A New Beginning | Z News

Z News is ZhenFund's news column.

As January draws to a close, we're looking back at the month's highlights and inviting you to witness the growth of our portfolio companies and the latest from ZhenFund. Double espresso — here's what we've got.

Multiple ZhenFund Portfolio Companies Featured at CES 2026

From January 6–9, CES 2026 took place in Las Vegas, with several ZhenFund portfolio companies in attendance. ZhenFund angel investment Hover Camera's AQUA flying camera won a CES 2026 Innovation Awards Honoree; ZhenFund angel investment Exway formally launched its new ultra-light aircraft X4, marking personal aerial mobility's leap from "geek toy" to "consumer product"; ZhenFund early-stage investment Hesai Technology brought multiple core product upgrades, with roughly ten new robotic lawnmowers on display featuring Hesai's JT-series 3D LiDAR; ZhenFund early-stage investment Elephant Robotics showcased three upcoming robots, including the upgraded 4-DOF intelligent palletizing arm ultraArm P1, the refreshed bionic pet robot metaCat 2026, and the bionic hand pet Pawbots.

ZhenFund Early-Stage Investment Wuji Technology Hosts NVIDIA Team Visit

In early 2026, NVIDIA Robotics Product Lead Spencer Huang and his team visited Wuji Technology's Shenzhen headquarters. Over the past year, Wuji Technology has maintained frequent communication with NVIDIA researchers across multiple R&D lines. This marked NVIDIA's first visit to Wuji headquarters, where the two sides held in-depth discussions at Wuji's Shenzhen R&D center on the technical evolution of robotic dexterous hands and specific solution details, with live demos and exchanges around Wuji's dexterous hand prototype. This cross-border technical dialogue laid a strong foundation for deeper collaboration going forward. Read more

Multiple ZhenFund Portfolio Companies Named to IT Juzi's "2025 China Unicorn Companies" Rankings

On January 22, new-economy venture data provider IT Juzi released its "2025 China Unicorn Companies" series of rankings. ZhenFund angel investments Xiaohongshu, Momenta, Enflame Technology, VIPKID, Moonshot AI, and Yitu Technology were named to the "China Top 100 Unicorns" list; ZhenFund angel investments Enflame Technology, Lightelligence, and Orienspace were named to the "2025 China New Unicorns" list; ZhenFund early-stage investment Moxi and ZhenFund angel investment Zhaogang Group were named to the "2025 China Unicorns That Successfully Exited" list; ZhenFund angel investments Momenta, Enflame Technology, Moonshot AI, Chaitin Tech, Lightelligence, Zhichi Technology, Aibee, and ZhenFund early-stage investment UISEE were named to the "2025 China AI Unicorns" list; ZhenFund angel investments Enflame Technology and Lightelligence were named to the "2025 China Semiconductor Chip Unicorns" list; ZhenFund early-stage investment Flexiv was named to the "China Intelligent Robot Unicorns" list; ZhenFund angel investment Xiaohongshu was named to the "2025 China Consumer Brand Unicorns" list.

ZhenFund Angel Investment Artilux Named to "China High-Tech High-Growth Future Unicorn Companies" List, CEO Kai Zang Again Named to "Best Young CEO TOP30"

On December 25, domestic authoritative tech industry research platform First New Voice released its fifth annual "2025 China High-Tech High-Growth Companies and CEO Rankings." The rankings have been published for five consecutive years, encompassing over 900 survey responses and expert interviews, with rigorous evaluation across technological innovation, market prospects, commercial execution, and team capabilities. Artilux, which has continued to push technical boundaries and drive commercialization in 3D sensing chips, was named to the "2025 China High-Tech High-Growth Future Unicorn Companies" list, while CEO Kai Zang was once again named to the "2025 China High-Tech High-Growth Best Young CEO TOP30." Read more

ZhenFund Angel Investment Horizon Robotics Wins 2026 CCOY "Mobility Technology of the Year" Award

On January 8, the 2026 CCOY Car of the Year Awards Ceremony and SHE POWER New Consumer Trends Forum were held in Beijing. As the world's third most closely watched automotive award, with a judging panel of 48 seasoned industry media professionals since its inception in 2012, the awards represent one of China's most authoritative international automotive selections. Horizon Robotics' HSD full-scenario assisted driving system won "Mobility Technology of the Year" for its technical breakthroughs in advanced intelligent driving and scaled mass production capabilities — high recognition from the industry for HSD's technical strength and leadership. This honor represents authoritative validation of HSD's innovation and its value in democratizing the technology. Going forward, Horizon Robotics will continue focusing on real-world user mobility scenarios and upgrading the HSD product experience. Read more

ZhenFund Early-Stage Investment Youibot Wins Semiconductor Industry Honor for Best Solution of the Year

On December 20, at the "2026 Semiconductor Investment Annual Conference and IC Industry Awards Ceremony," Youibot won "Best Solution of the Year" for its deep technical accumulation and scaled implementation in the semiconductor sector. The award represents high recognition from the semiconductor industry for Youibot's innovative capabilities and practical execution, and also validates the critical role of Youibot's industrial logistics solutions based on its "one brain, multiple forms" architecture in advancing semiconductor industry intelligence. Read more

ZhenFund Angel Investment ChromX Founder Dr. Junqi Wang Named to "2025 Forbes China 100 Outstanding Returnee Youth" List

On December 28, Forbes released its "2025 Forbes China 100 Outstanding Returnee Youth" list. ChromX founder, chairman, and CEO Dr. Junqi Wang was named to the "Growth" category for his disruptive innovations and industrial breakthroughs in high-end medical testing and industrial gas detection. This marked Dr. Wang's second Forbes recognition this year, following his earlier selection as a "2025 Forbes China Industry Pioneer." Read more

ZhenFund Angel Investment VisionIC Named to 2025 "Future Power" AI Technology Rankings

On December 31, Securities Star released its 2025 "Future Power" leading enterprise rankings. VisionIC (Beijing) Technology was named to the "AI Technology" list for its original breakthroughs in the deep integration of artificial intelligence and spectral sensing, becoming a model enterprise for hard tech empowering ecological environmental governance. Also named to the AI Technology list were Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, and ByteDance. Read more

ZhenFund Early-Stage Investment Laiye Named to AI Annual Ranking "2025 AIGC Industry Innovation TOP100"

On December 26, the "Imagine · 2025 Jixin AIGC Summit" was held in Shanghai under the guidance of the China Association for Overseas Investment and Development, with the release of the "2025 AIGC Industry Innovation TOP100" rankings. The list evaluates companies across innovation capability, technical strength, market influence, and growth potential. Laiye was named to the "2025 AIGC Industry Innovation TOP100" list for its continued innovation and scaled implementation in enterprise AI agents and AIGC, ranking in the fintech TOP20. Read more

ZhenFund Angel Investment DataGrand Wins 2025 China Big Data Industry Annual "Data Agent Innovation Application Award"

On January 14, the 8th Golden Ape Big Data Industry Development Forum and AI Infra & Data Agent Trends Forum was held at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Parkview. DataGrand won the "2025 China Big Data Industry Annual Data Agent Innovation Application" award for its "Zhipu Xiaolu" employee digital assistant project, co-developed with Puyin Wealth Management, becoming a benchmark for Data Agent technology implementation in the financial sector. DataGrand's selection from a competitive field not only demonstrates its deep accumulation and innovative strength in Data Agent technology, but also validates the practical value and benchmark significance of the "Zhipu Xiaolu" project's financial industry implementation. Read more

ZhenFund Angel Investment Momenta R6 Deployed in Buick Zhijing E7, Achieving True Mass Production

Following successful deployment in the Buick Zhijing L7 and Zhijing Shijia, Momenta's R6 reinforcement learning large model is now coming to the Buick Zhijing E7, achieving full matrix coverage across all three Zhijing series models. Momenta R6 is China's first reinforcement learning large model to achieve true mass production on top of an end-to-end architecture. Leveraging the core advantages of reinforcement learning and massive real-world driving data, it handles complex urban scenarios with ease, delivering a first-tier assisted driving experience in China. Read more

ZhenFund Early-Stage Investment XtalPi Featured at 44th J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

From January 12–15, the 44th J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference concluded successfully in San Francisco. The conference brought together top global pharmaceutical companies, investment institutions, and innovative enterprises, focusing on six core areas including biotechnology, biopharmaceuticals, and AI + medicine. As a leading company in AI-powered drug discovery, XtalPi was invited to attend. The company's co-founder and CEO Dr. Jian Ma delivered a keynote speech during the conference, explaining how the fusion of AI and robotics technology is reshaping the paradigm of drug R&D. Read more

XtalPi co-founder and CEO Dr. Jian Ma delivering his speech

ZhenFund Named to Qimingpian "China Best Early-Stage Investment Firms Comprehensive TOP50" and Multiple Other Rankings

On January 14, Qimingpian released its "2025 Equity Investment Annual Rankings." ZhenFund was named to the "China Best Early-Stage Investment Firms Comprehensive TOP50" (10th place) and the "China Best Early-Stage Investment Firms Active TOP50" (9th place).

ZhenFund Named to IT Juzi 2025 Annual Firm Rankings

On January 15, IT Juzi released its 2025 annual firm rankings. ZhenFund was named to the "2025 China Most Active Early-Stage Investment Firms in Primary Market TOP25" and "China Most Active Investment Firms in AI Industry."

ZhenFund Named to "Rongzhong 2025 China Equity Investment Annual Rankings"

On January 14, Rongzhong Research released its "2025 China Equity Investment Rankings." ZhenFund was named to the "China Top 10 Early-Stage Investment Firms," "Rongzhong 2025 China Best Post-Investment Management Early-Stage Investment Firm," and "Rongzhong 2025 China Best Returns Early-Stage Investment Firm" lists, among others.

ZhenFund Named to LP CLUB 2025 Annual Rankings

On January 15, LP CLUB released its "2025 China Equity Investment Rankings." ZhenFund was named to the "2025 Best Angel Investment Firms TOP20," "2025 Best AI Investment Firms TOP30," and "Rongzhong 2025 China Best Returns Early-Stage Investment Firm."

ZhenFund Named to "2025 China Venture Capital Industry Annual Rankings · Golden Investment Awards · Year-End List"

On January 29, the China Venture Capital Research Institute unveiled the "2025 China Venture Capital Industry Annual Rankings · Golden Investment Awards · Year-End List." ZhenFund was named to the "2025 China Most LP-Favored Early-Stage Investment Firms TOP30" and "2025 China Most Influential Early-Stage Investment Firms TOP30"; ZhenFund founding partner Anna Fang was named to the "2025 China Most Influential Early-Stage Investors TOP20."

ZhenFund Managing Partner Yusen Dai and Partner Yuan Liu Named to Qimingpian "2025 China Best Investors & Financial Advisors"

On January 29, Qimingpian released its "2025 China Best Investors & Financial Advisors" rankings. ZhenFund Managing Partner Yusen Dai and Partner Yuan Liu were named to the "2025 China Best Investors" list.

Text | Menmen Editor | Cindy