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… has already been completed, funding Cardano-based projects WingRiders and Liqwid Finance.
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<h3>Recent deals completed in China:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.ronatherapeutics.com/">Rona Therapeutics</a>, a nucleic acid drug R&amp;D enterprise, has completed a USD 35 million Series A+ funding round led by LongRiver Investments, with participation from Zhaode Investment, BioTrack Capital, Zhongqi Capital, and Lilly Asia Ventures. The funds will support the development of its small interfering RNA (siRNA) programs targeting metabolic and central nervous system (CNS) degenerative diseases.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.baopharma.com/index.html">Bao Pharma</a>, a Shanghai-based biopharmaceutical company specializing in recombinant protein and antibody drugs, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a Series C funding round. The round was led by Shanghai Healthcare Capital (SHC), with participation from Shanghai STVC Group, Baoshan SOCI Capital, and existing shareholder Center Laboratories Limited. The funds will be used to advance and commercialize its synthetic biology technology platform. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2868766692594050">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.gantuai.com/">Gantu Technology</a>, a high-end manufacturing solutions provider, has completed a Series C2 funding round, securing a nine-figure RMB sum from a local government industrial fund and several banks. The funds will be used for technology iteration, product upgrades, and market expansion. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/2866536150519940">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">ZhideBattery, a developer of lithium battery composite materials, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a Series D funding round from Shang Qi Capital. The funds will be used to support the company's R&amp;D, production, and sales. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2867603112186240">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mymooo.com/">Mymooo</a>, a Shenzhen-based industrial internet and manufacturing service platform, has completed a Series C++ funding round, securing over RMB 100 million (USD 13.7 million). The round was led by Beijing Information Industry Development Fund and an investment fund managed by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/2867523994521986">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.icleague.com/">ICleague Technology</a>, a Haining-based chip integration company, has secured RMB 3 billion (USD 435 million) in a Series B funding round. The investors include Wuhan Optics Valley Industrial Investment, CMB International, and Puhua Capital. The funds will support the company's development in heterogeneous chip integration to improve functionality and reduce costs. —DealStreetAsia</li>
</ul>
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<h3>Dr Clear Aligners, Amity, Klean, and more led yesterday’s headlines:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.drclearaligners.sg/en/">Dr Clear Aligners (DCA)</a>, a provider of dental clear aligners in the Asia Pacific region, raised USD 8 million in Series A funding from Insignia Ventures Partners.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.amitysolutions.com/">Amity Solutions</a>, a Thai AI technology company, completed a USD 60 million Series C funding round alongside its parent company, Amity Corporation. Amity Solutions raised USD 41.6 million, led by Insight Capital, with several new and existing investors participating. Amity Corporation raised USD 18.4 million, led by SMDV, with participation from Gobi Partners and other investors. The financing includes debt structured by AlteriQ Global.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Klean, a cleantech business owned by Janz Technologies, received an investment totaling MYR 2 million (USD 428,680) from Ficus Capital.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@kr-asia.com">hello@kr-asia.com</a>.

Deals in brief: Kindred Health completes pre-Series A round, Xora Innovation leads investment in Peak Energy, six China deals, and more

Venture Capital

Private Equity

Investment

Merger &amp; Acquisition

Singapore

Philippines

Southeast Asia

China

India

… significant sums toward vouchers, discounts, and support programs to encourage seller adoption.
Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok are now in a race for the attention of Southeast Asian consumers, with live commerce rapidly growing in the region. Milieu Insight forecasts that, from 2020–2027, around 48% of Southeast Asian consumers will watch live streams at least once a week. Meanwhile, Momentum Works estimates current live commerce penetration at around 30%, highlighting significant room for further growth.
Having solidified its market leadership, Shopee has been implementing drastic cost-cutting measures to help Sea chase profitability, initiating layoffs and transitioning toward in-house logistics fulfillment. However, Shopee ramped up marketing spending again in early 2023, seemingly to counter TikTok Shop’s advances. While this investment helped Shopee defend its market share, it could not withhold TikTok Shop’s momentum, which more than tripled its share from 4.4% to 14.2%. This figure also does not account for Tokopedia’s GMV despite its merger with TikTok’s Indonesia business.
<h3>Don’t just be good, be different and add value</h3>
TikTok Shop’s emergence signals a new phase of competition centered on differentiation rather than just fundamentals, contrasting from the rivalry between Shopee and Lazada. Shopee initially won over consumers by addressing several key considerations: Did enough consumers know about its platform? Did they trust the products from its sellers and brands? And did they feel confident in Shopee’s ability to deliver products reliably?
Shopee’s rise to the top was also aided by strategic execution and a bit of luck. Despite <a href="https://kr-asia.com/for-singapores-shopee-being-late-to-the-e-commerce-game-has-helped-its-rise-in-southeast-asia">starting later</a> than Lazada, Shopee caught up by being shrewd while Lazada grew sluggish from grappling with internal strife, caused by a cultural mismatch between its Chinese and regional executives after Alibaba’s acquisition. For example, to enhance the perceived authenticity and reliability of goods, Shopee launched Shopee Mall in 2017 as a portal dedicated to featuring products from endorsed brands and retailers. Lazada needed an extra year to follow suit with LazMall in 2018.
Shopee also, ironically, borrowed tactics from Lazada’s playbook, such as addressing delivery issues with subsidies. <a href="https://kr-asia.com/heres-how-lazada-lost-its-lead-to-shopee-in-southeast-asia-part-2-of-2">LatePost</a> noted this was an old Lazada tactic that got suspended after Alibaba’s takeover. To tackle expensive deliveries, Shopee offered subsidies while partnering with localized service providers like JNE and J&amp;T Express. This substantial investment paid off. The growth spurred by these subsidies expanded delivery networks, improving speed and lowering long-term costs through economies of scale.
Today, with widespread e-commerce adoption, concerns about platform and seller trustworthiness have diminished, and robust delivery networks ensure timely fulfillment. Consolidation in Southeast Asia’s e-commerce industry is thus likely to hinge on adding value beyond the basics.
Shopee, recognizing it has secured half of the regional market, seems to understand that further advances might be hard to achieve or too costly. Instead, it is focusing on building new growth engines adjacent to e-commerce, such as SeaMoney, which offers financing options for consumers and sellers along with other digital financial services.
Lazada, aligning with Alibaba’s digital transformation, is refining its user experience by integrating new technologies like generative artificial intelligence. Among its latest initiatives is <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/en-sg/2023/05/30/lazada-unveils-lazziechat-the-first-ecommerce-ai-chatbot-of-its-kind-in-se-asia/">LazzieChat</a>, an AI-powered chatbot built on ChatGPT, designed to handle shopping inquiries in a conversational and personalized manner. Pressure to succeed is ramping up for Lazada, with Alibaba having injected massive sums of capital to sustain the business over the past few years and TikTok Shop on the cusp of overtaking.
TikTok Shop's immediate focus is on solidifying its advantage in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest market, where Tokopedia holds a major presence. Following their merger, <a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/startups/tech-in-asia-1tokopedia-tiktok-shop-complete-backend-integration">backend integration</a> was completed by April, with a <a href="https://www.marketing-interactive.com/bytedance-to-cut-jobs-in-id-following-tiktok-and-tokopedia-merger">headcount reduction</a> announced last month. TikTok's strength in content, particularly short videos and live streams, continues to be a significant advantage, supported by TikTok for Business, a suite of advertising and marketing solutions.
Meanwhile, TikTok is exploring other regional opportunities, <a href="https://kr-asia.com/tiktok-breaks-new-ground-in-southeast-asia-with-local-services-pilot">piloting local services</a> in Indonesia and Thailand, as reported by 36Kr this month. It remains to be seen whether this new business will synergize with TikTok Shop if it comes to fruition.

TikTok Shop’s GMV soared in 2023, putting Shopee and Lazada on edge

Tokopedia

Sea Group

TikTok

Shopee

Lazada

GoTo

East Asia

TikTok Shop

E-commerce

Live Streaming

Retail

Content

Consumer Economy

Malaysia

Thailand

Vietnam

Indonesia

TSMC profits surge on AI demand, but shares dip amid geopolitical tensions

TSMC

China Tech

Deep Tech

Semiconductors

<h3>Dr Clear Aligners secures USD 8 million in Series A funding</h3>
<a href="https://www.drclearaligners.sg/en/">Dr Clear Aligners (DCA)</a>, a provider of dental clear aligners in the Asia Pacific region, has raised USD 8 million in Series A funding from Insignia Ventures Partners.
Founded in April 2020 by Ryan Teo, Kevin Lim, and Jayden Cheng, DCA operates in seven countries with a network of 1,000 partner clinics and owns 11 licensed dental clinics.
In its statement, DCA said it recently partnered with one of the largest dental clinic chains in Southeast Asia and introduced patented patient treatment monitoring technology.
With the aim of making orthodontic treatment more accessible and convenient, DCA will utilize the investment to expand into new markets, particularly in the MENA region, and enhance R&amp;D in artificial intelligence.
<h3>Amity raises USD 60 million in Series C round</h3>
<a href="https://www.amitysolutions.com/">Amity Solutions</a>, a Thai AI technology company, has completed a USD 60 million Series C funding round alongside its parent company, Amity Corporation.
Amity Solutions raised USD 41.6 million, led by Insight Capital, with several new and existing investors participating. Amity Corporation raised USD 18.4 million, led by SMDV, with participation from Gobi Partners and other investors. The financing includes debt structured by AlteriQ Global.
This investment will allow Amity Solutions to focus on developing generative AI applications while leveraging the support and resources of its parent company. The funds will be used for R&amp;D and to acquire software-as-a-service companies with high potential for integration.
<h3>Klean receives MYR 2 million from Ficus Capital</h3>
Klean, a cleantech business owned by Janz Technologies, has received an investment totaling MYR 2 million (USD 428,680) from Ficus Capital.
This investment, made through Ficus’ flagship Ficus SEA Fund, will support Klean’s container recovery initiatives and the expansion of its reverse vending machine (RVM) network as well as regional operations in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Fiji.
<h3>Dharana Capital acquires shares in Urban Company</h3>
Dharana Capital, an India-focused investment firm, has acquired shares worth over INR 4 billion (USD 47.8 million) in <a href="https://www.urbancompany.com/">Urban Company</a>, a platform for home services, through a secondary transaction. The shares were acquired from employees and other shareholders.
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<h3>Recent deals completed in China:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.synyi.com/">Synyi AI</a>, a smart healthcare solutions provider, has raised an undisclosed amount in a funding round led by Longxiang Group, with participation from Changxing Fund, CCDG, and Beijing New Aerotropolis. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate technological development and expand its market presence. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2867345901703553">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://yunshi.netjoy.com/">Yunshi Youke</a>, a Sichuan-based digital marketing firm, has secured an undisclosed sum of investment from iFlytek. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2867167698210951">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.fanmiot.cn/">Fanmi Intelligent Technology</a>, a digital technology company, has completed its pre-Series A funding round led by Zhongrui Industrial. The company will use the funds to enhance its data technology capabilities, drive R&amp;D, expand market reach, and build a comprehensive industry ecosystem. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2867082537685125">36Kr</a></li>
</ul>
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<h3>Har Har Chicken, Wittaya Aqua, Mon Protocol, and more led yesterday’s headlines:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.harharchicken.com.sg/">Har Har Chicken</a>, a takeaway kiosk operator serving specialty menu items inspired by fermented prawn paste chicken, raised an undisclosed amount of funding in a round led by East Ventures.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://wittaya-aqua.ca/">Wittaya Aqua</a>, an aquaculture technology company, secured USD 2.8 million in a seed funding round. The investors include The Yield Lab Asia Pacific, Seeds Capital (Enterprise Singapore), Future Planet Capital, Conservation International Ventures, and SeaAhead Blue Angels.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Mon Protocol, a publisher of Web3 IP and games, launched a new venture, Mon Ventures, with 500 Global as the lead investor. The fund will invest in gaming and infrastructure-focused blockchain applications that are raising capital at seed and pre-token generation event (TGE) stages.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@kr-asia.com">hello@kr-asia.com</a>.
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Deals in brief: Dr Clear Aligners secures Series A funding, Amity raises USD 60 million, Ficus Capital backs Klean, and more

Indonesia's plan to introduce new import tariffs on items like clothing and cosmetics is not the answer for local industries struggling to grow, the head of a major local business group, said in an interview in Tokyo.
Indonesian trade minister Zulkifli Hasan said in late June that the country would <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade/Indonesia-to-levy-100-200-duties-on-clothing-ceramics-minister-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impose safeguard duties of 100% to 200%</a> on imported footwear, clothing, textiles, cosmetics and ceramics to protect domestic micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), facing competition from manufacturers in countries such as China and Vietnam.
"The [minister's] spirit is good for the industry, … but [it is] not the solution," Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Nikkei Asia on July 3 during his visit to Tokyo, adding that the government's approach goes "against the market."
Although he acknowledged the need to protect local businesses, he said, "We are not against imports."
"The key is governance," rather than protectionism, to help grow Indonesian MSMEs, Rasjid said, calling for tighter controls on illegal imports coming to Indonesia and harming local businesses, "so that there is a fair competition."
MSMEs account for 60% of Indonesia's gross domestic product and play a key role in the country's development. Rasjid said his organization will include suggestions to support MSMEs in a white paper it is compiling, which will include proposals to the new government that will be inaugurated in October. <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Indonesia-election/Indonesia-s-Prabowo-pledges-to-end-poverty-create-good-jobs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President-elect Prabowo Subianto</a> has vowed to raise Indonesia's economic growth to 8% per year, much higher than the <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Indonesia-s-GDP-growth-accelerates-to-5.11-beats-economist-forecasts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">current rate of around 5%</a>.
Regarding the Indonesian economy, Rasjid highlighted the importance of skills development and <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Asia-Insight/Indonesian-election-highlights-young-voters-employment-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">providing enough jobs for the country's growing working-age population</a>, especially as digitization affects jobs in some sectors. "We don't want to see the so-called [demographic] bonus becoming a liability," he said.
Rasjid said that, during his Tokyo trip, he would ask large and small Japanese companies to <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Japan-immigration/Labor-rich-Indonesia-aims-to-send-100-000-workers-to-aging-Japan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bring in more skilled workers from Indonesia</a>. Japan already has an economic partnership agreement with Indonesia under which Indonesian nurses can work in Japan. Rasjid suggested there is room for more collaboration in areas such as in agriculture, given the aging of Japan's farmers.
In addition to sending laborers to other countries, "We have to make sure we keep certain sectors as labor intensive," Rasjid said.
He also stressed the importance of the private sector and foreign investment to speed Indonesia's growth, saying his country is open to all investments that bolster the country's efforts to create an electric vehicle ecosystem. "<a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/China-s-BYD-Neta-eye-growth-in-Indonesia-with-new-EV-investments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The initiator investment was Chinese</a>, but that is why Indonesia wants others to come," said Rasjid.
Japanese small and medium enterprises already in the automotive supply chain in Indonesia can expand into the EV industry, said Rasjid, whose numerous titles include the president director of energy company Indika Energy. But, he pointed out, "[Japan's] large corporations make decisions very slowly. That is one of the key factors that Japan needs to change."
Rasjid said more investments should be made in Indonesia's <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Indonesian-officials-departure-reveals-turmoil-in-capital-relocation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new capital</a>. In August, President Joko Widodo plans to shift some functions from Jakarta to Nusantara, a new city being built in East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
There is a need to "create more connectivity from this towards the whole of Borneo," such as with railway and gas pipelines, he said. Other areas, such as R&amp;D and education, can also develop in the new capital, he suggested.
Borneo is divided between three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. Nusantara can become "<a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Indonesia-s-new-capital-aims-to-be-economic-growth-center" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a center of growth</a>, not only for Indonesia but also for Borneo, in which it is for ASEAN also," Rasjid said.
This article first appeared on <a tabindex="0" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Indonesia-business-lobby-says-tariffs-not-solution-for-industry" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-token-index="1">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing <a tabindex="0" href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-token-index="3">partnership with Nikkei</a>.

Indonesia business lobby says tariffs "not solution" for industry

… href="https://en.jasung.com/">Jasung</a>, a R&amp;D company specializing in intelligent industrial rollers, maintenance systems for bulk material conveyors, and smart industrial motor applications, has secured a nine-figure RMB sum in a funding round jointly led by Richland Capital and NRL Capital, with additional investments from Zishi Capital and the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC). The funds will be used for new product development and capacity building. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2865739188931202">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://xellarbio.com/">Xellar Biosystems</a>, an artificial intelligence-enabled biotechnology company, has announced the completion of an angel extension round worth hundreds of millions of RMB. The round was led by TriApex, with participation from Zhengxuan Investment, Tiantu Capital, Legend Capital Management, and Yael Capital. Haoyue Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor. The funds will be used to further develop its “organ-on-chip” technology platform and promote its application in drug R&amp;D. —<a href="https://36kr.com/newsflashes/2865615698594436">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Keber Technology, an intelligent manufacturing company, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in its pre-IPO funding round. SAIC Motor-affiliated Shang Qi Capital participated as one of the investors. —DealStreetAsia</li>
</ul>
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<h3>Lhoopa, JigSpace, Xiaohongshu, and more led yesterday’s headlines:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.lhoopa.com/">Lhoopa</a>, a prop tech company focused on affordable housing in emerging markets, raised USD 80 million. USD 20 million was secured in an equity funding round co-led by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Wavemaker Partners, with participation from Pavilion Capital, 10X Group, Concentric Equity Partners (CEP), Mirath Investments, NataRock Partners Fund, Steve Melhuish, Black Kite Capital, Ron Hose, as well as existing investors Patamar Capital and Tekton Ventures. The remaining USD 60 million was raised in debt facilities from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and Lendable.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.jig.space/">JigSpace</a>, a spatial computing demonstration platform, closed its latest funding round, raising an undisclosed sum. The round was led by Breakthrough Victoria, with participation from Investible (through its first early-stage fund and Club Investible Syndicate) as well as several unnamed global investors.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Xiaohongshu, one of China's fastest-growing social media platforms, attracted an investment from DST Global in a funding round that involved the sale of existing shares, valuing the company at USD 17 billion. HongShan, Hillhouse Investment, Boyu Capital, and CITIC Capital were among the other participants. The deal size was not disclosed.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@kr-asia.com">hello@kr-asia.com</a>.
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Deals in brief: East Ventures leads investment in Har Har Chicken, Wittaya Aqua reels in USD 2.8 million, Mon Protocol launches new venture with 500 Global, and more

… on the partner primarily for manpower. This approach reportedly saves considerable costs compared to a more comprehensive collaboration with chip design companies.
However, chipmaking is ultimately a volume business. Even within Nio, Xpeng, and Li Auto, some employees are skeptical about the idea of developing intelligent driving chips in-house. Yet, automakers often decide to develop their own chips after considering cost and performance.
When Nio and Xpeng started developing their own chips in 2020, they were relatively affluent, with sales gradually increasing. Li Auto accelerated its chip project in 2023, also amid soaring sales. Automakers hoped that their vision of millions of units sold could help spread the hefty chip development costs across each vehicle.
However, they may have jumped the gun, as most are still grappling with sales growth challenges. Without strong sales support, in-house chips might not be a cost-effective investment. Even Li Auto, which has outperformed the market, is cautious about taking a more aggressive stance on chip self-development.
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On the other hand, in-house chip development offers automakers the opportunity to achieve higher software and hardware integration through their algorithms. For example, Tesla’s HW3.0 chip, released in 2019, has a computing power of only 144 TOPS but its design remains compatible with the company’s latest end-to-end solutions. Meanwhile, the actual efficiency of general-purpose chips like Nvidia’s Orin is estimated to be only about 30%. This explains Nio, Xpeng, and Li Auto’s reluctance to abandon their ambitions for chip self-development.
Moreover, recent developments suggest the industry may be approaching an inflection point. Chinese tech giant Huawei has been reducing its collaborations with automakers to achieve tech self-sufficiency, while Nvidia is driving growth by expanding its development of a comprehensive <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/self-driving-cars/">computing platform</a> for autonomous vehicles. Companies like Momenta are also venturing into chip manufacturing. In-house chip development remains one of the few less contested areas for innovation and could be the decisive factor in determining who comes out on top.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/2844649245461376">article</a> was written by Li Anqi for 36Kr.

Nio and Xpeng’s in-house chips enter tapeout phase, paving way for deployment

Xpeng Motors

Artificial Intelligence

Hardware

Autonomous Vehicles

Mobility

36Kr has learned from multiple industry insiders that Douyin is reducing the traffic allocation for influencer live streams and redirecting it toward high-quality short videos and brand-led live streams.
An industry insider told 36Kr that the reduction in traffic for influencer live streams can be keenly felt on Douyin. In June this year, the gross merchandise value (GMV) growth rate of his instant food category store's influencer live streams dropped from double digits to single digits. "The influencer operators around me are all struggling. We need to adjust our strategy in the future, focusing on short video placements with key opinion consumers (KOCs) because it seems like the platform is distributing traffic to those who put serious effort into short video content," the industry practitioner said.
A person close to Douyin confirmed that ByteDance indeed plans to reduce the proportion of influencer streaming on the Douyin platform. He believes this is related to Douyin's aim to enhance its e-commerce structure and increase the proportion of shelf-based e-commerce.
This source added that, this year, the GMV generated by Douyin's product cards (including shop windows, searches, mall pages, and recommendations) will account for over 40% of Douyin's total e-commerce GMV, with the remaining contributed by short videos and live streams. By 2025, this percentage is expected to exceed 50%.
Douyin denied such claims when 36Kr sought confirmation regarding these figures.
A different source familiar with Douyin revealed that ByteDance previously conducted an A/B test, which indicated that user experience is impacted when live e-commerce reaches about 7–8% of the total content. Currently, this figure has reached 15%. Therefore, Douyin hopes to cater to e-commerce demand through shelf-based e-commerce, mitigating the impact on user experience.
According to data from Meritco, this year's 618 festival saw users refocus on shelf-based e-commerce, notable from the significant boost in traffic for Tmall and JD.com, while Douyin experienced a negative trend during the major promotion period.
In the realm of live e-commerce, brand-led live streams contribute more to ad revenue than those run by influencers. This stems from the former’s ability to provide better consumer experiences while aligning more with the platform's low-price strategy. Hence, influencer streaming has been more directly affected in the process of adjusting the proportion of live e-commerce.
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Douyin's super hosts did not perform well during this year’s 618. Data from Chanmama shows that the top three performers on Douyin's influencer sales list during the event period (from May 24 to June 18) were couple and media creators Zheng Jianpeng and Yan Zhen, Jia Nailiang, and Time With Yuhui. Feigua's data indicates that Zhang and Yan’s transaction amount during the same period last year was RMB 450 million (USD 62.5 million), but decreased 86.4% to RMB 61.14 million (USD 8.4 million) this year. Li Jiaqi, who did not make the list, achieved about RMB 2.7 billion (USD 375 million) in GMV during the pre-sale phase of his beauty live stream on the first day, but this was a 46% drop compared to nearly RMB 5 billion (USD 694.5 million) in the same period last year.
A person close to Douyin stated that the platform’s first generation of super hosts may be gradually receding in importance as the platform no longer needs to rely exclusively on them to boost its visibility. Instead, the platform can now focus on amplifying the cumulative reach of short videos, brand-led live streams that also purchase ad exposure, and an e-commerce mall that attracts steady demand.
Another source indicated that Douyin’s future plan may be to generate interest and facilitate transactions through content and live streams, while deferring to its mall feature for repeat purchases. Douyin E-commerce will rely on ad exposure, live streams, and short videos to gain traffic, stabilizing user awareness through Douyin Mall to establish a comprehensive e-commerce cycle.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/2846324410403462">article</a> was written by Wang Yuchan for 36Kr.

ByteDance adjusts Douyin’s traffic allocation to boost e-commerce, sources say

Douyin

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… verification of its E2E solution. The automaker claimed that the scenarios constructed using this method can create a superior virtual environment for learning and testing autonomous driving system capabilities.
<figure id="attachment_149163" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149163" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-scaled.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149163 size-large" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-1024x576.jpg" alt="Diagram illustrating Li Auto's test plan combining reconstructed and generated world models, showing inputs like reference frames and scene descriptions processed through encoders, diffusion models, decoders, and 3D Gaussian splatting to optimize and render virtual testing environments." width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-300x169.jpg 300w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-768x432.jpg 768w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Li-Auto-4D-One-Model-Test-Plan-Reconstructed-Generated-World-Model-480x270.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-149163" class="wp-caption-text">Image source: Li Auto. Translated by KrASIA.</figcaption></figure>
However, Li Auto's dual solution (E2E and VLM) is not yet ready for user delivery. In July, Li Auto will push the segmented E2E navigate-on-autopilot (NOA) solution to users, which will be utilizable on roads nationwide in China.
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Currently, the smart driving industry faces two-pronged challenges concerning business and technology. On one hand, it needs to steadily promote large-scale smart driving experiences to ensure user satisfaction. On the other hand, it must keep up with technological changes like E2E systems.
This requires carmakers to possess strong engineering, implementation, and technical judgment capabilities, ensuring vehicles can offer a superior user experience while continuously advancing their technology. This is a challenge that Li Auto, Huawei, Xpeng, Nio, and numerous other players must confront alike.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/2850145904937856">article</a> was written by Li Anqi for 36Kr.

Li Auto advances in self-driving tech, aiming to close the gap with Tesla’s FSD

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