Yonghua Capital
Yonghua Capital is a Shanghai-based private venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests in early- and growth-stage AI and biotech companies, with recent lead investments in C12.ai and Tianmu Technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Yonghua Capital does
Yonghua Capital is a Shanghai-based private investment firm founded in 1994, operating with a headcount of 11-50 employees. The firm functions as a venture capital investor focused on early- and growth-stage opportunities in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, with recent activity concentrated in deep-tech AI applications. Its leadership team comprises co-founder and managing director Moses Zhao, executive director Li Yang, and deputy director Zhang Chen. There is no public disclosure of AUM, fund vintage, or fee structure.
The firm's recent transaction activity reveals a deliberate thematic focus at the intersection of AI and life sciences. In March 2026, Yonghua Capital led a ¥50M funding round in C12.ai, an AI robotics company developing the Talos dual-arm lab robot for pharmaceutical laboratories; C12.ai was founded in 2022 by Chen Zhigang, former Alibaba Health chief architect and WuXi AppTec's first CDO, and is backed by Yunqi Partners. In the same period, Yonghua co-led a Series A+ financing exceeding ¥200M for Tianmu Technology (天鹬科技), a Shanghai-based AI protein design service provider advancing its AccelProtein™ AI platform, alongside state-aligned co-investors China National Petroleum Kunlun Capital and Shanghai Future Industry Fund.
As a private investment firm, Yonghua Capital's revenue mechanics derive from conventional VC fund economics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest on realized returns — though none of these figures are publicly disclosed. The firm's business model relies on deal flow sourced through its leadership network, co-investor relationships with state-affiliated capital, and thematic conviction in deep-tech sectors. Customer-facing products, pricing, and go-to-market mechanics are not applicable in the traditional sense for an investment manager.
Yonghua Capital firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yonghua Capital
- Website
- https://yonghuacapital.com.cn
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Yonghua Capital is a Shanghai-based private venture capital firm founded in 1994 that invests in early- and growth-stage AI and biotech companies, with recent lead investments in C12.ai and Tianmu Technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yonghua Capital industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239), Miscellaneous Intermediation (52391)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
Keywords
Where Yonghua Capital is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Yonghua Capital business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Yonghua Capital product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yonghua Capital is a private venture capital investment firm that leads and co-leads early-stage funding rounds for technology startups. The firm invests in AI and biotech sectors, as evidenced by its lead investment in C12.ai (an AI robotics company) and co-led Series A+ investment in Tianmu Technology (an AI protein design company).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Yonghua Capital
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Yonghua Capital technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Yonghua Capital partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Yonghua Capital competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Source Code Capital: China-headquartered early-stage VC investing across enterprise, consumer, and frontier tech including AI. Comparable as a Chinese VC writing Series A checks into AI-enabled startups.
- ZhenFund: Large Chinese seed and Series A investor with broad tech exposure including AI. Comparable as a Chinese early-stage VC competing for the same AI founders and co-investor syndicates.
- MSA Capital: China-focused venture firm investing in AI, robotics, and biotech at Series A and beyond. Comparable as a Chinese sector-focused VC active in AI robotics and life sciences, overlapping Yonghua's deal themes.
- Lighthouse Capital: Shanghai-based early-stage Chinese VC with focus on deep tech, AI, and biotech. Comparable geographic and sectoral positioning to Yonghua Capital, competing for similar founder relationships in the Shanghai AI ecosystem.
- CNPC Kunlun Capital: Strategic/corporate venture arm of China National Petroleum. Comparable as a co-investor in Tianmu Technology and as a Chinese growth-equity player deploying capital into deep-tech and industrial tech verticals.
- Linear Venture: Chinese VC firm focused on AI, enterprise SaaS, and deep-tech. Comparable as a similarly sized Chinese sector-focused VC competing for early-stage AI deal flow.
- Sinovation Ventures: China-focused tech VC founded by Kai-Fu Lee with strong AI and deep-tech specialization. Comparable as a Chinese AI-vertical VC; broader AUM but operating in the same early-to-growth AI deal pool.
- Yunqi Partners: China-based early-to-growth stage VC firm focused on deep tech and enterprise software. Directly comparable as a co-investor in C12.ai and as a peer Chinese deep-tech VC operating at similar check sizes.
Broad incumbents
- IDG Capital: One of the largest China-focused VC/PE firms with broad sector exposure including deep tech and healthcare. Comparable as a Chinese institutional VC whose portfolio intersects AI and biotech, though at materially greater scale.
- Sequoia Capital China (HongShan): Major China-focused venture and growth firm investing across AI, biotech, and consumer. Comparable incumbent operating in the same Chinese AI/biotech deal market, with materially larger AUM and broader stage coverage.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Yonghua Capital financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yonghua Capital leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Yonghua Capital funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yonghua Capital M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments188 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yonghua Capital
What does Yonghua Capital do?
Yonghua Capital is a private venture capital investment firm that leads and co-leads early-stage funding rounds for technology startups. The firm invests in AI and biotech sectors, as evidenced by its lead investment in C12.ai (an AI robotics company) and co-led Series A+ investment in Tianmu Technology (an AI protein design company).
Is Yonghua Capital a public or private company?
Yonghua Capital is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Yonghua Capital founded?
Yonghua Capital was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Yonghua Capital based?
Yonghua Capital is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
Who are Yonghua Capital's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Source Code Capital, ZhenFund, MSA Capital, Lighthouse Capital, CNPC Kunlun Capital, Linear Venture, Sinovation Ventures and Yunqi Partners. Broad incumbents are IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital China (HongShan).
Does Yonghua Capital have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yonghua Capital.
What industry is Yonghua Capital in?
Yonghua Capital's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists). Its NAICS code is 52399 and its SIC code is 6282.