Hongtai Fund
About Hongtai Fund
Data providers (PitchBook, Preqin, Crunchbase, Tracxn) list Hongtai Fund as a Shenzhen venture firm founded in 2016. Crunchbase gives its legal name as 深圳鸿泰基金投资管理有限公司 and its site as hongtaifund.com. Sources disagree on the firm's origins. A 2026 press release on a partnership with Hongtai Capital Holdings says Hongtai Fund is a core subsidiary of that group, which was founded by New Oriental's Yu Minhong and Huatai United Securities' Sheng Xitai. Crunchbase's profile of Hongtai Capital Holdings (Aplus Capital) dates that group to November 2014. The same press release says Hongtai Fund manages over RMB 30 billion and has made more than 300 portfolio investments. We could not confirm that link or those figures on the firm's own site, so treat them as unverified. Tracxn lists Huang Xueliang and Zeng Zhijie among a team of three partners. We found no public statement of which partners lead AI deals.
Hongtai's AI exposure is concentrated in embodied AI and robotics. Crunchbase describes the firm as investing in early-stage hardware and science companies in manufacturing, electronics and semiconductors, mainly in Beijing, Shenzhen and Wuhan. It took part in TARS's $120M angel round in March 2025, co-led by BlueRun Ventures and Qiming Venture Partners. It was listed again on TARS's April 2026 round, shown on our deals desk at $513M. In October 2026 it joined Astribot's RMB 1 billion (about $149.4M) round at an RMB 15 billion valuation, led by Toukong Donghai, a Shenzhen Investment Holdings subsidiary. Tracxn also lists a seed investment in video-generation startup Sand.ai. The firm is often a participant alongside larger co-investors such as Qiming, CICC Capital and Hillhouse, not the sole lead.
Crunchbase lists seed, early-stage venture, late-stage venture and private equity as its stages. Preqin lists seed through growth. Tracxn says it mainly enters at Series A, but its AI deals above include angel, seed and later rounds. Hongtai Fund has not published check sizes. Crunchbase's profile of the separate Hongtai Capital Holdings (Aplus) gives a range of CNY 0.5 million to CNY 500 million per company, which may not apply to Hongtai Fund. Preqin lists two closed funds, with sizes not public. PitchBook lists a Hongtai Growth Innovation RMB Fund I, with Shenzhen Futian Guiding Fund Investment among its limited partners.
- TARS: embodied AI and robotics developer founded in February 2025. Hongtai joined the $120M angel round in March 2025 and a further round in April 2026 ($513M on the deals desk).
- Astribot (Stardust Intelligence): Shenzhen maker of rope-driven AI robots. Hongtai joined the RMB 1 billion (about $149.4M) round in October 2026.
- Sand.ai: AI video startup. Tracxn lists a seed round, with the year not public.
- Flexiv: robotics company that PitchBook lists as a Hongtai investment. Round and year not public.
- DexForce: robotics company that PitchBook lists as a Hongtai investment. Round and year not public.
- Orienspace: Chinese launch startup. Crunchbase reports Hongtai provided $83.5M. This is aerospace, not AI.
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/267004-36
- crunchbase.com/organization/hongtai-fund
- crunchbase.com/organization/aplus-capital
- tracxn.com/d/venture-capital/shenzhen-hongtai-fund-investment-manageme
- preqin.com/data/profile/fund-manager/hongtai-fund/259690
- pitchbook.com/profiles/fund/18420-49F
- minichart.com.sg/2026/07/20/shenzhen-xunce-technology-enters-strategic
- startupmap.iamsterdam.com/news/feed/tars-ai-secures-120m-in-funding
Investing activity
Hongtai Fund appears in 2 AI deals tracked by the AI Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $662M. The rounds are mostly Growth and Seed, with a median round size of $513M. The most recent are Astribot (Stardust Intelligence) (Venture round, $149M, Oct 2026) and TARS (Seed, $513M, Apr 2026).
Hongtai Fund most often invests alongside Shenzhen Investment Holdings, Ninghai Xingtaihe Fund, Xianmu and Shanheng Capital, and the companies it backs on AI Lounge are mostly in Embodied AI / humanoid robotics and Manufacturing.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Hongtai Fund
Where is Hongtai Fund based and when was it founded?
Hongtai Fund is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. PitchBook, Preqin and Crunchbase give 2016 as its founding year. A related group, Hongtai Capital Holdings, was founded by Yu Minhong and Sheng Xitai, and its exact relationship to the Shenzhen fund is not confirmed.
What AI startups has Hongtai Fund invested in?
Public records show TARS (2025 and 2026), Astribot (2026), Sand.ai, Flexiv and DexForce. Most are embodied AI or robotics companies.
What stage does Hongtai Fund invest at?
Crunchbase lists seed through late-stage venture and private equity. Tracxn says it mainly enters at Series A. Its AI deals include angel and later rounds, usually alongside larger co-investors.
What check size does Hongtai Fund write?
Hongtai Fund has not published check sizes. The separate Hongtai Capital Holdings profile on Crunchbase gives a range of CNY 0.5 million to CNY 500 million, which may not apply to this fund.
Does Hongtai Fund lead AI rounds?
In the rounds we found, it participated and did not lead. TARS's 2025 round was co-led by BlueRun and Qiming, and Astribot's October 2026 round was led by Toukong Donghai.
What AI companies has Hongtai Fund invested in?
Hongtai Fund's AI investments include Astribot (Stardust Intelligence) and TARS. The 2 rounds on AI Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
Where is Hongtai Fund based?
Hongtai Fund is based in Shenzhen, China.
Who does Hongtai Fund co-invest with?
Hongtai Fund's most frequent co-investors on AI Lounge are Shenzhen Investment Holdings (1 deal), Ninghai Xingtaihe Fund (1 deal), Xianmu (1 deal), Shanheng Capital (1 deal) and Hillhouse Capital (1 deal).
How can founders reach Hongtai Fund?
Founders on AI Lounge can see Hongtai Fund's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with the firm under Warm Paths, and add Hongtai Fund to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.