Xiong Rong is included in the 'Perspective' section because her career demonstrates a rare long-termism and industrial rationality. From laboratory to factory, from RoboCup champion to IPO founder, she has always entered before technological inflection points, not chasing trends, but steadily planting technological seeds into industrial soil. Her archival value lies in proving that the true value of technology is in implementation, and that an entrepreneur's perspective lies in balancing scientific ideals with commercial realities.
Xiong Rong's entrepreneurial journey began in 2000 when she took on a football robot project, entering the robotics field from scratch. After more than a decade of technical accumulation, she founded Jia Zhi Technology in 2016, focusing on industrial mobile robots (AMR). In the early days, market awareness was weak, and the team spent three years on market education. From 2023 to September 2025, the company accumulated losses of 304 million yuan, but revenue grew steadily: 74.95 million yuan in 2023, 115 million yuan in 2024, and over 201 million yuan in the first nine months of 2025. In January 2026, Jia Zhi Technology filed a prospectus with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with a valuation of 2.13 billion yuan. [1]
Xiong Rong's business philosophy emphasizes technology implementation; she believes 'the real value of technology is not in papers, but in factories.' In developing Jia Zhi Technology, she focuses on solving real industrial problems, building technical barriers with 0.03mm high-precision operation and large-scale cluster scheduling. Facing losses, she admitted, 'Doing research is to pursue technical breakthroughs, while running a business is to make money,' and acknowledged she is 'more technical, not a qualified entrepreneur.' In humanoid robots, she chose a pragmatic route, adopting a 'wheeled chassis + humanoid upper body' architecture, prioritizing industrial scenarios. In January 2026, the Humanoid Robot Innovation Center completed a 450 million yuan Pre-A round, with cumulative financing of 2.2 billion yuan, and delivered quality inspection robots to Turkish appliance giant BEKO, achieving technology export. [1]
Xiong Rong has made contributions in technology R&D, industrial application, and talent cultivation. Her team defeated Carnegie Mellon three times to win the RoboCup championship, enhancing China's international standing in robotics. Jia Zhi Technology has promoted the large-scale application of industrial mobile robots, while the Zhejiang Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has advanced humanoid robot industrialization. As a professor at ZJU, she has cultivated many talents: student Zhu Qiuguo founded CloudMinds, one of Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons'; student Chen Shouxian serves as CEO of Jia Zhi Technology; student Wang Shiquan founded Flexiv. In 2026, she received the IFR 'Women Shaping the Future of Robots' award, the only winner from China this year. [1]
Xiong Rong leaves a business proposition: how to balance technical ideals with commercial survival. She paid 304 million yuan in losses as tuition to transform from scientist to entrepreneur, proving that technology implementation requires patience and pragmatism. Her era significance lies in representing the complete cycle of China's robotics industry from blank to rise, and providing a replicable path for future generations: adhere to long-termism, respect industrial laws, and let technology truly serve the real world.