Peking University’s Rise as a Powerhouse in Hard Technology Entrepreneurship After Tsinghua

After Tsinghua University, is Peking University producing a wave of wealthy entrepreneurs in hard technology?

It is often said that when it comes to hard tech startups, one should pay attention to Tsinghua University’s Yao Class and Zhejiang University’s Zhuhua Academy. However, this notion suggests that Peking University (PKU) is lagging behind. A review of the data reveals that among the 294 companies listed in 2025, 145 have founders or key stakeholders with prestigious educational backgrounds. Unsurprisingly, the top two positions are firmly held by Tsinghua and Peking University. Tsinghua can be regarded as the dominant force in hard technology, having achieved 16 IPOs last year, far ahead of its peers. Following closely is Peking University, which had 8 companies go public, including Minglue Technology, Naxinwei, Shengke Nano, Jingfang Medical, Lianghua Technology, and Zhengli New Energy, spanning cutting-edge sectors like semiconductors, AI, new energy, and biomedicine.

As we move into 2026, the momentum of hard tech companies associated with Peking University is accelerating. A notable example is Galaxy General Robotics, which many may not realize owes its existence to Peking University. The founder and CTO, Wang He, born in 1992, obtained his undergraduate degree from Tsinghua University’s Department of Electronics before pursuing a PhD at Stanford University. In September 2021, he returned to China to teach at Peking University, where Galaxy General was essentially born from his work at the university’s frontiers in computing research center. So far, Galaxy General has raised over 6 billion yuan, achieving a valuation of approximately 21 billion yuan, making it one of the highest-valued embodied intelligence startups in China.

Recently, the company Rockstone Robotics aimed to become the first listed company for the full range of intelligent robots on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Its founder, Tuo Hua, graduated from Peking University with a degree in Electronic and Communication Engineering. Rockstone is capable of mass-producing both industrial and collaborative robots, perfectly aligning with the trend of intelligent upgrades in manufacturing. For instance, Apple’s product packaging line utilizes Rockstone’s products, and the company has also partnered with Xiaomi’s SU7 supply chain.

In the AI advertising sector, the well-known company Deep Learning Intelligence was founded by two Peking University alumni and has recently shifted its focus from the A-share market to Hong Kong, ranking first in the AI marketing application market. Additionally, Shen Shi Technology, established by two alumni from Peking University’s Yuanpei College, has developed a scientific intelligence agent capable of “reading literature, performing calculations, and conducting experiments.” This startup completed its Series C funding round in 2025 and has entered the unicorn club. The influx of IPOs and significant funding indicates a clear signal: the Peking University network is becoming an undeniable force in China’s hard tech startup landscape.

The surge of hard tech startups from Peking University is not coincidental. Many assume that university startups result from professors leading students in company ventures, relying on individual efforts for funding. However, Peking University’s approach involves quietly establishing a complete chain from the laboratory to the capital market through three platforms: Yuanpei Fund, Yanyuan Venture Capital, and Yanyuan Incubator.

The Yuanpei Fund focuses on supporting “long boards.” This fund, with over 1 billion yuan in assets and a 12-year history, adopts a straightforward investment logic: early-stage projects do not need to cover all bases but must possess a sufficiently strong “long board,” either in absolute technical superiority or by solving critical problems. It’s acceptable if the business model is not yet profitable, as hard tech requires time to mature.

Yanyuan Venture Capital operates as a patient capital “blind pool.” This means that when the fund is established, it does not know exactly whom it will invest in, relying entirely on professional judgment. In January 2025, it launched its first blind pool fund, the Jingchun Fund, which has already invested in several hard tech companies, including Galaxy General, Yanxinwei, and Beiqi Biotechnology.

The Yanyuan Incubator serves as a bridge from the laboratory to the market. A professor’s research achievements can access early-stage services through the incubator and gain technical support by co-establishing a joint laboratory with Peking University, successfully completing angel round financing in less than a year. The brilliance of this system lies in creating a closed-loop capital structure: alumni donations flow into the Peking University Education Foundation → the foundation invests in a result transformation fund → the fund invests in alumni or campus projects → returns from listed companies flow back to the foundation. This cycle keeps money and talent circulating within the Peking University ecosystem. This is a method that Stanford and MIT have utilized for decades, from which companies like HP, Google, and Cisco have emerged.

As domestic institutions like Tsinghua, Zhejiang University, and Fudan catch up with this model, the entrepreneurial direction of the Peking University network has shifted dramatically from the internet era figures like Li Yanhong and Yu Minhong to the emerging hard tech leaders in robotics and AI. At this rate, it won’t be long before the wealthy entrepreneurs from Peking University can compete head-to-head with those from Tsinghua University.