What Benewake does

Benewake (北醒) is a Beijing-based LiDAR sensor designer and manufacturer founded in June 2015, focused on what it calls 'robot eyes' — Time-of-Flight distance-ranging sensors for autonomous systems. The company develops a comprehensive product matrix spanning single-point LiDAR (TF, TFA, and TFS series from sub-100-yuan short-range modules up to kilometer-class TFA1200-L and TFA1500-L sensors), 2D scanning LiDAR (including underwater VLS-H5), and 3D LiDAR for automotive (AD2-S-X3, 256-line, built on the proprietary Yinglong platform) and transportation (Horn-X2 Pro, Horn-RT) applications. Core technology stacks include dToF, iToF, and FMCW architectures, with proprietary innovations in SPAD-based micro-modules and line-beam solid-state scanning.

The company's revenue model is built on hardware sales of these sensors, distributed through a multi-channel GTM combining direct enterprise sales to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, a global network of more than 60 distribution agents covering 90+ countries, OEM/embedded integration with drone and consumer-robot manufacturers (DJI ecosystem, Ecovacs, Xiaomi, Segway-Ninebot, Amazon), and direct e-commerce via Taobao for SMB and developer customers. Pricing is opaque publicly, but the company positions TF-Luna as a sub-100-yuan consumer module and sells industrial/automotive sensors at higher enterprise pricing with no recurring license fees. By 2024, overseas markets accounted for over 50% of annual revenue, with cumulative shipments exceeding 2 million units across automotive ADAS, intelligent transportation (rail transit, smart highways, airports, ports), and industrial sensing (drones, AGV/AMR, IoT, pool-cleaning robots, level/volume measurement).

Name

Benewake

Legal name

北醒（北京）光子科技有限公司

Website

https://benewake.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Benewake designs and manufactures Time-of-Flight LiDAR sensors — single-point, 2D, and 3D — for automotive ADAS, intelligent transportation, and industrial robotics customers, distributing through 60+ agents across 90+ countries with over 2 million cumulative units shipped.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LiDAR Sensors (Laser Radar)

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

LiDAR & 3D Sensing Modules (HDAHALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Active Safety Sensing Hardware Manufacturing (Radar/LiDAR/Cameras/Ultrasonic) (IMACAMAF), Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)

Keywords

• LiDAR sensors
• Automotive LiDAR
• 3D laser radar
• Time-of-flight sensors
• Distance measurement sensors

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. LiDAR Hardware Sales: Benewake generates revenue primarily from selling LiDAR hardware products including single-point, 2D, and 3D sensors across multiple series (TF, TFA, Horn, AD). Products are sold directly to automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, industrial equipment manufacturers, and through distributors globally. The company reported over half of 2024 revenue coming from overseas markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Benewake designs, manufactures, and sells LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors based on Time-of-Flight principles (dToF, iToF, FMCW), covering a comprehensive matrix of single-point (TF/TFA series), 2D (VLS series), and 3D (AD/Horn series) LiDAR products. The sensors serve three core application areas: intelligent automotive (ADAS/autonomous driving), intelligent transportation (rail transit, smart highways, airports, ports), and intelligent industrial sensing (drones, robots, IoT, security, material level detection).

Product overview

Benewake offers a comprehensive portfolio of LiDAR products across multiple series designed for automotive, transportation, and industrial sensing applications. The product lineup includes: (1) TF single-point LiDAR series spanning short-range (TF-Luna, TFmini-S/Plus/i, TFS20-L up to 20m), mid-range (TF02-Pro/i/Pro-W up to 40m), and long-range categories (TFA170-L up to 170m, TF03 up to 180m, TF350 up to 350m), plus kilometer-level sensors (TFA1200-L, TFA1500-L up to 1500m) for drone applications; (2) Specialized LiDARs including TF-NOVA (line-beam for area detection), TF-UW500 (underwater for pool robots), and VLS-H5 (underwater 360° scanning); (3) AD series automotive-grade 3D LiDAR (AD2-S-X3 with 256 lines) for autonomous driving; (4) Horn series long-range 3D LiDAR (Horn-X2 Pro, Horn-RT) for rail transit, smart transportation, and industrial applications. All products share common technology platforms (ToF, dToF, iToF principles) with variations in range, frequency, protection ratings, and form factors to serve diverse application requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TF-UW500 Underwater Single-Point LiDAR World's first underwater single-point LiDAR sensor using dToF technology with visible-light Class 1 eye-safe source, 5m+ range in low-turbidity water, centimeter-level accuracy, IPX8 waterproof rating. Designed for pool cleaning robots and aquatic robotics applications.
• VLS-H5 Underwater 360° Scanning LiDAR Underwater 360° single-line scanning LiDAR with IPX8 waterproof rating for 4m depth operation, 6 scans per second, 160KLux anti-environmental light capability, and better than 3cm accuracy. Designed for pool cleaning robot SLAM, mapping, and navigation.
• TFA1500-L Kilometer-Class Single-Point LiDAR Kilometer-class high-frequency single-point LiDAR with 1500m range, up to 800Hz adaptive frequency, compact form factor (~25mm × 26mm × 13mm), and 11g weight. Designed for inspection-grade drones, drone payloads, and engineering surveying applications.
• TFA300 Series Ultra-High-Frequency Single-Point LiDAR Ultra-high-frequency (up to 10,000 Hz) lightweight single-point LiDAR with 290m range. Available in ultra-light version (TFA300-L, 10.5g) or IP67-housed version (TFA300, 34.5g). Supports DroneCAN protocol for plug-and-play drone integration with Pixhawk, Ardupilot, iNaV, BetaFlight.
• TFA1200-L Kilometer-Class Lightweight Single-Point LiDAR Kilometer-class lightweight single-point LiDAR with 1200m range, only 11g weight, Class 1 eye safety, and compact size (25mm × 25mm × 13mm). Designed for inspection-grade drones and engineering surveying.
• TF-NOVA Line-Beam Solid-State LiDAR Proprietary line-beam pure solid-state LiDAR using a line-shaped infrared laser source combined with a single-photon avalanche receiver chip, achieving 14° field of view, 7m+ indoor range, and 100x higher sensitivity than previous generation. Applications include smart door collision avoidance, robot obstacle avoidance, and parking detection.
• TF-Luna Sub-100 Yuan Single-Point LiDAR Low-cost sub-100 yuan LiDAR module with 8m range, ultra-low power consumption (≤0.35W), compact size (35mm × 21.25mm × 13.5mm), and weight under 5g. Targets consumer-grade applications including hobby drones, robots, and IoT devices.
• TFmini-S Short-Range Industrial LiDAR 12m range industrial LiDAR with IP65 protection, high frequency up to 1000Hz, low power consumption, and multiple interfaces (UART, I²C, I/O). Designed for drone altitude hold, robot obstacle avoidance, and industrial sensing.
• TFmini Plus Industrial LiDAR 12m range industrial LiDAR with IP65 protection, multiple interfaces, and vibration testing for industrial applications. Designed for AGV/AMR, drones, and industrial automation.
• TFmini-i Industrial Interface LiDAR 12m industrial LiDAR with industrial interfaces (RS-485, CAN), IP65 protection, and wide voltage input support. Designed for industrial automation and AGV/AMR applications.
• TFS20-L SPAD-Based Micro LiDAR Module Fully integrated single-channel dToF measurement module using high-sensitivity infrared-enhanced SPAD sensor, 20m range, histogram statistics algorithm, fast TDC architecture, and 15m anti-sunlight capability at 100KLux. Ultra-compact at 21mm × 15mm × 7.87mm weighing only 1.35g. Designed for embedded integration in compact devices.
• TF02-Pro Mid-Range Industrial LiDAR 40m range industrial LiDAR with IP65 protection, high frequency up to 1000Hz, and multiple interfaces. Designed for industrial automation, AGV/AMR, and material level measurement.
• TF02-i Mid-Range Industrial Interface LiDAR 40m range industrial LiDAR with IP65 protection, industrial interfaces (RS-485, CAN), and wide voltage input support. Designed for industrial automation and AGV/AMR applications.
• TF02-Pro-W Wireless Industrial LiDAR for Dusty Environments 25m range LiDAR with self-cleaning dust brush mechanism, designed for dusty environments such as material level detection in silos. Supports Modbus protocol and wireless transmission (LoRaWAN, 4G, Wi-Fi) for IoT applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400,000 drone delivery flights completed with 40,000+ flight hours and 58,000+ delivery orders for a major Chinese e-commerce customer
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DiDi Autonomous Driving (滴滴自动驾驶)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Strategic ecology partnership established in April 2023, focusing on autonomous driving technology collaboration. Benewake provides high-performance LiDAR sensing capabilities for DiDi's autonomous driving fleet and infrastructure testing.
• Beijing Jiaotong University (北京交通大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2020Strategic cooperation established October 2020 for rail transit applications. Benewake participated in compiling China's first 'Rail Transit Radar Application White Paper' and conducts joint research on LiDAR applications in rail transportation systems.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hesai Group: Hesai is China's largest LiDAR maker, publicly listed on NASDAQ, with strong automotive OEM design wins (Li Auto, Xiaomi, Mercedes) and a broad product matrix spanning mechanical and solid-state LiDAR. Directly competes with Benewake across automotive, industrial, and robotics segments.
• RoboSense: RoboSense is a Shenzhen-based LiDAR company listed on HKEX, specializing in automotive, robotics, and industrial LiDAR products. Direct competitor with overlapping product matrix (mechanical, solid-state, automotive-grade) targeting Chinese OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• Innoviz Technologies: Israeli solid-state automotive LiDAR company listed on NASDAQ, with BMW and VW series production wins. Comparable to Benewake's AD-series automotive LiDAR ambitions, focusing on L3+ ADAS applications.
• Luminar Technologies: US-based automotive LiDAR company listed on NASDAQ with Volvo series production design wins. Comparable to Benewake's high-end 3D LiDAR for automotive applications, focused on long-range perception for highway autonomy.
• Hokuyo Automatic Co. Japanese manufacturer of industrial LiDAR and proximity sensors for factory automation, robotics, and AGV applications. Comparable to Benewake's TF-series and 2D VLS LiDAR for industrial and robotics customers.
• Innovusion: US/China-based automotive LiDAR company with NIO ET5/ET7 series production wins. Direct competitor in the premium automotive 3D LiDAR category where Benewake's AD2-S-X3 and Horn-X2 Pro compete.
• Ouster: US-based digital LiDAR company listed on NYSE offering mechanical and solid-state LiDAR for automotive, robotics, and smart infrastructure. Overlaps with Benewake across industrial and intelligent transportation use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Valeo SA: French Tier 1 supplier and a strategic investor in Benewake (C1 round). Manufactures Scala automotive LiDAR as part of broader ADAS sensor portfolio, integrating LiDAR into vehicle systems for OEMs globally.
• SICK AG: German industrial sensor manufacturer with decades of LiDAR and proximity sensor expertise for factory automation, logistics, and traffic applications. Broad incumbent across Benewake's industrial sensing and intelligent transportation segments.

Emerging players

• LeddarTech: Canadian LiDAR perception platform company focused on ADAS and autonomous driving software/hardware integration. Emerging player in automotive LiDAR segment with comparable targeting to Benewake's intelligent automotive vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/benewake

Compliance14 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors13 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Benewake