三年半亏超6亿，嗨学网上市“续命”？

Core Viewpoint - The company, HiLearn, has submitted its application for a mainboard listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, aiming to capitalize on the growing online vocational training market while facing significant financial challenges and operational risks [1][15]. Company Overview - HiLearn, established in 2010, provides online vocational training services targeting both individual and corporate users, with courses in various fields including construction, emergency safety, finance, law, and healthcare [1]. - The company operates under three main brands: "HiLearn," "Jingjin," and "Shupeitong," covering basic training, advanced improvement, and corporate services [1]. Market Position - According to a report by Frost & Sullivan, HiLearn is the fourth largest online vocational training provider in China by revenue as of 2024, leading in construction vocational training and ranking second in emergency safety training [3]. - As of mid-2025, the company has approximately 4.3 million cumulative paid individual users and over 130 corporate clients [3]. Financial Performance - The company's revenue has shown stable growth, with figures of 400 million yuan, 472 million yuan, and 511 million yuan for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 13.0% [4]. - Notably, the gross profit margin has increased from 78.6% in 2022 to 81.6% in 2024, and further to 85.8% in the first half of 2025, significantly above the industry average of 60%-70% [4]. Profitability Challenges - Despite high gross margins, the company has reported substantial losses, with attributable losses of approximately 186 million yuan, 175 million yuan, 90.69 million yuan, and 158 million yuan for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, and the first half of 2025 respectively [5]. - The high marketing and sales expenses, which exceeded 60% of revenue, are primarily driven by a heavy reliance on human marketing teams, with employee costs constituting about 60% of marketing expenses [5][6]. Customer Acquisition Costs - The cost of acquiring a single paid user has fluctuated, with figures of 414.8 yuan, 301.6 yuan, 428.7 yuan, and 441.2 yuan from 2022 to the first half of 2025 [6]. - The one-time nature of vocational training services leads to a high turnover of users post-qualification, necessitating continuous investment in acquiring new users [6]. Business Structure Risks - The company's revenue is heavily dependent on construction-related vocational qualification courses, which consistently account for around 60% of total revenue from 2022 to mid-2025 [7]. - The "Shupeitong" brand, aimed at corporate services, remains underdeveloped, generating only 4.12 million yuan in revenue in the first half of 2025, contrasting sharply with the 98.2% revenue share from individual users [7]. Policy Dependency - The company's focus on policy-driven sectors like construction and emergency safety has provided short-term benefits but limits long-term growth potential due to its concentrated business model [8]. AI Technology Initiatives - HiLearn is exploring AI technology applications, having developed over 30 AI agents since 2024, including tools like AI Study Assistant and AI Academic Assistant [9][10]. - The AI Study Assistant has reportedly been used over one million times, leading to a 32.3% decrease in human query responses in Q2 2025 [10]. Research and Development Concerns - R&D expenditures from 2022 to 2024 were 24.5 million yuan, 20 million yuan, and 23.7 million yuan, representing less than 5% of revenue, with a 23.3% year-on-year decline in the first half of 2025 [11]. User Experience Issues - The company's refund rate has increased from 9.1% in 2022 to 15.9% in the first half of 2025, with numerous complaints regarding refund difficulties and service discrepancies [12]. Legal Risks - HiLearn is involved in 905 legal cases, with nearly 90% of these cases being education training contract disputes, indicating significant legal exposure [13]. Industry Outlook - The online vocational certification exam market in China is projected to grow from 34.5 billion yuan in 2024 to 44 billion yuan by 2029, with the online vocational training market expected to reach 60.2 billion yuan by 2029, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 5.1% [14]. Future Plans - The company plans to use the funds raised from its IPO to expand product services, sales networks, and advance AI technology development, with a strategic focus on infrastructure, data collection, and AI application development over the next five years [15].