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Chinese Brain-Computer Interface Makers Chase Star Market Listings

A wave of homegrown BCI developers are preparing IPOs on Shanghai's tech board as venture investors fuel the sector's rapid expansion

By Sofia M. Reyes·Sep 10, 2026·4 min read
Startups

Two Chinese AI Unicorns Face Six-Year Road to Profitability

Z.ai and MiniMax may burn cash through the decade's end as compute costs and revenue mismatches define the new AI economics in Asia.…

Priya Nair ·   · 4m
Startups

Google Cloud Builds 1,000-Strong Gemini Deployment Team with Accenture

The hyperscaler is racing to close a gap in enterprise AI adoption as spending on infrastructure far outpaces revenue from implementation…

Linh T. Pham ·   · 5m
Startups

Cognition's $48B Valuation Reveals Fragmented AI Coding Market

A $2 billion round four months after its last raise underscores venture belief that multiple coding assistants can thrive - even as compute …

Priya Nair ·   · 5m
Startups

Singapore Robotics Startup Hivebotics Closes $6 Million Series A for Autonomous Cleaning Tech

Vertex Ventures leads round for NUS spin-off building articulated-arm robots that autonomously clean commercial restrooms…

Sofia M. Reyes ·   · 4m
Startups

Kalanick's Atoms Targets Robotaxi Market After $1.7 Billion Round

The Uber founder's stealth venture is planning acquisitions and a hiring surge to compete in autonomous vehicles, with talks already underwa…

Marcus Halloran ·   · 5m
Startups

What Shein's Muted IPO Debut Reveals About Cross-Border E-Commerce

The fast-fashion giant's underwhelming public offering reflects shifting investor sentiment and regulatory headwinds beyond the company's co…

Mei-Lin Tan ·   · 5m
Startups

AI Subscriptions Hit Alibaba's Tmall as Moonshot and MiniMax Seek Retail Distribution

China's model developers are turning to e-commerce platforms to reach paying users, testing whether consumer shoppers will buy AI access alo…

Priya Nair ·   · 4m
Startups

Tencent's Bilibili Bet Signals New Calculus for China's Tech Giants

The gaming and social giant's shift from equity holder to creditor reveals how AI infrastructure costs are forcing portfolio rethinks across…

Sofia M. Reyes ·   · 6m
Startups

When Speed Becomes Strategy: Inside China's Race to Export Manufacturing Intensity

As domestic firms compress cycle times and automate at breakneck pace, Beijing watches nervously for trade friction - while the rest of Asia…

Hana Park ·   · 6m
Startups

SenseTime's Enterprise-First Strategy Unlocks Profitability Where Rivals Burn Cash

The Chinese AI pioneer turned its first H1 profit by prioritizing task completion over model scale, a strategic divergence from the industry…

Hana Park ·   · 4m
Startups

South Korea's Krafton Expands India Strategy With Fresh $250 Million Commitment

The PUBG publisher is pivoting beyond mobile gaming into AI, robotics, and deep tech as it bets on India's startup ecosystem despite past re…

Linh T. Pham ·   · 6m
Startups

Robotics Data Startup XDOF Nears Unicorn Status Three Months After Launch

The Berkeley-founded company is negotiating a Series B at $1.2 billion, fueled by $50 million in annualized revenue and surging demand for r…

Sofia M. Reyes ·   · 4m
Startups

Beijing's Kimi AI Developer Eyes Public Markets as China's Model Race Accelerates

Moonshot AI's confidential Hong Kong filing marks the first major IPO move among China's foundation model builders, testing investor appetit…

Linh T. Pham ·   · 6m
Startups

Crusoe Triples Valuation to $30 Billion as AI Infrastructure Demand Surges

The data center operator, which started as a crypto miner powered by flared gas, has closed a $3 billion round just ten months after its las…

Linh T. Pham ·   · 4m
Startups

Tencent-Backed Enflame Draws 4,000x Oversubscription in Shanghai Tech Listing

The mainland AI chip maker's retail frenzy signals deepening domestic appetite for Nvidia alternatives as export controls reshape the semico…

Wei Zhang ·   · 4m
Startups

Excelland Robotics Books Hong Kong IPO to Fuel Service Robot Expansion

The commercial service robot maker is offering 45 million H shares as it seeks Main Board listing, with trading set to launch mid-September.…

Mei-Lin Tan ·   · 4m
Startups

Uber's $15 Billion Delivery Hero Acquisition Wins Board Approval

Berlin-based food delivery giant's leadership endorses the takeover that would reshape global on-demand logistics outside China…

Arjun S. Mehta ·   · 7m
Startups

NEC Targets Manufacturing Deals to Push Into Physical AI and Defense

Japan's technology conglomerate signals appetite for acquisitions beyond software, eyeing hardware capabilities in robotics and aerospace as…

Kenji Watanabe ·   · 5m
Startups

Uber Cuts 3,300 Roles in Push to Flatten Management Hierarchy

The San Francisco-based company is slashing manager ranks by 20% and eliminating remote work for all but a fraction of employees as it refoc…

Marcus Halloran ·   · 4m
Startups

AI Security Startup HiddenLayer Closes $100M Round as Model Attack Surface Explodes

Three years after its Series A, the Austin firm now defends frontier models serving 700 million users and watches a nascent threat category …

Arjun S. Mehta ·   · 4m
Startups

AfterQuery Hits $3.2 Billion Valuation Five Months After Series A

The AI training-data startup's ten-fold jump in valuation marks the fastest path to unicorn status in Y Combinator's two-decade history, dri…

Arjun S. Mehta ·   · 5m
Startups

Chinese AI Lab Manus Charts Independent Path After Beijing Blocks Meta Acquisition

The $2 billion deal's collapse marks the latest flashpoint in U.S.-China tech decoupling, leaving the startup to rebuild momentum as a stand…

Wei Zhang ·   · 4m
Startups

Nexperia's China Units Face Operational Split as Court Order Freezes $318M in Assets

A Guangdong court's asset freeze widens the gulf between Nexperia's Chinese manufacturing base and its European parent, raising questions ab…

Wei Zhang ·   · 5m
Startups

When the Phone Won't Stop: One AI Platform's Fight to Stay Relevant

Z.ai found itself scrambling after falling behind in the enterprise AI race - then a new model release changed everything in a single weeken…

Wei Zhang ·   · 4m