Xiaomi Zhizao Fund again! Is the addition of car acoustics closer to the prototype of the Xiaomi car this time

Source: Science Innovation Board Daily Author: Reporter Zeng Le, Intern Ren Yawei

     Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund has launched a new venture to expand its investment footprint in the automotive industry chain.

     Recently, Shanghai Zhuifeng System Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhuifeng") announced the completion of a 10 million yuan level A+round equity financing, with the investor being Beijing Xiaomi Zhizao Equity Investment Fund Partnership (limited partnership) (hereinafter referred to as "Xiaomi Zhizao Fund"), an industrial investment fund of Xiaomi Family.

    As for the investment in Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund, a reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily tried to learn more details from Chase Feng and Xiaomi, but as of press release, no response has been received.

    "We do not rule out the possibility of more cooperation between the two sides in the automotive business." An industry investor analyzed and said to a reporter from the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, "With the development of the new energy vehicle market and the continuous improvement of vehicle intelligence, vehicle configurations are also continuously developing and improving. As one of the important configurations that consumers can intuitively perceive, the vehicle acoustic system has evolved and upgraded into an important carrier of intelligent human-computer interaction; on the other hand, it has also become one of the main promotional highlights for many car manufacturers when selling new cars."

    According to Tianyancha information, Zhuifeng was established on July 8, 2019, mainly engaged in the design, development, production, and sales of automotive acoustic systems. In terms of products, the company mainly provides hardware products such as advanced audio systems, active noise reduction, intelligent networked vehicle communication modules, as well as software and technical services such as acoustic algorithms, sound effect tuning, underlying software architecture, Internet of Vehicles communication, and OTA upgrades.

    Up to now, Chase Feng has publicly disclosed that it has completed two rounds of financing, with a cumulative public financing amount of about tens of millions of yuan. In addition to Xiaomi Zhizao Fund, its investors also include Yongsheng Capital and Ralph Venture Capital.

    Looking back at Xiaomi Intelligent Manufacturing Fund, which was established in September 2021, its investment direction mainly focuses on the upstream and downstream applications and supply chains of new energy vehicles, new generation information technology, intelligent manufacturing, new materials, consumer electronics, and other industries related to the industrial chain of listed companies.

    Previously, according to Kingsoft, the executive partner of Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund was Beijing Xiaomi Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., which was mainly responsible for fund operation matters; At the same time, Lei Jun appointed the chairman of the investment decision-making committee of the fund.

    According to previous announcements, the Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund plans to raise a total of 10 billion yuan.

    The latest news shows that in March this year, Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund completed the second round of fundraising with a scale of 2.7 billion yuan; Last July, the fund raised 6.33 billion yuan for the first time. Based on the two rounds of fundraising, the fund has raised a total of 9.03 billion yuan.

    From the perspective of the investment layout of Xiaomi Zhizao Fund, according to the data of Cailianhe Venture Capital, in addition to Chasing Feng, up to now, Xiaomi Zhizao Fund has made a total of 12 external investments, with financing rounds mainly being equity investment and round A, involving the fields of automobile transportation, advanced manufacturing, and production manufacturing.

    A reporter from the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily noted that most of the 12 cumulative outward investment cases of Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund are related to the automotive industry chain. Among them, Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund has invested in companies such as Hongyi Core, Zhilv Technology, Rongtong Hi-Tech, Fanlait, etc., covering automotive electronic chips, automotive high-voltage electrical accessories, lithium battery cathode materials, lithium battery electrolyte, etc.

    At the same time, an industry insider analyzed and said to a reporter from the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, "From the existing layout of the Xiaomi Smart Manufacturing Fund, most of it is closely related to the Xiaomi automotive business. Lei Jun‘s move may be intended to replicate the layout of the Xiaomi ecological chain, thereby improving the vertical integration ability of the Xiaomi automotive business and ensuring the supply of the industrial chain."

    Taking the vehicle borne acoustic system as an example, CICC believes that in order to achieve the goal of cost control, rapid iteration, standardized and modular production, new energy vehicle enterprises have gradually chosen the mode of "purchasing products and services from acoustic component suppliers", and the overall acoustic effect commissioning is carried out by the vehicle enterprises themselves. This mode evolution is conducive to improving the market share of acoustic component manufacturers.

    Today, with Xiaomi‘s frequent investment in the automotive industry chain, its automotive prototype may gradually emerge.