BlueRun Ventures July Report | The Beginning of Lucky Charms

Every month, we round up notable updates from BlueRun Ventures and our portfolio companies, sharing our latest thinking.

01

New Funding Rounds

"Yuntu" Closes Hundreds of Millions of RMB in Series A+ Funding

Recently, "Yuntu Semiconductor" announced the completion of a Series A+ round worth hundreds of millions of RMB. Xiaomi Industrial Investment and Linknew Capital continued to increase their stakes, while new investors including Jinbang Capital, BAIC Capital, Singularity Power Capital, China Universal Asset Management, and Yongxin Capital also joined. Founded in 2020, Yuntu has attracted numerous top-tier investors and completed five funding rounds in just two years, becoming one of the first in its field to achieve mass production and shipment — clear proof of its strength as a leading automotive-grade chip player that has drawn attention from investors and industry players alike. BlueRun Ventures previously invested in Yuntu Semiconductor's Pre-A and Series A rounds.

Founded in July 2020, Yuntu is a fabless automotive chip company whose core technical team brings nearly two decades of experience in automotive-grade chip design. Drawing on this professional background and deep technical expertise, Yuntu completed mass production of two high-quality automotive-grade MCUs in under two years, filling a gap in China's mid-to-high-end automotive MCU market.

"WhaleOps" Secures Another Tens of Millions of RMB in Funding

Recently, "WhaleOps" completed a new round of funding worth tens of millions of RMB, led by Kaitai Capital with continued participation from BlueRun Ventures, its angel-round investor. Following this round, the company will further expand its talent recruitment, develop and deploy cutting-edge technologies in data synchronization and MLOps, and build out its DataOps open-source ecosystem.

Founded in August 2021, WhaleOps was established by multiple members of the Apache Software Foundation and top global experts in data. With over a decade of experience in big data open-source software R&D, its core employees are scientists and senior experts in big data technologies from IBM, eBay, Informatica, Alibaba, and ByteDance, with R&D personnel accounting for over 90% of the team. The company possesses deep enterprise-grade data orchestration and integration capabilities in DataOps. The core team has long focused on big data and cloud computing, committed to building the next-generation cloud-native DataOps platform to help enterprises intelligently process, orchestrate, govern, and manage their data assets in the big data and cloud era.

"Liangliang Vision" Receives New Investment

Recently, "Liangliang Vision" received investment from Orient Capital. BlueRun Ventures previously participated in multiple rounds of funding for the company. Liangliang Vision will continue to increase investment in AR optics, hardware, platforms, and other key elements.

Founded in 2014, Liangliang Vision is dedicated to providing AR+AI industry solutions for enterprise customers. After seven years of deep cultivation in the B2B market, it has developed an end-to-end full-stack product layout, achieving full industry chain coverage from core technologies to commercial scenario deployment. The company deeply integrates 5G, IoT, and big data, building multi-industry collaboration to provide enterprises with efficient AR interactive experiences. Currently, Liangliang Vision's products and solutions serve leading enterprises across industries including industrials, energy, aviation, security, manufacturing, and transportation/automotive, with operations in 66 countries and regions, over 30 ecosystem partners, and more than 5,000 enterprise users globally.

"One Small Universe" Completes Consecutive Angel and Angel+ Rounds Worth Tens of Millions of RMB

Chinese coffee food tech company "One Small Universe" announced the completion of angel and angel+ rounds worth tens of millions of RMB. This round was led by BlueRun Ventures and Redpoint China Ventures, with funds to be used for accelerating R&D and innovation of "coffee cubes" and supply chain construction. At the same time, One Small Universe announced that China's first self-built 3D freeze-drying factory has been established in Tianjin.

One Small Universe, pioneer of the freeze-dried coffee cube category, was founded in 2021. Founder and CEO Lin Yang previously founded the offline specialty coffee chain CUP ONE. Chief Brand Officer Guang Yu is founder of China's top design studio ABCD, and Chief Research Officer Ma Chao is a professor at Beijing Forestry University's College of Biological Sciences and Technology.

"Lanli Energy" Secures Tens of Millions of RMB in Angel Funding

Recently, mobile energy service provider "Lanli Energy" announced tens of millions of RMB in angel funding, led by BlueRun Ventures. The funds will primarily be used for independent R&D of distributed mobile energy storage products, commercial operations, and partnership development.

Founded in October 2021, Lanli Energy is a new energy service technology company integrating product design, R&D, and service operations, founded by core team members from leading internet companies including DiDi, Alibaba, and Tencent. Leveraging advanced energy storage technology, IoT technology, and battery testing technology, the company targets the challenge of charging new energy vehicles under the carbon neutrality backdrop, building a distributed photovoltaic-storage-charging-testing integrated dynamic new energy grid to provide users with innovative mobile frictionless charging experiences. This service has already launched in Hangzhou.

"Dunjia Technology" Completes Tens of Millions in Angel Funding

Recently, Hangzhou-based intelligent vision hardware company "Dunjia Technology" completed tens of millions of RMB in angel funding, with BlueRun Ventures leading the round and Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group participating. It is reported that Dunjia Technology's facial recognition smart door lock DLOCK30 Pro has already achieved mass production and market launch.

Founded in 2019, Dunjia Technology is an innovative technology company focused on household intelligent vision hardware. Based on industry-leading ISP image algorithms, CNN facial recognition technology, vein reflection recognition technology, system-level optimization, and cloud platform solutions, Dunjia has created an integrated software-hardware AIoT product service system for household intelligent vision, providing complete solutions for core scenarios in household intelligent vision IoT, using vision technology to safeguard better living.

02

New Milestones

BioMap's Suzhou R&D Center Officially Opens, Driving Over 100 Advanced Drug Discovery Programs with Bio-computational Engine

On the morning of July 15, the official opening ceremony for the Suzhou R&D Center was held at the Creative Industry Park in Suzhou Industrial Park. BioMap's establishment in the park will not only bring solid public technical support to the bio-computational track, but also provide strong impetus for the integration and innovation between the park's two emerging industries — biomedicine and artificial intelligence.

As a breakthrough innovative drug discovery platform driven by bio-computational engines, BioMap is committed to combining advanced AI technology with cutting-edge biotechnology, and this interdisciplinary collaboration — the fusion of computation and biology — is precisely the DNA and core culture of the Suzhou R&D Center.

Sinorythm and Beijing Stroke Prevention and Treatment Association Formally Launch Deep Cooperation

Recently, to address the challenges brought by population aging, Sinorythm and the Beijing Stroke Prevention and Treatment Association formally launched deep cooperation, jointly committed to building a standardized prevention and treatment system for MCR, promoting early identification and intervention of MCR, and providing technologically advanced, service-leading, industry-university-research integrated intelligent equipment and service solutions for achieving healthy aging in China.

Huayu Tongsoft Announces Partnership with Elektrobit, Global Automotive Embedded and Connected Software Provider

Recently, Huayu Tongsoft announced a partnership with Elektrobit, a global provider of embedded and connected software products for the automotive industry, to integrate Huayu's "Swift" communication middleware (SWIFT DDS) with Elektrobit's EB corbos AdaptiveCore base software based on the latest AUTOSAR Adaptive Platform (AP), becoming the first domestic commercial solution to fully integrate self-developed DDS into the AUTOSAR AP ara::com module.

ReviR Therapeutics and XtalPi Collaborate Again, with Automated Synthesis Accelerating Targeted RNA Drug Discovery

Following their joint development of a targeted RNA small-molecule drug discovery platform in 2021, ReviR Therapeutics and XtalPi have reached another strategic cooperation, jointly targeting small-molecule drugs for RNA, using artificial intelligence and automation technology to accelerate drug discovery, with the aim of addressing unmet clinical needs.

The ReviR team brings extensive experience in AI technology development and RNA spatial structure computation. Its self-developed VoyageR AI drug discovery platform can effectively improve the efficiency of RNA structure computation and target prediction, while XtalPi possesses an intelligent drug discovery platform whose human-machine integrated automated experimental model enables efficient integration of wet and dry lab experiments. This cooperation will fully leverage both parties' advantages to accelerate ReviR's preclinical candidate compound (PCC) development process.

Zhongguancun Technology Entrepreneurs Association Cybersecurity Innovation Branch Established in Beijing, Moyun Technology Becomes Founding Member

On July 12, the founding conference of the Zhongguancun Technology Entrepreneurs Association — Cybersecurity Innovation Branch, jointly initiated by the Zhongguancun Technology Entrepreneurs Association and over thirty cybersecurity companies, was held in Beijing. Moyun Technology, as a founding member, witnessed the birth of this new cybersecurity force.

Founded in 1987, the Zhongguancun Technology Entrepreneurs Association is one of the earliest associations established in China's technology enterprise community, with the mission of "serving the development of technology industries for Zhongguancun entrepreneurs and serving the construction of Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone." It closely follows national strategic deployment and Zhongguancun's positioning requirements, actively exploring the path of technology industry development.

Yuntu Receives TÜV Rheinland ISO 26262 Functional Safety Management System Highest Level Certification

Recently, TÜV Rheinland, an international independent third-party testing, inspection, and certification organization, awarded Yuntu Semiconductor the ISO 26262 functional safety management system highest level ASIL D certification. Obtaining this certificate signifies that the company has fully established a chip product development process and functional safety management system compliant with ISO 26262:2018 standards and meeting the highest automotive functional safety level ASIL D.

Shengke Energy Empowers New Energy Vehicle Smart Service Centers, Providing Comprehensive Battery Health Testing Services

On July 14, the first batch of cities for "Weilan e-Station — New Energy Vehicle Smart Service Center," jointly built by Shengke Energy, Weilan e-Station, and China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., officially launched, aiming to create an authoritative and credible smart service system for the new energy vehicle aftermarket.

The Weilan e-Station new energy vehicle smart service center first launched at Beijing Penglong and Guangzhou Guangwu Automotive Trading locations, representing a beneficial attempt at commercializing core ASE technology under the background of Shengke Energy's comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement with the China Automobile Dealers Association.

New Industry Recognition

BlueRun Ventures Ranks TOP2 in China FOF Research Center 2022 Early-Stage Fund Best Returns, Jui Chan Ranks TOP5 in Best Returns Direct Investment Fund Investor

On July 31, 2022, the China FOF Research Center officially released its mid-year 2022 rankings to encourage outstanding institutions and talent in the private equity fund of funds and fund industry, promoting the healthy development of the equity investment industry.

BlueRun Ventures received:

• 2022 Early-Stage Fund Best Returns TOP30, ranked TOP2
• Managing Partner Jui Chan: 2022 Best Returns Direct Investment Fund Investor TOP50

BlueRun Ventures and Portfolio Companies Featured on Jazzyear's 2021-2022 China Tech Industry Investment Rankings

As a leading China tech industry think tank, Jazzyear has continued to focus on investment institutions and sci-tech enterprises that genuinely promote technological progress and industrial development. For this selection, Jazzyear evaluated candidates based on four dimensions — "commercial strength," "team strength," "capital strength," and "public opinion strength" — comprehensively analyzing factors including company valuation, intellectual property count, innovation index, founder and core team background, and funding progress to produce its 2021-2022 annual tech industry investment institution and sci-tech enterprise star rankings.

BlueRun and portfolio companies received:

• BlueRun Ventures: 2021-2022 Enterprise Services Best Investment Institution TOP20
• Mooe Robot, Youibot: 2021-2022 Intelligent Manufacturing Most Investment-Worthy Companies

Multiple BlueRun Portfolio Companies Featured on China Entrepreneur Annual "Rising 100" List

Recently, China Entrepreneur unveiled its 2022 "Future Stars" — 21 High-Growth Innovative Companies list. This year, alongside announcing the "21 High-Growth Innovative Companies," China Entrepreneur screened over 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises to identify 100 outstanding companies with innovative spirit, releasing the 2022 annual "Rising 100" list. Based on three dimensions — latest company valuation, total funding raised, and recommendations from referrers and institutions — six BlueRun portfolio companies successfully made the 2022 "Rising 100" list.

BlueRun portfolio award recipients:

Gaussian Robotics, Bluecore Technology, Mooe Robot, Youibot, CloudSino Intelligent Technology, Liangliang Vision

Youibot Selected as Shenzhen "Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, Innovative" Enterprise

Recently, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology released the public notice for the 2021 Shenzhen "Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, Innovative" SME list. Youibot, with its comprehensive technical strength and extensive implementation experience in integrated software-hardware solutions for industrial logistics and inspection operations, was selected as a 2021 Shenzhen "Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, Innovative" enterprise.

Wisson Wins Two 2022 iF Best Product Design Awards; Receives 2022 German Red Dot Product Design Award

In the 2022 German iF Best Product Design Awards list, Wisson's flexible arm and flexible gripper, based on its self-developed Pliabot flexible technology, won two product awards. This recognition not only validates Wisson's flexible product series but also provides strong support for the feasibility of flexible product commercialization.

The iF Award, born in 1935 and organized by iF Industrie Forum Design — Germany's longest-established industrial design forum — is one of the most renowned international awards. Alongside Germany's Red Dot Design Award and the US IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Awards), it is recognized as one of the world's three major design awards.

Wisson's flexible gripper, based on its self-developed Pliabot flexible technology, won the 2022 German Red Dot Best Product Design Award. This flexible gripper offers incomparable advantages in human-machine interaction, safe operation, and load-to-weight ratio. It can also be widely applied in commercial services, home services, industrial applications, medical equipment, and extreme environments, among other operational scenarios.

The Red Dot Award was established in 1955 by the German design association Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen and is an authoritative global industrial design award known for its rigorous selection standards. Selected products must demonstrate innovative characteristics that distinguish them from similar products, representing the highest level of global industrial design in their field.

Gaussian Robotics Selected for "2022 China Cloud Ecology Top 100" List

On July 28, the 2022 Global Digital Economy Conference was held at the Beijing National Convention Center. At the afternoon "Cloud Integration Technology Innovation Leadership Forum," the Zhongguancun Cloud Computing Industry Alliance and China Cloud Industry Alliance globally premiered the 2022 China Cloud Computing Ecology Blue Book. Gaussian Robotics, as a representative robotics enterprise, was included in the blue book and listed on the "2022 China Cloud Ecology Top 100" list.

Liangliang Vision Wins Most Promising Enterprise Award in Nuclear Power Information Technology

On July 20-21, the 10th China Nuclear Power Information Technology Summit Forum (NITF 2022), hosted by the Nuclear Energy Branch of China Electric Power Development Promotion Association, the Digitalization and Systems Engineering Branch of Chinese Nuclear Society, and the Cloud Computing Technology Committee of China Information Industry Association, was held in Haiyan, Zhejiang. With its fully self-developed "AR Smart Glasses Nuclear Power Industry Efficiency Enhancement Solution," Liangliang Vision has become one of the important tools for national leading nuclear power enterprises including CGN, SPIC, and CNNC to improve the intrinsic safety management level of nuclear power equipment and ensure full lifecycle safety of units, and was consequently awarded the "Most Promising Enterprise in Nuclear Power Information Technology" award.

QingCloud Wins "Cloud Connect Award" at Global Cloud Computing Conference; Cloud Native Project Selected for "Trusted Cloud Technical Service Best Practice"

Recently, at the 10th Global Cloud Computing Conference · China Station (Cloud Connect China 2022), the "Cloud Connect Award" winners were officially announced as the core event. QingCloud's "dual carbon" smart building solution won the "2021-2022 Outstanding Solution Award".

At the 2022 Trusted Cloud Conference, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology announced the Trusted Cloud Best Practice selection results. OpenFunction, initiated by QingCloud's cloud native team, was successfully selected for Trusted Cloud Technical Service Best Practice. This selection primarily recognizes cloud service enterprises that have made outstanding achievements in cloud technology, cloud services, and cloud practice over the past year.

Cloud Energy Storage New Energy Receives "Energy Storage Application Innovation Model" Honor at International Energy Storage Innovation Competition

The 6th International Energy Storage Innovation Competition was hosted by the International Energy Storage Technology and Industry Alliance, organized by the China Energy Storage Alliance, and co-organized by China Power International Development. A total of 146 projects from international/domestic industry, academia, and research institutions participated in this competition. Cloud Energy Storage New Energy was selected for the 6th International Energy Storage Innovation Competition 2022 Energy Storage Application Innovation Model TOP10.

Mooe Robot Shortlisted for Capek Award

Recently, the 8th Capek Award shortlist was announced. Mooe, with its industry-leading technical strength and highly competitive innovative products, was again shortlisted for Mobile Robot Annual Technology Innovation Product Award and Annual Value Brand Award. It won the Annual Technology Innovation Product Award and Annual Value Brand Award.

CloudSino Intelligent Technology Wins Multiple Golden Patrol Awards

CloudSino Intelligent Technology, as a national leading UAV automatic inspection service provider, exhibited with its new series of solutions for intelligent power operation and maintenance system construction. Based on its innovative application of UAV technology in the power sector, it was awarded three Golden Patrol Awards: UAV Power Plant Innovation Application Case Award, Digital Intelligent Grid UAV Innovation Application Case Award, and UAV AI Technology Innovation Case Award. At the same time, co-founder Dr. Zhu Shengli was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the UAV forum on "Building New Power UAV Systems, Constructing Power Industry Metaverse."

The Golden Patrol Award National UAV Power Inspection Technology Summit Forum has long been well-received in the industry. Beyond comprehensively showcasing the most cutting-edge products, technologies, and solutions in the power intelligent inspection field, it opens anticipation and outlook for a new round of growth, exploring more efficient development models to promote the healthy development of China's power intelligent inspection industry.

RapidsData Enters 2022 IT Innovation Database TOP List

Recently, the "2022 IT Innovation Database Enterprise Ranking" was released, with RapidsData making the list. The ranking was jointly published by Internet Weekly, supervised by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and hosted by Science Press, along with eNet Research Institute and Deben Consulting.

ReviR Therapeutics Selected as Active China Bio-computing Enterprise in Digital Economy Era by CB Insights

On July 22, 2022, ReviR Therapeutics was named by CB Insights as one of the active China bio-computing enterprises in the digital economy era of 2022. The selection was based on multiple dimensions including enterprise technology innovation, pipeline progress, project cooperation, and investment and financing, with the list generated after comprehensive evaluation by professional analysts.

ReviR combines AI algorithms, small-molecule drug screening, and high-throughput RNA experimental teams to independently develop an AI drug discovery platform, conducting RNA drug target discovery and prediction based on RNA structure and function, and providing technical support for the prediction and optimization of small-molecule compounds targeting RNA.

Further Reading

BlueRun Ventures Quarterly Investment Overview | 2022 Q1

BlueRun June Report | Hope is a Sweet Waiting

BlueRun May Report | Remember Why You Started

BlueRun Ventures was established in Silicon Valley in 1998. BlueRun Ventures China was founded in 2005 and is a venture capital firm focused on early-stage startups.

Currently, BlueRun Ventures China manages multiple USD and RMB dual-currency funds, with assets under management exceeding 15 billion RMB, making it one of the largest early-stage funds in China. It invests primarily at Pre-A and Series A stages, covering hard tech and innovative interaction, enterprise technology, new consumption, and healthcare, with cumulative investments in over 150 startups including Li Auto, Waterdrop, QingCloud, Guazi Used Car, Qudian, Songguo Mobility, Ganji.com, Energy Monster, Yuntu Semiconductor, Machenike, CloudSino Intelligent Technology, Anxin Shield, BioMap, and others.

BlueRun Ventures has been ranked #1 in Zero2IPO's "China Early-Stage Investment Institutions Top 30" and #1 in ChinaVenture's "China Best Early-Stage Venture Capital Institutions TOP30," and was named a Top 10 global venture capital fund manager for sustained high returns by Preqin.

Additionally, BlueRun Ventures has repeatedly received honors from Forbes China, 36Kr, Cyzone, Caixin Media, CBNweekly, Jiemian, and other media institutions as "Annual China Best Early-Stage Institution," "China Top Venture Capital Firm," "Annual Most Entrepreneur-Friendly Early-Stage Institution," and "Annual Most Influential Early-Stage Institution."