Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the ongoing recruitment activities in the autonomous driving sector, indicating a strong demand for various technical roles, particularly in perception, control, and algorithm development, as companies prepare for the upcoming hiring season in late July and early August [2]. Recruitment Opportunities - Numerous companies, including Horizon Robotics, Didi, and Yuanrong Qixing, are opening recruitment for the 2026 class, with a variety of positions available in hardware, software, and algorithm development [3][4]. - Specific roles mentioned include hardware development engineers, perception engineers, middleware software engineers, planning control algorithm engineers, and safety algorithm engineers, with multiple openings across major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou [3][4]. Community and Resources - The AutoRobo Knowledge Circle serves as a community for job seekers in the fields of autonomous driving and embodied intelligence, providing resources such as interview questions, experience sharing, industry reports, and resume optimization services [8][9]. - The community has nearly 1,000 members, including professionals from leading companies in the industry, facilitating networking and knowledge exchange [8]. Interview Preparation - The article emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation for interviews, suggesting candidates highlight their strengths in resumes and practice extensively before interviews to avoid missed opportunities [2]. - A collection of 100 interview questions related to autonomous driving and embodied intelligence is available within the community, aiding candidates in their preparation [12][13]. Industry Insights - The article mentions various industry reports available within the community, covering topics such as the development trends and market opportunities in the embodied intelligence sector, as well as specific reports on humanoid robots and their production [18]. - Insights into successful and unsuccessful interview experiences are shared, providing valuable lessons for candidates navigating the job market [20].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the emerging trend of "reverse investment models" where founders require due diligence fees from investors, reflecting a shift in power dynamics in the investment landscape [2][3][10]. Group 1: Investment Dynamics - Founders are increasingly demanding due diligence fees to filter out non-serious investors, as seen in a case where a founder requested a few thousand yuan for due diligence [2][3]. - The traditional one-sided nature of due diligence is changing, with founders recognizing their time and focus as more valuable than capital [3][10]. - The scarcity of quality projects in hot sectors has led to increased pressure on investors to conduct due diligence while managing risk [3][13]. Group 2: Challenges Faced by Founders - Founders often find themselves overwhelmed by the demands of multiple due diligence requests, which detracts from their focus on business operations [7][9]. - The current financing environment necessitates frequent small-scale fundraising rounds, consuming significant time and energy from founders [8][9]. - Many founders express frustration over the lack of meaningful outcomes from investor meetings, leading to a sense of wasted effort [9][20]. Group 3: Market Trends and Examples - The article highlights the case of Rewind, an AI startup that successfully implemented a reverse due diligence approach, attracting significant interest from over 1,000 VCs [24][25]. - The success of Rewind was attributed to its strong market position and impressive performance metrics, which allowed it to dictate terms in the fundraising process [25][26]. - The article notes that while some companies can leverage reverse due diligence, many others still face challenges in a competitive market [26][27]. Group 4: Future Outlook - The evolving dynamics between investors and founders suggest a need for both parties to find common ground to create a healthier investment ecosystem [29][30]. - The article emphasizes that both "just looking" by investors and "reverse due diligence" by founders are valid strategies in the current market context [27][28].

Company Developments - Zhiyuan is preparing for IPOs in both Hong Kong and A-shares, with a higher probability for A-share listing due to recent strategic financing of 1 billion yuan from state-owned enterprises [2] - AliExpress has launched a "same-day delivery" service in the UK, partnering with local delivery platform HungryPanda, and has expanded local partnerships in Australia, Brazil, and the Middle East since last year [2] - Manus has laid off part of its domestic workforce and relocated core technical staff to its Singapore headquarters, with its website indicating "not available in your region" [2] - Tea Yan Yue Se has officially announced its retail business expansion into North America through e-commerce platforms, launching nearly 40 products [4][5] - Pony.ai has started road testing its Robotaxi service in Luxembourg in collaboration with local transportation company Emile Weber [5] Macro Policies & Industry Trends - U.S. President Trump plans to impose a unified tariff of 15% or 20% on countries that have not yet received tariff notifications, with a 50% tariff on copper imports starting August 1 [6] - A-share companies are increasingly globalizing, with over 60 overseas investment and acquisition cases reported in the first half of 2025, particularly in electronics, automotive parts, and machinery [6] - Hong Kong's IPO market is thriving, with a 20% increase in the Hang Seng Index in the first half of 2025 and 42 IPOs raising over 107 billion HKD, marking a 22% increase from the previous year [6] - The Export-Import Bank of China has issued over 610 billion yuan in loans to support foreign trade enterprises in the first half of the year, with a nearly 20% increase in loans to small and micro foreign trade enterprises [7] Investment & Financing - Star Era has completed a 500 million yuan Series A financing round, with significant growth in overseas market orders, now accounting for 50% of total orders [8] - Itstone Technology has raised 122 million USD in a financing round led by Meituan, focusing on developing a full-stack technology system [8] - Shuwen Biotech has completed nearly 100 million yuan in Series C1 financing to accelerate the market promotion of its diagnostic products [8] - Silicon-based Intelligence has completed several billion yuan in Series D financing to enhance R&D and market application of its AIGC digital human technology [8]

Core Insights - The article highlights a decrease in financing events and amounts in the primary market, with a total of 93 financing events this week, down by 15 from the previous week, amounting to approximately 6.144 billion yuan, a decrease of 5.225 billion yuan [4][5]. Financing Overview - This week, 60 financing events were disclosed, with a shift in the financing amount distribution compared to last week. Events under 5 million yuan remained consistent at 5, while those between 5 million and 10 million yuan increased by 1 to 23 events. Events between 10 million and 50 million yuan decreased by 4 to 9 events, and those between 50 million and 100 million yuan decreased by 5 to 13 events. There were no events above 1 billion yuan this week, compared to one last week [5][6]. Notable Investment Events - **It Stone Intelligent Navigation**: Completed a $122 million angel round financing led by Meituan, aimed at developing a human-centric digital engine and expanding its ecosystem [7]. - **Gongbilin**: Announced over $100 million in Series A financing, focusing on providing services for retirees [8]. - **Xingdong Jiyuan**: Secured nearly 500 million yuan in Series A financing for humanoid robot technology development [9]. - **Cloud Deep Technology**: Completed nearly 500 million yuan in Series C financing, focusing on quadruped robots and their applications [9]. Industry Distribution - The financing events spanned 13 industries, with the top five being Information Technology, Equipment Manufacturing, Electronics, Materials, and Consumer Services, accounting for 73.11% of total events. Information Technology led with 20 events, followed by Equipment Manufacturing with 18 events [13][15]. Regional Distribution - The top five regions for financing events were Shanghai, Zhejiang, Beijing, Guangdong, and Jiangsu, accounting for 73.12% of total events. In terms of financing amounts, these regions collectively raised 5.725 billion yuan, representing 93.23% of the total [17][18]. Financing Rounds - Angel and Series A rounds accounted for 59 events, with early-stage financing (A rounds and earlier) making up 58.33% of the total, a decrease from the previous week. Series A rounds had the highest financing amount share at 47.39% [21]. Investment Institutions - A total of 124 investment institutions participated this week, with notable activity from Beijing Guoguan, Xianghe Capital, and Shunwei Capital, each involved in three transactions [23]. Exit Situation - There were 32 public exit cases this week, consistent with the previous week, with 16 equity transfers, one merger, seven new three-board listings, and eight IPOs [27][28].

Core Viewpoint - The self-driving industry is experiencing a surge in recruitment for the 2026 graduate cohort, with numerous companies like Horizon Robotics, Didi, and Yuanrong Qixing opening positions, indicating a robust demand for roles related to perception, control, end-to-end systems, and large models [1][2]. Group 1: Recruitment Trends - Many companies are increasing positions related to embodied intelligence, reflecting a trend of integration between self-driving technology and embodied concepts [1]. - Positions available include hardware development engineers, perception post-processing engineers, middleware software engineers, planning control algorithm engineers, and more, with multiple openings across various cities [2]. - The recruitment process is expected to ramp up with technical and HR interviews scheduled for late July and early August [1]. Group 2: Community and Resources - The AutoRobo Knowledge Circle serves as a community for job seekers in the fields of self-driving, embodied intelligence, and robotics, with nearly 1,000 members from various companies [6]. - The community provides resources such as interview questions, industry reports, salary negotiation tips, and resume optimization services [6][7]. - Members can access a wealth of information including successful and unsuccessful interview experiences, which can help refine their job application strategies [18][19]. Group 3: Job Opportunities - The 2026 internship positions include roles such as C++ development intern and PyTorch framework development intern, indicating a focus on software development skills [8]. - The community shares job openings in algorithms, development, and product roles, ensuring members are informed about the latest opportunities [7]. Group 4: Industry Insights - The community also compiles industry reports to help members understand the current state and future prospects of the self-driving and embodied intelligence sectors [16]. - Topics covered in the reports include market opportunities, technological trends, and the development of humanoid robots [16].

Core Viewpoint - The acquisition of 2.1 billion yuan by Zhiyuan Robotics of Shuangwei New Materials marks the first listing of a "embodied intelligence concept" company in the A-share market, indicating a significant shift in the capital landscape of the industry before large-scale commercial deployment has occurred [1]. Group 1: Evolution of Embodied Intelligence Players - The industry is witnessing a divergence in paths among embodied intelligence companies, with many opting for a "self-developed ontology + customized model" approach [2]. - Companies are exploring various system architectures, including end-to-end large model systems and dual-system architectures, to enhance the complexity and generalization capabilities of intelligent agents [4]. - The end-to-end large model approach aims to unify visual, language, and action modules into a single system, reducing processing complexity and emphasizing cross-task transferability and deployment efficiency [5]. - Companies like Xingdong Jiyuan, with its ERA-42 model, exemplify the end-to-end approach by integrating visual, language understanding, and action control [5]. - The dual-system architecture decouples task understanding from action execution, utilizing a large-scale Visual Language Model (VLM) for semantic modeling and strategy planning, while a lightweight Visual Language Action (VLA) module handles execution [6]. - Companies such as Figure AI and Zhongke Xingtu adopt this dual-system approach to enhance system robustness in complex task scenarios [6]. - Some companies, like Yundongchu, focus on hardware innovations, such as hybrid wheeled and legged systems, to improve adaptability to complex terrains [7]. - The differentiation in these technical paths influences data collection and training strategies, as well as the collaboration between ontology and intelligent agents, affecting market deployment and business model development [8]. Group 2: Leading Companies in Mainstream Technology Paradigms - The technical routes taken by companies reflect their strategic expressions, with variations in data systems and ontology solutions being significant factors in their market positioning [9].

Group 1: Investment Trends in Embodied Intelligence - The investment frenzy in the embodied intelligence sector has reached a boiling point, with four companies announcing new funding rounds totaling nearly 2.6 billion RMB, with individual amounts exceeding 1 billion RMB [1] - In the first five months of 2025, there were 114 investment events in China's embodied intelligence sector, with total financing exceeding 23 billion RMB, surpassing the total for the entire previous year [1] Group 2: Strategic Acquisition by Zhiyuan Robotics - Zhiyuan Robotics announced a strategic acquisition of over 63% controlling stake in Upwind New Materials for approximately 2.1 billion RMB, causing a significant market reaction [2][4] - The acquisition was structured in two steps: an agreement to acquire 29.99% of shares and a partial tender offer to increase ownership to 66.99% [5][6] Group 3: Implications of the Acquisition - The acquisition allows Zhiyuan Robotics to bypass traditional IPO routes, simplifying the approval process and providing a direct channel to public capital markets [6][15] - This move offers early investors an exit strategy, enhancing their confidence in Zhiyuan's future prospects [16] - The acquisition paves the way for future industry integration and operational flexibility, allowing Zhiyuan to leverage its position for further growth [17] Group 4: Company Background and Leadership - Zhiyuan Robotics is led by co-founder and CTO Peng Zhihui, known for his innovative projects, while Deng Taihua, a former Huawei executive, plays a crucial role in the company's strategic direction [8][12] - The company has rapidly developed a range of robotic products and platforms, showcasing its ambition to become a foundational technology provider in the robotics sector [12][14] Group 5: Market Dynamics and Future Outlook - The robotics industry is transitioning from a focus on physical capabilities to the integration of advanced AI models, with Zhiyuan's GO-1 model positioned as a key player in this shift [14] - The current market demands practical applications of robotics in real-world environments, making Zhiyuan's acquisition a strategic move to accelerate its maturity and commercial viability [14][19]

Investment Trends - The investment enthusiasm in the embodied intelligence sector continues to grow, with 91 investment events recorded in China by June 23, 2023, surpassing the total of 77 events in 2024, and total investment amounting to 11.037 billion yuan [1] - By July 3, 2023, the number of investment events further increased to 114 [3] Market Potential - Embodied intelligence is recognized as a promising technology sector with significant future prospects, potentially surpassing the smart automotive industry [4] - The global AI robotics market is projected to exceed $19 billion in 2024, representing a nearly 30% increase from 2023, and is expected to surpass $35 billion by 2030 [4] - Citigroup forecasts that the global humanoid robot market could grow to $7 trillion by 2050, with approximately 650 million humanoid robots in existence [4] Industry Dynamics - The embodied intelligence industry is currently in its early stages, transitioning from laboratory research to practical applications, with companies like Yushu Technology and Zhiyuan Robotics leading the way [4] - The sector has a high capital threshold, making it dominated by top-tier venture capital and private equity firms, as well as strategic investments from major internet companies and industrial capital [5] Notable Financing Events - Yushu Technology completed a nearly 700 million yuan Series C financing round, while Galaxy General Robotics secured 1.1 billion yuan in funding, setting records in the field [1][6] - Other startups like TARS and Xinhai Map have also successfully raised significant funding, indicating strong investor interest [7][12] Team and Expertise - Strong research and technical teams are crucial for startups in the embodied intelligence sector to secure funding, with many founders coming from prestigious institutions [9][10] - TARS, founded in early 2025, achieved a record $122 million in angel funding, backed by a team with extensive experience in AI and robotics [9][11] Commercialization and Market Entry - Companies are beginning to demonstrate commercial viability, with Star Motion achieving over 200 product deliveries and significant orders in production [18] - Yushu Technology reported annual revenues exceeding 1 billion yuan and has maintained profitability for five consecutive years [18] - Galaxy General is exploring various applications in smart retail and industrial manufacturing, planning to open 100 unmanned retail stores in major cities by 2025 [18] Strategic Importance - The strategic significance of the embodied intelligence sector is underscored by government recognition, with its inclusion in the national work report alongside 6G and quantum technology [4] - Local funds are increasingly supporting this sector, reflecting its importance in national development strategies [8][16]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the recent strategic financing rounds of the embodied intelligence company "Xinghaitu," highlighting its significant growth and investment in the field of embodied intelligence, particularly in the context of the ongoing industrial revolution driven by AI [4][5]. Financing Overview - Xinghaitu has successfully completed A4 and A5 rounds of financing, raising over $100 million in total [4]. - The A4 round was led by Today Capital and Meituan Longzhu, with participation from various funds and existing shareholders, while the A5 round saw Meituan Longzhu and Meituan Investment leading the investment [5]. - The company has opted to label all financing in 2023 as part of the "A round series" due to the current stage of industry development, which is still focused on infrastructure building rather than large-scale application [5]. Investment Strategy - Meituan has been actively investing in the embodied intelligence sector, with previous investments in companies like Yushu Technology and Galaxy General [6]. - Xinghaitu's total financing scale for the A round series has reached nearly 1.5 billion RMB, with the latest round's valuation increasing by over three times since the beginning of the year [5]. Product Development - Xinghaitu is focusing on enhancing its "whole machine + intelligence" self-research capabilities, aiming to improve both software and hardware aspects, including the development of joint modules and production scale [5]. - The company has introduced the EFM-1 (Embodied Foundation Model-1), which integrates a large-scale visual language model with an action model to create a closed-loop decision-making process [8]. Technological Infrastructure - Xinghaitu has established a data platform (EDP) and is utilizing two different configurations of wheeled dual-arm robots for data collection in various environments [8][9]. - The company aims to provide a standardized infrastructure for global developers, facilitating the construction of a closed-loop system encompassing "body-data-model-application" [9]. Team Composition - The core team of Xinghaitu includes several AI and embodied intelligence algorithm scientists, as well as experienced professionals from the autonomous driving sector [11]. - The CEO, Gao Jiyang, has a strong academic background and extensive experience in computer vision, having previously worked at Waymo [11].

Group 1: Rongtai Health (603579) - Rongtai is a leader in the massage chair market, focusing on smart health and rehabilitation robots to meet the needs of an aging population in China, which is expected to drive demand due to increased purchasing power among retirees [2][4] - The company is integrating AI and embodied intelligence technologies to innovate its massage chairs and develop rehabilitation robots, with strategic partnerships established with Aoyite Technology and Zhiyuan Innovation to advance smart health applications [4][5] - In 2024, Rongtai will collaborate with Faurecia to develop a smart cockpit comfort system, and by 2025, it aims to launch a first-generation rehabilitation robot with a single mechanical arm, showcasing its commitment to innovation in the smart health sector [5][4] Group 2: Miaokelando (600882.SH) - Miaokelando is the leading company in China's cheese industry, transitioning into a dual-driven development phase focusing on both consumer (C-end) and business (B-end) markets, following a period of explosive growth and subsequent adjustment [8][9] - The domestic cheese market is poised for accelerated growth, with Miaokelando expected to benefit from this trend, as the industry is still in its infancy with significant growth potential compared to mature markets like Japan [8][9] - The company has enhanced its B-end business capabilities through the acquisition of Mengniu's cheese operations, which is anticipated to improve product offerings and operational synergies [9][10] Group 3: Steel Industry - The steel sector has seen a 5.06% increase in its index, indicating a recovery as the central government emphasizes the need for supply-side reforms and the orderly exit of outdated production capacity [24][26] - Recent policy changes aim to eliminate low-price competition and improve product quality, which is expected to benefit leading steel companies as the supply-demand balance improves [26][27] - Steel prices have shown signs of recovery, with rebar prices averaging 3,231.60 CNY/ton, reflecting a 0.97% increase, and iron ore prices also experiencing slight upward movement [25][26]