Seeds | Geely and CITIC Goldstone Co-Invest in Bionic Facial Technology Company

Edited by Taylor From Gasgoo

Gasgoo Munich-AheadForm has recently closed a Series A2 funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan, according to Gasgoo.

The round was co-led by CITIC Goldstone and Geely Capital, with participation from CITIC Securities International Capital, Guotai Junan Innovation Investment, Junli Capital, Jingming Capital, and Jiaoyuan Capital. Existing backers, including the China Internet Investment Fund (CIIF) and Shunwei Capital, also increased their stakes. The capital will primarily flow into three core areas: expanding the full lineup of bionic products, building standardized mass-production lines, and deeply iterating on embodied intelligence algorithms — all to strengthen the foundation for commercial deployment.

Just in early April, AheadForm secured a Series A1 round, also worth hundreds of millions of yuan. That financing was co-led by Huakong Fund and a major internet giant, with support from Canaan Capital, Pengrui Fund, E-Town Capital, Shanghai Semiconductor Industry Investment, and Nanshan Strategic Emerging Industry Investment.

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Image Source: AheadForm

Unlike many peers, AheadForm is tackling embodied intelligence by starting with the human face, emotional expression, and natural interaction. The logic is simple: the "face" isn't just an outlet for emotion; it's an entry point for engagement and one of the most high-density channels for conveying intent and feeling.

To that end, the company has developed its own emotion foundation model and ultra-realistic bionic face robots, launching both the "Origin" and "Elf" initiatives.

Previously, Shouxing partnered with NetEase's martial arts mobile game Justice Online to create China's first 1:1 bionic robot of a game character: Fang Chengyi. This was one of the first fully realized "character humanoid robots" under the Origin initiative. Another example is "Elf Xuan," which combines an ultra-bionic face with a highly recognizable design, giving the robot a dual identity as both an android and an artwork.

At the recent 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Shouxing showcased two Origin F1 desktop bionic interaction platforms across dual booths hosted by Agibot and Shanghai State Investment. Although the robot is a torso-only unit without legs, its nuanced micro-expressions — blinking, frowning, smiling, and maintaining eye contact while speaking — left a strong impression on the audience.

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