New Capital Injection into the Underwater Robot Sector
Located in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, an enterprise specializing in underwater intelligent devices has just secured a new round of capital investment.
Recently, Shenzhen Chasing Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. announced the successful completion of its Series C financing round, with a funding amount of nearly 100 million yuan. Liwan Capital is the lead investor of this round.
The funds will be invested in multiple key links. Technological research and development as well as product upgrading are the core priorities. Resource support will also be provided for supply chain system optimization, manufacturing capacity improvement, overseas market expansion, and the refinement of industrial solutions.
Eight Years of Development: Starting from Consumer-Grade Products to a Dual-Driven Model
In the spring of 2016, Chasing Innovation was founded in Shenzhen. Initially, the team focused on the consumer-grade underwater drone market and launched a series of portable products based on its expertise in hardware design and user experience.
With technological accumulation and market validation, the company has gradually expanded its product lines. Today, Chasing Innovation has built a diversified product matrix, including industrial-grade ROVs for professional scenarios, underwater drones for public imaging needs, pool cleaning robots for household scenarios, and intelligent fish-finding devices integrated with leisure fishing.
This layout has formed a clear dual-driven model. On the industrial side, its products are applied in emergency rescue, ship inspection, environmental monitoring, scientific research and exploration, and other fields. On the consumer side, it continues to expand mass markets such as underwater photography and intelligent cleaning. Over the past eight years, the company's core products have undergone multiple iterations and have now evolved to the eighth generation.
Technological Moat and Global Market Footprint
Chasing Innovation's independent core R&D capabilities underpin the evolution of its products. The company has gained advantages in flight control systems, motion control, underwater image processing, hardware integration and mass production. In recent years, its R&D focus has further shifted to cutting-edge fields including underwater perception, autonomous decision-making, and anti-current communication.
Taking its industrial-grade product Qianjiao X100 as an example, this device is the world's first intelligent omni-directional anti-current underwater robot released by Chasing Innovation at the 7th International Exhibition on Diving, Salvage and Marine Engineering Equipment. It features a maximum diving depth of 350 meters and a speed of 4.5 knots. It can automatically identify the direction and speed of water currents, adjust its posture and heading in real time, maintain stable operation even in complex waters, and support 180-degree all-round underwater shooting.
In terms of market presence, Chasing Innovation's products have entered more than 100 countries and regions worldwide. In 2025, the company was recognized as a national-level Specialized, Refined, Differential and Innovative "Little Giant" Enterprise, demonstrating the recognition of its professional capabilities in niche sectors.
Cross-Disciplinary Team with Huawei Background
The company employs approximately 300 staff members, among whom the R&D team has over 80 employees. Most core members have work experience at enterprises including Huawei, BYD and CSIC, integrating expertise in consumer electronics, industrial manufacturing and marine engineering.
Zhang Xun, founder and CEO, graduated from Jilin University. He previously served as a senior expert in Huawei's Core Algorithm Department and has long been engaged in robot control and algorithm optimization. Around 2014, he began working with aerial drones, which laid a foundation for his later entry into consumer-grade intelligent hardware.
Zhou Changgen, co-founder and general manager, also graduated from Jilin University. He was previously in charge of quality operation management for Huawei Japan and has rich experience in corporate operation and process control. Another co-founder Yang Yang comes from HiSilicon Technologies, once serving as a mobile phone chip project manager, and is well-versed in global marketing and brand operation mechanisms.
Continuous Recognition from the Capital Market
According to data from Qichacha, Chasing Innovation has completed nine rounds of financing since its establishment, with this Series C financing being the ninth round. Its previous investors include Yinxingu Capital, Haofang Venture Capital, Shenzhen Venture Capital, Investment Holding Donghai, Plum Ventures, Qianhai Mother Fund, Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment, Chenfeng Capital, Zhengxi Anhua and many other institutions.
From early venture capital supporting technological verification to later industrial capital focusing on scale expansion and in-depth market cultivation, the financing history reflects the changing demands of the enterprise at different development stages. The participation of Liwan Capital this time may indicate greater moves by the company in product upgrading and scenario expansion.
Future Outlook for Underwater Intelligent Devices
Driven by growing demand in marine economy, underwater infrastructure, environmental protection monitoring and leisure consumption, the underwater robot sector is attracting increasing attention. To some extent, the development path of Chasing Innovation reflects the evolution logic of this sector: starting from relatively standardized consumer-grade products and gradually penetrating into higher-tech, more complex industrial-grade fields.
Technological iteration is accelerating, and lightweight design, intelligent perception, long battery life and low-cost manufacturing have become common research directions for the industry. It remains to be seen whether Chasing Innovation can make further breakthroughs in core technologies and global market layout with this round of financing.
For the entire underwater intelligent device industry, capital support for an enterprise with a complete product matrix, technological accumulation and market foundation may mean more intensive innovation and fiercer competition in the sector.
