Chinese Startups to Watch in 2027: AI Labs, Humanoid Robots, Brain-Computer Interfaces and Gene Editing
China's startup scene in 2027 is led by AI model labs and robot makers, and many of the best-known names are now busy preparing stock market listings. This list keeps only companies we could check: we opened every company's official website (in English or Chinese) in October 2026 to confirm what it makes, where it is based and its latest product news. Funding and IPO details that only appear in the press are marked "according to" with the outlet's name. We left out valuations nobody has confirmed, and we moved companies that have listed or been acquired, plus names from the old version of this article we could not verify, to a separate section at the end.
Quick answer: the Chinese startups to watch in 2027 are DeepSeek, Moonshot AI (Kimi) and StepFun in AI models; AgiBot, Galbot and DEEP Robotics in robots; BrainCo in brain-computer interfaces; XREAL in AR glasses; HuidaGene in gene editing; and Aqara in the smart home. Unitree, Zhipu AI and MiniMax listed in 2026, and Manus was bought by Meta, so they are no longer startups.
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Chinese Startups to Watch Compared
Sources: each company's official website and newsroom (and Hugging Face pages for model releases), checked 27 October 2026; funding and listing news as reported by the named outlets.
The Chinese Startups to Watch in 2027
AI model labs
1. DeepSeek: open-weight AI models from Hangzhou
DeepSeek is run by a Hangzhou company and became famous with DeepSeek-R1, a reasoning model released on 20 January 2025 under the MIT licence. According to its API news page, DeepSeek-V4 Preview followed on 24 April 2026 in two sizes: V4-Pro with 1.6 trillion parameters (49 billion active) and V4-Flash with 284 billion (13 billion active), both with a 1-million-token context and open weights on Hugging Face. V4-Pro became generally available on 13 August 2026, and V4.1-Flash-1017 came out on 17 October 2026 with web search and fetch in the API. Lesson for founders: DeepSeek has grown through releases and documentation, not marketing campaigns: open weights and a cheap, compatible API (it supports the OpenAI and Anthropic API formats) make developers do the distribution.
2. Moonshot AI: the Kimi assistant and open Kimi K3 model
Moonshot AI (Beijing Moonshot AI Technology) makes Kimi, an assistant for the web, macOS, Windows and the browser with deep research, agents, slides and spreadsheets, plus Kimi Code, an API platform and Kimi Business for companies. Its site lists Kimi K2.6 (20 April 2026) and Kimi K3 (16 July 2026), described as a 2.8-trillion-parameter natively multimodal model with a million-token context; K3's weights are on Moonshot's Hugging Face page. According to Bloomberg, Moonshot raised about $2 billion in May 2026 in a round led by Meituan's venture arm. Lesson: pair a consumer product people talk about with an API that businesses pay for.
3. StepFun: Shanghai's Step models
StepFun was founded in April 2023 in Shanghai and builds the Step family of large models, sold through an API platform and AI Studio. It publishes open weights on Hugging Face: Step-3.5-Flash in March 2026, Step-3.7-Flash in June 2026 and Step-5-Preview in October 2026. According to The Standard, StepFun completed a funding round of about $2.5 billion as it prepares a Hong Kong IPO. Lesson: open "Flash" versions that anyone can download let developers try your models before they pay for the API.
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Robots and embodied AI
4. AgiBot: humanoid robots at scale
AgiBot (AGIBOT Innovation (Shanghai) Technology) sells several robot lines: the A series of full-size humanoids, the X series including the open-source X1, Genie G1 and G2 wheeled robots, D1 four-legged robots and a C5 cleaning robot. Its homepage announces its 15,000th general-purpose humanoid robot, and on 30 September 2026 it cited IDC data saying it led global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026. In October 2026 it opened a Hong Kong office and released AGIBOT WORLD Release 4, an open dataset for robot learning. According to Caixin, AgiBot confirmed on 24 July 2026 that it had started the process for a Hong Kong IPO. Lesson: open datasets and an open-source robot bring developers into your ecosystem before they buy hardware.
5. Galbot: robots that work in shops and pharmacies
Galbot was founded in 2023 and builds humanoid robots (ET1, G1 and S1) and AstraBrain models that control a robot's whole body and dexterous hands. Its news page lists a deployment with the Shanghai Laobaixing pharmacy chain (28 September 2026), robot tennis (AstraTennis, 23 August 2026) and pre-orders for a home robot called Galaxy Xingzai (3 September 2026). Its site names no investors or funding amounts, so we do not repeat the figures that circulate online. Lesson: a paying retail deployment is more convincing than a demo video.
6. DEEP Robotics: robot dogs for inspection and rescue
DEEP Robotics (Hangzhou Yunshenchu Technology) makes quadruped robots for industrial inspection, emergency response and research, the Jueying X30 and Lite3 and the wheeled Lynx M20 and S10, plus a DR02 humanoid and robot components. According to Yicai, the Shanghai Stock Exchange accepted its STAR Market IPO application on 18 May 2026; the company plans to raise about CNY 2.5 billion. Lesson: DEEP Robotics sold four-legged robots for dull, dangerous jobs while humanoids were still mostly in labs: a narrow use case can pay the bills.
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Brain-computer interfaces, AR and hardware
7. BrainCo: non-invasive brain-computer interfaces
BrainCo builds non-invasive brain-computer interface products: FocusCalm and OxyZen for focus and stress training, Easleep for sleep, and the Revo 2 and Revo 3 bionic dexterous hands for prosthetics and robots. Its English site lists an office in Somerville, Massachusetts; its Chinese company is Zhejiang Qiangnao Technology. Reports on its listing differ: TechNode, citing Bloomberg, said in January 2026 that it had filed confidentially in Hong Kong, while 36Kr reported a STAR Market prospectus update on 29 September 2026. Lesson: its site carries an official statement on user data, which shows that health hardware needs a clear privacy story from day one.
8. XREAL: AR glasses with Google and ASUS
XREAL makes AR glasses that work as a portable screen: the XREAL One Pro, XREAL 1S, 1 Pro+ and Eye camera, plus the Beam Pro companion device. On 26 January 2026 it announced the ROG XREAL R1 gaming glasses with ASUS Republic of Gamers, and on 19 May 2026 it showed Project Aura with Google at Google I/O 2026. Lesson: partnerships with platform giants give a hardware startup distribution it could not buy.
9. Aqara: Matter smart home devices
Aqara (Lumi United Technology) makes hubs, sensors, locks, cameras, lighting and curtain controllers that work with Matter, Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, SmartThings and Home Assistant, plus Aqara Studio and Aqara Builder for larger projects. According to 36Kr, the Shenzhen company filed a prospectus with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 30 March 2026. Lesson: supporting every major smart-home platform removes the main reason customers say no.
Biotech
10. HuidaGene: CRISPR gene-editing therapies
HuidaGene is a Shanghai gene-editing company working with CRISPR-Cas13 and Cas12 tools and its own HG-AAV delivery platform. Its pipeline covers neurological diseases (MECP2 duplication syndrome, Huntington's disease, ALS), inherited eye diseases and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. On 27 October 2026 it announced that results of the first-in-human study of HG302 in Duchenne muscular dystrophy were published in the journal Cell. Lesson: in deep tech, peer-reviewed results build credibility that press releases cannot.
Chinese Startups That Listed, Were Acquired or Could Not Be Verified
The 2026 version of this article listed companies that no longer fit, or could not be checked:
- Unitree Robotics: no longer a startup. According to Caixin and Mobile World Live, it listed on Shanghai's STAR Market on 19 August 2026. Its robot dogs and humanoids are still on unitree.com.
- Zhipu AI and MiniMax: both listed in Hong Kong, Zhipu on 8 January 2026 and MiniMax on 9 January 2026, according to Caixin and Yicai.
- Manus: the AI agent startup with Chinese roots, later based in Singapore, agreed to be acquired by Meta, announced on 29 December 2025 according to Reuters and other outlets.
- WeRide: listed; its website shows NASDAQ: WRD and HKEX: 0800 and says it operates in more than 60 cities across 13 countries.
- XCharge: its parent XCHG listed on Nasdaq in September 2024 (according to Benzinga), and its website now announces dual headquarters in Germany and the US.
- OnQuality Pharmaceuticals and Galixir: their official websites did not load when we checked in October 2026, so we could not confirm their current work.
- Da Vinci Robotics, SuperBioAI, PanaEdge and LinkSure Network: we found no official website confirming the products described in the old article, so we removed them.
Which Chinese Startups Should You Follow?
- You build on AI models: follow DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and StepFun; all three publish open weights you can test before you pay for an API.
- You work in robotics or manufacturing: AgiBot and DEEP Robotics show how to move from demos to shipments, and Galbot shows retail deployments.
- You build health or neurotech products: BrainCo for consumer BCI and prosthetics, HuidaGene for gene therapy.
- You sell consumer hardware: XREAL and Aqara show how platform partnerships (Google, ASUS, Apple Home, Matter) drive distribution.
- You are an investor or job seeker: watch the listing pipeline: AgiBot, StepFun, DEEP Robotics, BrainCo and Aqara have all been reported as preparing IPOs.
What Founders Can Learn From China's Startups
Three patterns stand out. First, open releases are a growth channel: DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and StepFun publish model weights, and AgiBot publishes robot datasets. Second, the strongest robot companies sell a narrow, paid use case (inspection, pharmacies, research) before the general-purpose dream. Third, 2026 was a listing year in Hong Kong and Shanghai, so many of the companies above now publish prospectuses, which makes them easier to study than private startups.
Compare China with other ecosystems in our guides to Berlin startups to watch and tech startups in Hong Kong. If you are raising money, see our list of early-stage VCs in Asia, the VCs for deep tech startups in Asia and the VCs for AI startups. Choosing where to build? Read about the best countries for AI startups in Asia, the best cities for deep tech startups in Asia and the best cities for early-stage startups in Asia, or their European counterparts in deep tech cities in Europe.
To meet founders and investors in the region, check the startup events in Hong Kong and startup events in Singapore. Before you copy any of these models, validate your startup idea with real customers, and use the F/MS AI SEO Tool to write articles that help customers find you in Google and in AI assistants.
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FAQ About Chinese Startups to Watch
Which Chinese startups should I watch in 2027?
Our shortlist is DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and StepFun (AI models), AgiBot, Galbot and DEEP Robotics (robots), BrainCo (brain-computer interfaces), XREAL (AR glasses), HuidaGene (gene editing) and Aqara (smart home). We checked each on its official website in October 2026.
Is DeepSeek still a startup?
Yes. It is a private Hangzhou company with no IPO announced. It released DeepSeek-V4 in April 2026 and V4.1-Flash-1017 on 17 October 2026, with open weights on Hugging Face.
What is Moonshot AI?
Moonshot AI is the Beijing company behind the Kimi assistant, Kimi Code and the Kimi API. Its Kimi K3 model came out on 16 July 2026, and according to Bloomberg it raised about $2 billion in May 2026.
Is Unitree still a startup?
No. According to Caixin and Mobile World Live, Unitree listed on Shanghai's STAR Market on 19 August 2026, so we moved it out of the main list.
Which Chinese AI startups went public in 2026?
Zhipu AI listed in Hong Kong on 8 January 2026 and MiniMax on 9 January 2026, according to Caixin and Yicai. StepFun is reported to be preparing a Hong Kong IPO.
Which Chinese humanoid robot startups lead the market?
AgiBot says it led global humanoid robot shipments in the first half of 2026, citing IDC, and has built 15,000 general-purpose humanoids. Galbot and DEEP Robotics are other names to watch; Unitree is now listed.
Did Meta buy Manus?
Yes. Meta's acquisition of Manus, the AI agent startup with Chinese roots later based in Singapore, was announced on 29 December 2025, according to Reuters and other outlets.
Why did you remove some startups from the old list?
Their official websites did not load (OnQuality Pharmaceuticals, Galixir), we found no official website (Da Vinci Robotics, SuperBioAI, PanaEdge), or the old claims could not be verified (LinkSure Network). WeRide and XCharge are listed companies.
Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?
You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.
How can a founder outside China learn from these startups?
Study what they publish: model cards and API docs (DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, StepFun), open datasets (AgiBot) and IPO prospectuses. Then compare ecosystems with our guide to Berlin startups to watch.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
