverage: [36Kr Pro] Huayu New Materials completes tens-of-millions RMB Pre-A+ round to accelerate carbon fiber materials in vehicles)
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