Guangdong, another unicorn was just born.
Last week, Guangdong Weirong Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Weirong Technology") officially announced the completion of the B and B+ rounds of financing, with a total amount of nearly 2 billion yuan. Located in Luoding City, Yunfu, Guangdong, Weirong Technology's post-investment valuation exceeds 8 billion yuan .
. Behind this new unicorn, the founder is an alumnus of South China University of Technology alumnus - Chen Weirong . Chen Weirong, born in 1959, graduated from South China University of Technology radio in his early years. His career started at Konka Group and has been the president of Konka. After years of ups and downs, he started his business again in 2017 and returned to his hometown Luoding to establish Weirong Technology. Now he has successfully entered the new energy vehicle industry chain.
Through Chen Weirong, we see a Whampoa Military Academy of China's new energy vehicles- South China Science and Technology . The Chinese engineering school located in Guangzhou has a long history and can be traced back to the first A Industrial School of Guangdong Province established in 1918. It later became one of the "HTM1 Four Major Engineering Colleges " in New China. After a hundred years of vicissitudes, this majestic institution is known as the "cradle of engineers". What is most amazing is that the students who came out here have supported half of China's new energy vehicles.
63-year-old Chinese engineering alumnus returned to his hometown
made a hard-core unicorn, with a valuation of over 8 billion
The story of Weirong Technology starts with an alumnus of South China University of Technology.
Chen Weirong was born in 1959 in a rural family in Luoding, Guangdong. At the age of 19, the national resumed the college entrance examination , giving him a chance to change his destiny. Chen Weirong successfully admitted to the radio major of South China University of Technology. According to school history, Chen Weirong walked into the classroom wearing exposed liberation shoes . He once recalled that if it weren't for getting into college, he might have been a farmer for the rest of his life.
1982, Chen Weirong graduated from undergraduate studies and was immediately assigned to Guangdong Guangming Overseas Chinese Electronics Industry Company, which is the predecessor of Konka Group. Here, Chen Weirong started as a factory technician, and since then he served as factory director, assistant general manager, deputy general manager of the group company, and managing director. It was not until 1994 that he was promoted to the group president and officially began to take the helm of Konka.
Chen Weirong worked for 7 years as president. During his time at the helm, Konka Group's product categories expanded from color TVs to mobile phones, DVD players, , refrigerators, etc., and its sales increased to 10 billion yuan, becoming the first industrial enterprise in Shenzhen with sales of over 10 billion yuan. In 1999, the production of Konka color TV surpassed Changhong and became the leader in the industry.
But at the most glorious moment of his career, Chen Weirong chose to retreat bravely. In May 2001, Chen Weirong stepped down as president of Konka and devoted himself to the entrepreneurship army. Speaking of the reasons for leaving Konka, Chen Weirong once revealed that although he has achieved the goal of sales of over 10 billion yuan, the group wants to go further. He believes that his ability is difficult, and at the same time he also wants to start a business personally to challenge himself.
So, Chen Weirong founded Yuyang Technology in 2002, entering the MLCC (multi-layer ceramic capacitor) track. In the early stages of entrepreneurship, Chen Weirong raised funds everywhere. According to the " Economic Daily ", in order to seek an investment of 1 million yuan for a Guangzhou company, he visited the other party's office five times and sat in the other party's office waiting all day. Finally, Lenovo Group invested 10 million yuan in one go, solving his urgent needs.
2007, Yuyang Holding Group logged on Hong Kong stock main board, and Chen Weirong received his first IPO in his life. However, he did not stop entrepreneurship, and returned to his hometown of Luoding, Guangdong in 2017 to establish Weirong Technology, which is positioned as a high-end MLCC, aiming to break through this "bottleneck" technology. Up to now, Weirong Technology's products are widely used in smartphones, network equipment, security, computers, home appliances, the Internet of Things and automotive electronic products.
predicts the outbreak of the new energy vehicle industry, and Chen Weirong leads Weirong Technology to make efforts in Automatic specifications MLCC. Data shows that the use of MLCC bicycles for pure electric vehicles is about 18,000, which is far more than that of traditional fuel vehicles. After several years of research and development, Weirong Technology's automotive specification MLCC has achieved product development and production of the full-size series of 0201-1210, and can be used for all automotive electronics such as smart cockpit, intelligent driving, three-electric system , etc. The new round of financing funds will also be used to invest in newly built factory equipment to achieve significant expansion of production and continuous research and development of high-end products such as high-capacity and automotive MLCC.
Along the way, Weirong Technology has gathered a huge investment lineup behind it. According to incomplete statistics from the investment community, Weirong Technology has obtained at least 4 rounds of financing , including industrial institutions such as OPPO, Xiaomi , Huaqin Communication , Wingtech Technology , as well as well-known VC/PE institutions such as Chenyi Investment, Lenovo Venture Capital, Zhengxingu Capital, China Merchants Bank International Capital, Guotou Venture Capital, Jingguorui Investment, and Yuanke Financial . An investor who participated in Weirong Technology revealed that Weirong Technology's post-investment valuation has exceeded 8 billion yuan and is already a unicorn.
Recalling the entrepreneurial journey, Chen Weirong once said that Weirong is committed to becoming a world-class MLCC manufacturer, and has always been dedicated to working towards this goal, with the patience and preparation of products ingenuity. "Craftsmanship is not a simple word. It means that generations of people will never give up on persistence. At any time, we must put the pursuit of perfection and ultimate spirit first."
From He Xiaopeng to Zeng Yuqun , a group of Chinese engineering alumni
supports half of the new energy vehicle
Following Chen Weirong's footsteps, we found that countless Chinese engineering students are shining in the new energy vehicle industry chain.
has created Xiaopeng Automobile , one of the three giants of "new car manufacturing forces". He Xiaopeng is also a Chinese engineering alumnus. He Xiaopeng, born in Huangshi, Hubei, has excellent grades since childhood and was successfully admitted to the computer and application major of China Engineering in 1995. After graduation, he first joined AsiaInfo Company, and then in 2004, he joined college alumni Liang Jie to establish UC Youshi . Later in 2014, UCh was sold to Alibaba for US$4.35 billion. Overnight, 37-year-old He Xiaopeng achieved financial freedom.
In 2017, He Xiaopeng's son was born, which also prompted him to do something that would make his son proud in the future. At this time, Xia Heng , who had worked in GAC Research Institute for many years, and He Tao founded the predecessor of Xiaopeng Motors - Orange Walk Intelligent . He Xiaopeng is one of the angel investors of this startup. After many twists and turns, he chose to join full time. In August 2020, Xiaopeng Motors rang the IPO bell on the other side of the ocean. Less than a year later, 43-year-old He Xiaopeng ushered in his second IPO bell on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Xiaopeng Motors' latest market value reached HK$148.9 billion.
Behind He Xiaopeng, there is another alumnus chasing him - Shen Hui, founder of WM Motor , . Growing up in Guangzhou, Shen Hui was admitted to the China Engineering Mechanics when he was 17 years old. Later, Shen Hui chose to study in the United States and obtained two master's degrees in engineering and business administration.
Reviewing the study experience of Chinese engineers, Shen Hui once said: "I went to the United States after graduating from undergraduate studies. The four years of Chinese engineers' education have benefited me a lot, allowing me to be high-spirited and relaxed, and I can roll up my sleeves to work bit by bit." After working in many American giants, at the end of 2009, Shen Hui returned to China to join Geely Group as an executive. He worked for 6 years, and during this period he had the idea of starting a business.
In October 2015, Shen Hui officially founded Weima Automobile. In just 16 months, WM Motor independently built and put into production of an intelligent manufacturing vehicle factory. Behind this new car-making force is a luxury investment lineup, including Sequoia China, Tencent , Baidu , SIG Haina Asia and other well-known institutions, and are also rushing to Science and Technology Innovation Board IPO.
Another senior Chinese engineer is fighting in the car manufacturing industry, namely . Founder of Skyworth Group Huang Hongsheng . Huang Hongsheng, born in Lingao, Hainan in 1956, studied in the radio engineering of Huagong University. After graduation, Huang Hongsheng first entered a state-owned enterprise, and then resigned in 1987 and went into business, establishing the famous Skyworth Group, which will be later famous. Surprisingly, when Huang Hongsheng came to the age of 53, he plunged into new energy vehicle manufacturing and founded Kaiwo Automobile Group.
"Ten years ago, when I first entered the new energy vehicle industry for the second time, in addition to dealing with this strange industry, I also had to resist the sneer and suspicious eyes of bystanders. Perhaps from the beginning, they believed that I was a loser in the automotive industry. They guessed how long I, the 'home appliance guy', could stay in the automotive industry." Huang Hongsheng once recalled.
There is also a typical representative, which is Cangde Times founder Zeng Yuqun . In 1968, Zeng Yuqun was born in a farmer's family in Ningde, Fujian. After graduating from the Department of Ship Engineering of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Zeng Yuqun was first assigned to work in a state-owned enterprise in Fujian, and then came to Dongguan Xinke Magnetic Power Plant to work as an engineer.
1998, he was admitted to the Department of Electronics and Information Engineering of Huagong and obtained a master's degree. Since then, Zeng Yuqun and two old colleagues jointly founded Xinkeyuan Technology (ATL), which mainly deals in consumer product batteries. By winning orders from many major manufacturers including Apple , ATL opened up the market in one fell swoop.
At the end of 2011, Zeng Yuqun decisively split the automotive power department of ATL and established CATL New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on the research and development and production of electric vehicle and energy storage lithium-ion battery systems. In just ten years, CATL has rapidly risen to become the absolute overlord of power batteries, and its market value has exceeded one trillion mark, reaching 1.3 trillion yuan.
Zeng Yuqun's old opponent, 11115 Lithium Energy founder Liu Jincheng , is also a Chinese engineering alumnus. Liu Jincheng, born in Shayang County, Hubei Province, was admitted to Chengdu University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 1981 and studied physics and chemistry. After graduating from undergraduate studies, Liu Jincheng worked in a state-owned factory for 5 years. Since then, Liu Jincheng was hired as the deputy general manager of Desai Energy Technology, responsible for the development and production of products such as mobile phone battery , alkaline battery , etc.
The idea of starting a business also emerged in Liu Jincheng's mind, so he founded Huizhou Jinda Electronics Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Yiwei Lithium Energy in 2001, and still made lithium batteries. During this period, Liu Jincheng continued his studies and obtained a doctorate degree in materials physics and chemistry in Huagong. To this day, Yiwei Lithium Energy ranks among the top ten power battery companies in the world, with a latest market value of 214.8 billion yuan.
Looking around, there are many Chinese alumni active in the front line of new energy vehicle manufacturing: GAC Group Chairman Zeng Qinghong, Changan Ford President He Xiaoqing, Baoneng Chairman Yao Zhenhua , Ocean Motor Chairman Lu Chuping , Juwan Technology Research Chairman Huang Xiangdong, Huafeng Co., Ltd. founder Tan Guiying, Tongda Electric Chairman Chen Lina, Boreton Technology Chairman Chen Fangming, etc.
In He Xiaopeng's words: "If you are a graduate of South China University of Technology and you want to build a car, as long as you squeak in the alumni group, the seniors will have helped you get the supply chain ." Why is
a Chinese engineer?
Why do Chinese engineer alumni occupy half of the new energy vehicle market?
This starts with a history of Chinese workers. Chinese workers, who are known for their work, are known as the "cradle of engineers." As early as the 1970s, Chinese engineers opened the automotive major, and in the mid-1980s, they had already carried out the research and development and teaching of automotive electric technology, and published the self-edited textbook "Electric Vehicle Science". There is a detail here: Huagong School of Mechanical and Automobile Engineering is one of the largest colleges in the school. It has multiple national engineering research centers, national engineering laboratory , national experimental teaching demonstration centers, etc.This means that in the automotive field, Chinese engineer has been deeply engaged in for more than 40 years.
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of South China Polytechnic University Gao Song has sorted out that one of the secrets of Chinese workers lies in Advanced layout of , guided by solving practical problems, and strive to cultivate compound, interdisciplinary talents urgently needed in the field of new energy vehicles, and provide human resources support for the industry.
As we all know, new energy vehicles are a highly integrated and comprehensive innovative industry, and there is a strong demand for compound talents with interdisciplinary and cross-industry backgrounds. It is understood that 10 disciplines in China have entered the top 1% of the world in ESI (basic scientific index database), among which the four disciplines in engineering, materials science, chemistry, and agricultural science have entered the top 1‰, reaching the top international level. In addition, a number of major scientific research platforms and institutions such as the National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Auto Parts Technology and the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Fuel Cell Technology have been established in China.
The second secret is that Huagong not only promotes the intersection of disciplines, but also pays great attention to industry-university cooperation . Gao Song once introduced that vehicle engineering and other majors have implemented the " five-in-one " school-enterprise collaborative talent training model, and GAC Group, Dongfeng Nissan, Yiwei Lithium Energy, Lanwei Xinyuan and other companies have deeply participated in the entire process of training of automobile-related professional talents. The third secret of
lies in "+intelligent" cultivation mode. With the development of AI technology, new energy vehicles have become one of the most important implementation scenarios, and have evolved into a battle for smart cars. To this end, Huagong not only continues to strengthen the study and practice of advantageous disciplines such as new materials, new energy, automation, and vehicle engineering, but also attaches more importance to artificial intelligence general education, and strengthens the cultivation of basic artificial intelligence skills by implementing the '+intelligence' training model. At present, Huagong has included artificial intelligence in the basic teaching content of university computers and has also built 8 artificial intelligence minor micro-major majors.
"Scientific research must be upright" This is the concept that Chinese workers have always adhered to. The so-called "superior" emphasizes the need to shoulder the mission of serving the national strategy; "standing on the ground" focuses on the main battlefield of economic construction and actively promotes the transformation of major scientific and technological innovation achievements and key technological breakthroughs into Advanced productivity . This coincides with the Chinese engineering school motto of "learning, careful thinking, clear and clear practice".
Every achievement is inseparable from the individual's own efforts, and is also inseparable from the background of the times. Just like Xiaopeng once said that many alumni of Huagong chose tracks that require long-term resilience to innovate, so they are more explosive. "Of course, this is not because the Chinese alumni will look at the right time and place, but because everyone has been doing it, which just conforms to the national development plan and has become the target of policy encouragement, so they took advantage of the situation."
Recalling ten years ago, no one would have thought that new energy vehicles will become "a place for military strategists to compete" . To this day, this has become a battle to defend energy and a battle that cannot be lost. And one by one, Chinese engineering students unexpectedly entered the torrent of the times.
