Linguniverse

Linguniverse (灵宇宙) is an AI-powered consumer robotics company founded in 2023 by Gu Jiawei, a veteran AI product leader who previously directed human-computer interaction at Baidu's deep-learning institute and founded Wuling Technology, whose Luka reading robot sold nearly 10 million units across 18 countries . The company has moved fast: it completed three funding rounds within its first six months, with early backers including Linear Capital, SenseTime, 37 Interactive Entertainment, and Tsinghua SEE Fund , then raised 200 million yuan in a 2025 Pre-A series led by state-backed Shanghai International Group's Guofang Innovation, with Didi, Lakala's Koala Fund, and existing shareholders also participating .

Linguniverse's flagship product is the Xiaofangji (小方机), an AI companion device for children that ranked top of JD.com's AI toy category during 2025's Singles' Day, with sales up 108.92% from the mid-year 618 festival . The company's stated ambition is to build a next-generation hardware operating system—what it calls an "AI World Operating System"—starting from home scenarios and expanding globally, a bet that the current generation of mature models and cheaper hardware finally makes consumer AI devices viable after the "walking a tightrope against the wind" era of earlier robotics ventures, as Gu described it to 暗涌Waves .