Entrepreneurs from the Xiaomi ecosystem are becoming the best targets for capital to bet on "embodied intelligence".
In 2025, embodied intelligence became a crucial year for numerous entrepreneurs and capital to compete fiercely.
IT Juzi found that among this wave of embodied intelligence startup teams, many have the background of "former senior executives of Xiaomi" -
Among many large enterprises, Xiaomi is a representative technology giant with both Internet/AI genes and hardware genes. In recent years, entrepreneurs who left Xiaomi have stood out in this wave based on their understanding of AI interaction technology and practical experience in the intelligent hardware supply chain, becoming the focus of capital attention.
It can be said that after the large-scale outbreak of the embodied intelligence wave, some Xiaomi-affiliated entrepreneurs have already reaped a wave of capital dividends!
This article will detailly inventory those Xiaomi-affiliated entrepreneurs and their projects that have won the favor of capital in 2025.
Image source: IT Juzi
I. Several former senior executives of Xiaomi have entered the startup field to develop intelligent robots in the past two years
1. The former senior executive of MIUI founded Xiaoyu Zhizao and obtained hundreds of millions of yuan in financing this year
According to public information, Qiao Zhongliang, the founder of Xiaoyu Zhizao, is an early member of Xiaomi. He once served as the person in charge of MIUI R & D, responsible for products such as MIUI 9 to MIUI 12. He left Xiaomi to start a business in January 2023.
Wang Wenlin, the co - founder of Xiaoyu Zhizao, once served as the general manager of Xiaomi's software system platform department, leading the development of "Xiaomi Brain" and the IoT system.
Xiaoyu Zhizao focuses on building embodied intelligent robots with "one brain and multiple forms" and currently mainly focuses on the fields of industrial production and manufacturing. Recently, Xiaoyu Zhizao and Panasonic, a global welding giant, jointly launched an intelligent welding robot and completed the normal trial operation.
In July 2025, Xiaoyu Zhizao obtained Series A+ financing, with the financing amount reaching hundreds of millions of RMB. The investors are Didi Chuxing and Beijing Information Industry Development Investment Fund. Previously, the company had completed multiple rounds of financing, and the investors included Xiaomi Group, Li Wanqiang, Zhongguancun Development Group, etc.
2. The former Xiaomi robot technology expert founded Lingzu Era and won orders worth over 100 million yuan in addition to financing
Wang Bo graduated from the Automation major of Harbin Institute of Technology and has over 10 years of experience in joint motor system development. He once served as the general person in charge of Xiaomi's robot joint team and the general architect of Xiaomi's robot joints, winning the annual technology award of Xiaomi Group.
In November 2023, Wang Bo and Shao Yuanxin founded Lingzu Era together.
In September 2025, Lingzu Era obtained Pre - A+ financing, with the financing amount reaching tens of millions of RMB. The investor is Honghui Fund. Earlier this year, it also obtained Pre - A financing, and the investors included well - known investment institutions such as Sequoia Seed Fund, Xingniu Capital, and Inno Angel Fund.
Lingzu Era focuses on the R & D of robot core components and complete machines. Its core technology includes the self - developed POMA architecture, which ensures the reliability of joint modules through strict pressure tests. Its goal is to enable more engineers to participate in robot DIY.
Image source: Taobao platform
It is reported that in 2025, the shipment volume of Lingzu Era increased significantly. It is expected that the annual delivery order volume will reach the scale of hundreds of millions of RMB, and recently it has obtained overseas orders worth nearly 10 million RMB.
3. The former senior executive of Xiaomi's autonomous driving founded Amiao Robot and obtained over 100 million yuan this year
Liu Fang was an engineer in Google China's search business department in the early days and then joined Xiaomi. He was also one of the earliest employees of Xiaomi and once served as the person in charge of Xiaomi's MIUI Life Yellow Pages business. He left Xiaomi to start a business at the end of 2024. Before leaving, his title was the product technology leader of Xiaomi's autonomous driving for cars.
Amiao Robot, founded by Liu Fang, obtained 3 rounds of financing within one year of its establishment:
In March 2025, Amiao Robot completed a seed - round financing worth hundreds of millions of yuan, led by Anker Innovations, followed by Zhipu Z Fund and Xianfeng Changqing;
In June of the same year, it obtained tens of millions of yuan in Seed+ financing, and the investors included Sunwoda.
Before the National Day, Amiao received investment from CICC Capital and Huajian Function.
Amiao Robot's first product is the wheeled dual - arm robot AmigosBot, which has 14 degrees of freedom, an operation accuracy of ±1mm, and a load capacity of 5kg, suitable for 3C and automotive electronic spare parts operations. The company has reached in - depth cooperation with Dibeike Energy, a South China intelligent hardware manufacturing enterprise, to provide flexible production line solutions for its Southeast Asian and American factories.
Image source: The official WeChat account of Amiao Robot
Amiao Robot focuses on the application of robots in large - scale commercial scenarios. At present, it uses flexible production in the 3C field as an entry point, focusing on breakthroughs in grasping, handling, assembly and other links. In the future, it plans to expand to fields such as medical care and home services.
4. Akashi Robot, which focuses on the R & D of guide - dog robots, has been targeted by MiraclePlus
Li Yong was an early employee of SenseTime and a serial entrepreneur. He was the founder of Zhijing AR and later joined Xiaomi's robot team as a core member. In September 2024, Li Yong started a business again.
In February 2025, Akashi Robot obtained angel - round financing from MiraclePlus, a well - known first - tier early - stage investment institution in China. The amount of this financing was not disclosed to the public.
On July 16, 2025, Akashi Robot applied for a patent named "Guide - dog robot system based on end - to - end large model". The guide - dog robot developed based on this technology aims to help visually impaired patients achieve travel freedom. In addition, the company also has 4 trademark information, all of which are in the registration application status.
Image source: The official WeChat account of Shenzhen Bay
The company is still in a very early stage of development. Although it has initial angel investment, it has just entered the product R & D and market exploration stage. Currently, the public information mainly consists of industrial and commercial and intellectual property data, and the commercial progress such as product implementation and customer cooperation has not been disclosed.
However, the guide - dog robot system is a very differentiated niche direction, and no similar products have been seen in the market so far.
II. The startup financing in intelligent hardware and wearable devices continues
1. Liweike, which focuses on wearable smart glasses, obtained investment from Hefei state - owned assets this year
Ru Yi once served as the person in charge of the intelligent terminal of Alibaba's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, the product general manager of Tmall Genie, and a partner of Xiaomi TV. She has rich experience in the intelligent hardware field.
In 2021, Ru Yi founded the smart glasses company Liweike. From 2022 to 2024, it received a new round of financing every year. The investors included ByteDance, Guangzhou Semiconductor, Guozhong Capital, etc.
In April 2025, Liweike announced that it had obtained strategic investment, with the financing amount reaching tens of millions of RMB. The investors are Hefei Binhu Jintou and Mio Exhibition Group, and Yunxiu Capital served as the financial advisor.
Liweike is deploying in the XR (Extended Reality) track. In 2025, Liweike Technology held its annual new product launch event and launched three AI smart glasses, namely the LAWK City series, the LAWK View travel photography version (supporting 20 - language photo translation), and the integrated AI+AR glasses S3.
Image source: Taobao platform
Liweike Technology, in cooperation with Mio Exhibition Group, aims at the cross - border business scenario and accelerates the implementation of AI glasses in vertical scenarios. In addition, the company has also reached a strategic cooperation with Dr. Glasses, and the AI smart glasses City has officially entered 30 offline stores across the country.
2. Guangfan Technology, which focuses on AI wearable hardware, raised nearly 100 million yuan in financing again
Dong Hongguang, a 14 - year veteran of Xiaomi's startup team, once served as the person in charge of Xiaomi OS, Xiaomi Car OS ecosystem and other businesses. He left Xiaomi to start a business in October 2024 and founded Beijing Guangfan Technology Co., Ltd.
In May 2025, Guangfan Technology obtained Pre - A financing, with the financing amount reaching nearly 100 million RMB. The investors included AfterShokz, Tongge Venture Capital, Qinghui Investment, Inno Angel Fund, Bairui Capital and other institutions. Three months ago, it just obtained angel - round financing worth tens of millions of RMB.
According to reports, Guangfan Technology's startup direction is to build AI wearable hardware and general AI agents for the next - generation human - computer interaction during the window period of AI hardware.
Its core judgment is that in the next five years, wearable AI hardware will quickly shift from "special functions" to "general intelligence", but the existing software system cannot support multi - modal interaction and dynamic resource scheduling in the AI era.
3. From a Xiaomi employee to founding a Xiaomi ecosystem chain enterprise, Gewu Technology focuses on smart home
Fan Dian, the founder of Gewu Technology, only has the label of an early Xiaomi employee, and other details of his resume are unknown. Public information shows that he resigned to start a business in 2022 and founded the innovative Internet of Things technology company "Gewu Technology".
In March 2025, Gewu Technology obtained Pre - A financing, with the financing amount reaching tens of millions of RMB. The investor is FutureX Capital, a VC institution focusing on intelligent consumer investment. Previously, the company obtained angel - round financing in 2024 and support from investors such as Xiaomi Technology in 2023.
On May 30, 2025, the opening and settlement ceremony of Zhongshan Gewu Century Technology Co., Ltd. was held at the Cuiheng International Science and Innovation Center. The company will combine the advantages of Zhongshan's local home decoration industry chain and focus on the whole - house smart track.
By integrating intelligent hardware with software services, Gewu Technology provides home Internet of Things products and services. Currently, the company has become a member of the Xiaomi ecosystem chain enterprise, mainly developing, designing and manufacturing smart home products for Xiaomi. For example, the Xiaomi smart switch can be linked with lights for intelligent control, with an official price of 69 yuan on the Xiaomi Mall; the Xiaomi human presence sensor Pro can track the human position in real - time, with an official price of 379 yuan on the Xiaomi Mall.
Image source: The official WeChat account of Gewu Technology
The company plans to achieve a revenue of 100 million yuan in 2025 and will continue to increase investment in the fields of AI artificial intelligence and intelligent hardware.
Which entrepreneurs from other large enterprises do you want to know more about? Welcome to leave comments in the comment section for discussion.
This article is from the WeChat official account "IT Juzi", author: Wu Meimei, published by 36Kr with permission.