Sci-tech sector maturing rapidly amid incentives
Government's sustained support for equity investment and project funding helping enterprises quickly achieve technical, production breakthroughs
"The Beijing municipal government has also provided great support in terms of equity investment and major project funding, which has helped the company achieve technical and production breakthroughs in a short time," Cheng added.
This financial support ecosystem is no accident.
According to Liang Hongjun, a senior official at the Beijing municipal bureau of economy and information technology, the capital has built a world-class financing system for emerging industries like robotics.
"The city government has set up a multibillion yuan robot industry development fund, with heavyweight investment firms such as Sequoia Capital, Hillhouse Capital and IDG Capital establishing a dense presence in the sector. This structure combines public funding with private capital, forming a complete investment chain that supports startups from initial research and development through pilot production to real-world application," Liang said.
Such systematic financial backing comes at a time when China is intensifying its focus on achieving high-quality economic growth and technological self-reliance through upgraded and innovative measures.
Last month, seven of the country's top entities — including the Ministry of Science and Technology and the People's Bank of China, the country's central bank — released a joint policy package aimed at building a comprehensive financial services system for the full life cycle of technology enterprises.
In the field of venture capital investment, the document stated the need to strengthen the role of VC as a driving force for technological innovation. It calls for the establishment of national startup investment funds, encourages the development of secondary private equity market funds (S funds), and supports bond financing for both venture and industrial investments.
According to Shaw Wang, founder of Unity Ventures, technology innovation usually requires long-term, patient capital to endure its lengthy development cycles.
"Patience is the most critical quality for early-stage investment. Technological development is always a long journey — we must give entrepreneurs sufficient time and patience," Wang said.
Wang added that Unity Ventures is often the first investor in its portfolio companies, accompanying them from their earliest days and helping shape their strategies, fundraising plans, recruitment and branding efforts, with some investments even spanning seven to 10 years.
