投中网·2025-08-30 07:03Core Viewpoint - Internet giants are showing signs of returning to the investment market, with increased activity in minority equity investments, although the overall numbers still indicate a long way to go before a full recovery [5][6][7]. Group 1: Investment Activity - Internet giants have made a total of 58 minority equity investments by July 30, 2024, up 18.4% from 49 in the same period last year [8][12]. - Baidu led with 14 investments, followed by Tencent with 12, Ant Group with 11, Meituan with 9, JD with 6, Alibaba with 5, and ByteDance with 1 [9][12]. - Notably, Ant Group's investments doubled from 5 to 11, and JD's increased from 2 to 6, marking a historical high since 2021 [12][14]. Group 2: Market Trends - Despite the increase in the number of investments, many companies are stabilizing around 10 investments, which contrasts with market expectations for a stronger "return" of the giants [14][18]. - The investment activity peaked in 2018, followed by a decline, with 2024's investment numbers being less than one-tenth of the peak [18][19]. - Over 60% of the investments by internet giants are directed towards the AI and robotics sectors, with a total of 36 investments in these areas by July 30, 2024, compared to 15 in the same period last year [19][22]. Group 3: Investment Amounts - The total investment amount in AI and robotics by the seven internet companies is approximately 2.03 billion RMB, significantly lower than the 9.04 billion RMB from the previous year [24]. - The decrease in investment amounts may be attributed to undisclosed investment figures and a shift towards a more diversified investment strategy focusing on multiple startups [24].