On May 15, according to ChinaVenture, Suzhou Seahi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of consecutive Angel+ and Pre-A rounds totaling 50 million yuan in funding. The Angel+ round was led by China Merchants Group's China Merchants Qihang Capital. The Pre-A round was co-led by GSR Ventures and Yunze Capital, with existing investor Kunshan Angel Fund continuing its participation. Additional investors included Wuzhong Financial Holdings and Anyu Capital, with Anyu Capital serving as financial advisor.

Founded in 2023, Seahi Intelligent is a research-driven technology enterprise specializing in the independent R&D, production, sales, and service of general-purpose aquatic robots and intelligent equipment. Centering on surface and underwater general-purpose operation robots, the company focuses on two core segments: the development and manufacturing of unmanned aquatic general-purpose equipment, and the maintenance of aquatic environments and assets. It is committed to advancing the intelligent, low-carbon, and industrialized development of marine equipment, supporting China's efforts to build world-leading strategic technological capabilities across all aquatic domains.

In technological R&D, Seahi spearheaded China's first commercial underwater cleaning robot and the nation's inaugural surface unmanned system. The company holds over 150 intellectual property rights related to underwater robots and intelligent vessels. Its self-developed six major systems—propulsion, control, sensing, navigation, waterproof sealing, and powered deployment—combined with full-degree-of-freedom attitude control algorithms, enable the robots to operate in sea states of force 3 or higher, with an operational range spanning 0 to 10,000 meters.

At the product level, Seahi has long focused on the R&D, production, sales, and service of underwater robots and surface intelligent unmanned vessels. Its self-developed underwater robots are dedicated to providing intelligent solutions for ports, shipping companies, and industry clients. They have been widely applied in ship cleaning, surface monitoring, and other fields, and have won numerous domestic and international awards.

Underwater robot

Surface intelligent unmanned vessels integrate artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technology to achieve self-navigation, intelligent obstacle avoidance, and efficient operations. They are widely used in environmental monitoring, water rescue, and water logistics.

Surface Intelligent Unmanned Vessel

It is reported that the underwater cleaning robots developed by Seahi have partnered with ports such as Qingdao Port, Yantai Port, and Tianjin Port for practical ship cleaning operations. Additionally, Seahi has taken the lead in formulating industry standards for underwater robotic cleaning, providing technical support to advance standardized development within the sector.

Regarding the team, Seahi's core team comprises experts in technology, marketing, and military industries, hailing from leading institutions such as Harbin Engineering University, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and military departments. They possess over 10 years of technical experience in unmanned systems, over 20 years of experience in the military industry market, and over 30 years of expertise in intelligent aquatic equipment. The team has earned honors including the First Prize for National Defense Science and Technology Progress and the China Robot Competition Championship, achieving multiple industry-first and unique accomplishments. It also leverages expert resources from institutions such as the Water Resources Research Institute of the Ministry of Water Resources, the Water Transport Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, Harbin Engineering University, National University of Defense Technology, Ocean University of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation Ship Research Institute, Naval Submarine Academy, Naval University of Engineering, and Naval Aviation University.

Notably, this marks GSR Ventures' first investment in an underwater robotics project since Zhu Xiaohu's “mass exit from humanoid robots” remarks, drawing significant industry attention. Multiple investors have shared their perspectives on this move.

Jinshajiang Ventures stated: Human exploration of the oceans remains in its early stages, with complex underwater environments—particularly the deep sea—urgently requiring robotic solutions to replace human labor. Leveraging deep technical expertise and robust engineering experience, the Seahi team has overcome core barriers in underwater robotics, achieving commercial deployment across multiple applications including underwater cleaning. We firmly believe Seahi will establish itself as a benchmark for new marine productivity through proprietary technologies, pioneering the trillion-dollar blue ocean of the marine economy.

China Merchants Venture Capital remarked: We highly commend Seahi Intelligent's exceptional innovation and execution capabilities. Key strengths include: advanced training from leading marine engineering institutions, proprietary intelligent vessel and robotic technologies, a complementary surface-subsea product portfolio, and pragmatic market expansion strategies—all reflecting the team's outstanding comprehensive capabilities. Seahi Intelligent's business scope aligns closely with the development direction of China Merchants Group's transportation and logistics sectors, presenting vast future collaboration potential.

Yunze Capital: The Seahi team completed systematic capability development prior to founding the company, with core members possessing over a decade of deep industry experience. Founder Dr. Chen, an authoritative industry expert, has cultivated nearly two decades of practical expertise, granting him forward-looking insights into industrial landscape evolution. His strengths lie particularly in precisely identifying clients' underlying needs and delivering systematic solutions. The current restructuring of the international trade landscape, coupled with the gradual refinement of global environmental regulations and carbon tax policies, is creating structural development opportunities for the marine economy. As shareholders, we will continue to empower Seahi Intelligent to jointly advance the implementation of China's strategy to become a maritime power and drive breakthroughs in industrial technological innovation.

This article is sourced from YIEO.com. Original article by Lu Yongli.