Shanghai Jiao Tong University Team Secures Nearly 100 Million in First-round Financing, Solving Harsh Environment Monitoring Problems with Electromagnetic Micro-sound Technology | First Report by 36Kr

Author | Ou Xue

Editor | Yuan Silai

Hard Kr has learned that Anhui Ruike Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Ruike Electronic") recently completed its first-round financing of nearly 100 million yuan. The lead investor is Xieli Capital, and Haichuan Capital and the fund under China North Industries Group are the follow-on investors. The financing will be mainly used for market channel expansion, new product R & D, and team expansion.

Founded in April 2024, Ruike Electronic is a manufacturer of high-end industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensing devices based on the core technology of Electromagnetic Micro-Acoustics (EMMA). Its core products include electromagnetic micro-acoustic sensors, identifiers, pulse radars, high-temperature-resistant antennas, etc., which are widely used in power, steel metallurgy, pharmaceutical, rail transit and other fields.

It is understood that the company's core team members all graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and have the full-chain technical capabilities from basic theory to production process. Zhang Chenrui, the company's chairman and CEO, graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University with a bachelor's degree and obtained a master's degree in microelectronics from Southeast University. He has long been deeply involved in the development of electromagnetic micro-acoustics and passive wireless sensing systems.

Electromagnetic micro-acoustics technology is a platform-based sensing technology based on piezoelectric materials and MEMS processes. It features "passive (no battery required), wireless, resistant to high and low temperatures (-200°C to 1600°C), multi-parameter, anti-interference, and high recognition accuracy", and is especially suitable for harsh industrial environments such as high temperature, high speed, and strong interference.

Currently, Ruike Electronic has formed three mature product lines: temperature sensors, pressure sensors, and high-temperature identification systems. Its products have been adopted by leading customers such as State Grid, Baowu Group, Fuyao Glass, and Huadian.

"Our high-temperature identification system in the steel metallurgy field has a recognition rate of up to 99.99% and can operate at temperatures above 350°C. It is currently at the leading level globally," said Zhang Chenrui in an interview with Hard Kr.

He further pointed out that compared with traditional semiconductor sensors, electromagnetic micro-acoustic sensors also perform stably in extremely low-temperature environments. "Below -70°C, semiconductor devices are prone to inactivation, while our sensors can still work stably."

According to Zhang Chenrui, the company's current revenue structure includes energy and power, steel metallurgy, industrial process control, etc. "The estimated revenue in 2025 is nearly 70 million yuan, and the net profit margin will exceed 20%."

With the increasing demand for domestic substitution, many state-owned enterprises, central enterprises and industry leaders have shown strong interest in Ruike's products. The company's orders in 2026 are expected to more than double. Zhang Chenrui said that the company currently spends 8%-10% of its revenue on R & D. In the future, it plans to further expand its R & D team by adding 10 expert-level R & D personnel and continuously expand its technology platform and application scenarios.

In Zhang Chenrui's view, the industrial sensor industry is witnessing three major trends: first, the demand for domestic substitution of high-end sensors is increasing; second, the level of intelligence is rising, and sensors will be deeply integrated with back-end AI systems; third, a foundry system similar to the semiconductor industry is expected to form in the field of piezoelectric devices, lowering the threshold for innovation.

Looking ahead, "Our future R & D directions mainly focus on two aspects: one is to further develop the electromagnetic micro-acoustics technology platform and expand into higher-end and harsher environments such as nuclear power, aerospace, and national defense; the other is to build the second and third technology systems around market demand to broaden the scope of applications," Zhang Chenrui said.

"We hope to cooperate with industry chain partners in the future to jointly build an open and collaborative piezoelectric technology platform to promote the overall development of the industry," he added.

Investor's View:

Cao Shuyang, a partner at Haichuan Capital, said, "We are very glad to participate in Ruike's first-round external financing. Ruike is a team driven by both strong R & D capabilities and high market sensitivity and understanding. Not only in terms of capital, but Haichuan has also had excellent synergy with Ruike in ecological cooperation in multiple fields such as power grids and steel metallurgy. We are very much looking forward to working hand in hand with the company in the future."