BRV China backs KEYi Tech straddling boundaries between technology, art and education

BRV China is pleased to announce a follow-on commitment for KEYi Technology, maker of the widely-popular smart toy robot ClicBot

HONG KONG, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueRun Ventures China (BRV China) participated in the latest funding round for KEYi Technology, an innovative robotics firm that recently completed its latest funding round led by Anker Innovations. BRV China is KEYi Technology's earliest institutional investor from its series-A round. Other investors in the round involved Shunwei Capital and Xiaomi.

The capital commitment follows BRV China's earlier investments in Mooe Robot, a global leader of autonomous industrial robots, and Lanxin Technology, a leading provider of visual sensor solutions for mobile robots, and RoboCT, one of the stars of rehabilitation robotics in China.

Founded in 2014, KEYi Technology is an innovative robotics company notable for ClicBot, a programmable modular robot set product that helps children learn how to code at home.  

Integrating control technology, perception technology and artificial intelligence into art design, it is a popular product for children.  

KEYi Technology has successfully launched a community platform for users of different regions and ages to create and share content. With gameplay that becomes more complex and ever-changing, it becomes more fun as players get more experience with the toy.

Furthermore, a fast-growing developer community is also leading to the creation of a ClicBot-focused app ecosystem.

"As the earliest institutional investor in KEYi Technology, we are pleased to see the company making tremendous progress and be recognized by more investors," said Jui Tan, Managing Partner of BRV China. "It is committed to bringing simple yet powerful modular robotics technology into the home."

"Jianbo Yang, the Founder and CEO, is the navigator who integrates intelligent technology with art which constantly breaks the boundaries of consumer creation and experience. We are proud to see he turned an idea into one of the world's best coding robots." Jui Tan added.ClicBot has also unveiled a flagship store in March. Its products were featured on the Ellen Show and it has also been used to conduct experimental research at the School of Design and Art of Tsinghua University.

At present, ClicBot now has over 10,000 users from 87 countries in APP and they have generated more than 40,000 robot designs.

About BRV China

BlueRun Ventures China (BRV China) is a leading early-stage venture firm in China with offices in Beijing and Shanghai. Having its heritage in Silicon Valley since 1998 and entered China in 2005, BRV China has managed over $1.5 billion through multiple USD and RMB funds, with over $1 billion cash distributions. BRV China focuses on investing in entrepreneurs who create a sustainable impact through technological innovations across enterprise services, transportation and smart machine, digital healthcare, and consumer technology sectors in China. The firm has invested in more than 150 portfolio companies, including Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), QingCloud (688316.SH), WaterDrop (NYSE: WDH), Energy Monster (NASDAQ: EM), Mogujie/Meilishuo (NYSE: MOGU), Qudian (NYSE: QD), Ganji/58.com, PPTV, Guazi, Meishubao, Nanyan, Shanzhen, Gaussian Robotics, Yi Auto, Pinecone, etc. The firm has been recognized as the "No.1 Early-Stage Investment Firm" in China by Zero2IPO and ChinaVenture, and "Consistent Performing Venture Capital Fund Manager" by Preqin. For further information, please visit https://www.brv.com.cn/en/.

SOURCE Lanchi Ventures