For US-based startups, identifying and accessing strategic partners in Asia can sometimes seem like a daunting challenge. With TransLink Capital’s support, guidance, and relationships with the most significant companies in Asia, our portfolio companies can develop the necessary long-term partnerships to transform their businesses and expand in Asia and beyond.

Translink Capital

LG is a South Korean multinational company which includes LG Electronics. LG Englewood Cliffs is a new building initiative that protects the palisades and creates homes for the growing U.S. workforce. The company is focused on delivering products and services that make lives better, easier and happier though increased functionality and fun. It strives for greatness in product leadership, market leadership, and people leadership to realize our growth strategies.

LG Electronics

UMC Capital was established in February 2001 as the direct investment arm of world leading semiconductor foundry UMC. By leveraging the resources of UMC and its affiliates, UMC Capital is well positioned to deliver significant strategic values to startup companies.  The mission/objectives of UMC Capital are: identifying innovative technologies, forming mutually productive relationships with entrepreneurs, exploring and expanding emerging and applications, and earning financial returns for the parent company UMC.

UMC Capital

Kia Motors is a manufacturer of quality motor vehicles that is commits to surpass customer expectations. The company was founded in 1944 as Korea’s first manufacturer of motor vehicles.

Kia Motors

Marvell Semiconductor manufactures and offers integrated circuit solutions using communications mixed-signal processing and digital signal processing technologies. The company provides a broad, innovative portfolio of data infrastructure semiconductor solutions spanning compute, networking, security, and storage. Its leading-edge solutions are the essential building blocks of the infrastructure technology of the future. Marvell’s compute, security, and networking platform solutions offer a unique combination of programmability, scalability, and performance that enable carriers to innovate in this frontier. The company's technology, relating to improving hard disk data read accuracy at high speeds. Marvell was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA.

Marvell

MIP SGR is a global investment platform specialized in Venture Capital with multiple alternative and reserved funds, differentiated by growth stages of the portfolio companies and geographical scope, giving privileged access to growing markets. Established in Milan in 2017, MIP SGR is an Alternative Investment Fund Management Company focused mainly but not exclusively on Tech, Consumer & Lifestyle investments, managing several investment funds. After the success of MIP I fund, in 2021 Milano Investment Partners SGR launched U-Start Ventures, a Multi-compartment fund dedicated to Club Deals in the U.S and Northern Europe, and Cliffs, a new alternative and reserved fund for early-stage, deep-tech focused investments across U.S. Venture Capital landscape and other international hubs. MIP invests in the new class of excellence-driven entrepreneurs across the globe and supports founders and portfolio companies in their quest to go from solid businesses to global champions, combining decades of investing and operational/entrepreneurial experience with a truly global network to help our portfolio companies grow, faster and stronger.

Milano Investment Partners SGR

Year 1969, the predecessor of Wanxiang Group was founded. Starting with the investment of 4,000 Yuan, the founder, Mr. LU Guanqiu, successfully created an agriculture machinery repair factory alongside the beautiful Qiantang River. Enjoying the annual growth rate of 25.89%, the factory has transformed into a modern multinational enterprise with more than one hundred billion Yuan’s revenue and over ten billion Yuan’s profit, also it has been selected by the State Council of China into the group of the 120 Pilot Enterprises, also it is the only automotive components manufacturing company among the 520 National Key Enterprises. Been honored as ‘The Evergreen Company’, Wanxiang Group is believed as a pioneer in the internationalization process of Chinese enterprises, and one of the 16 most competitive Chinese enterprises in the global market.

Wanxiang Group

SAIC Capital Company is a venture capital firm specializing in direct and fund of funds investments. The company serves as the domestic professional investment management platform and third-party asset management platform of Shanghai Automotive Group Co., Ltd. (''SAIC Group'', 600104.SH for short). Through the development of private equity and private equity securities and strategic investments, it creates value for SAIC and various investors. It was incorporated on May 6, 2011 and is based in Shanghai, China.

SAIC Capital

STRATMINDS is a San Francisco-based Venture Capital and Advisory firm. We support exceptional entrepreneurs with an ambition to generate an outsized impact. We help them reach their full potential with early-stage investment and strategic advice. We are a thesis-driven firm, focusing on key areas of development that are disrupting the world for the better: AI, Next-gen Computing+Web, UX Innovation, and New Commerce. https://stratminds.vc/about

StratMinds

Sonatus

Sonatus delivers technology and solutions that accelerate vehicle software innovation. Their platforms and products serve as key building blocks that allow automotive companies and their ecosystem to deliver continuous improvements in costs, capabilities, reliability, and user experience over the vehicle lifespan, realizing the promise of software-defined vehicles.

Sonatus is a software-defined vehicle technology company that helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers to accelerate the development and deployment of software-defined vehicles. Its product portfolio includes the following:

Autonomous and connected technologies shaping the future of the auto industry

Auto Tech

Safety Module for Sonatus Automator AI Achieves ISO26262 ASIL-D Functional Safety Certification

Sonatus is a software-defined vehicle technology company that helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers to accelerate the development and deployment of software-defined vehicles. Its product portfolio includes the following:1) Sonatus Foundation: A software-defined vehicle platform that provides a unified software architecture for the entire vehicle. This allows automakers to update software and add new features to their vehicles, without the need for hardware changes.&nbsp;2) Sonatus Automator: A suite of no-code vehicle software development tools, including a software development environment, a test suite, and a deployment platform that helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers develop and deploy software for vehicles.3) Sonatus Collector: A vehicle data analytics platform for collecting, storing, and analyzing vehicle data to generate insights and improve vehicle performance, safety, and reliability.&nbsp;4) Sonatus Guard: A cybersecurity platform for IoT-enabled vehicles for multi-layered intrusion detection and prevention.Sonatus pitches its product toward automotive manufacturers, Tier-1 suppliers, and software developers, on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis. The company is headquartered in California and has offices in Michigan, Europe (Ireland, France, and Italy), and Asia (China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan).&nbsp;Key customers and partnershipsSonatus’ customers include automakers and Tier-1 suppliers such as Kia Motors, Genesis Motor, and Hyundai.The company also has partnerships with tech companies including Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Micron Technology, NXP, Realtek, and STMicroelectronics for core technologies such as Ethernet switches, processors, storage, and data infrastructure tools. Its cloud partners include AWS, Elastic, Google Cloud, and Microsoft.&nbsp;

Sonatus is a software-defined vehicle technology company that helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers to accelerate the development and deployment of software-defined vehicles. Its product portfolio includes the following:1) Sonatus Foundation: A software-defined vehicle platform that provides a unified software architecture for the entire vehicle. This allows automakers to update software and add new features to their vehicles, without the need for hardware changes.2) Sonatus Automator: A suite of no-code vehicle software development tools, including a software development environment, a test suite, and a deployment platform that helps automotive manufacturers and suppliers develop and deploy software for vehicles.3) Sonatus Collector: A vehicle data analytics platform for collecting, storing, and analyzing vehicle data to generate insights and improve vehicle performance, safety, and reliability.4) Sonatus Guard: A cybersecurity platform for IoT-enabled vehicles for multi-layered intrusion detection and prevention.Sonatus pitches its product toward automotive manufacturers, Tier-1 suppliers, and software developers, on a software-as-a-service (SaaS) basis. The company is headquartered in California and has offices in Michigan, Europe (Ireland, France, and Italy), and Asia (China, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan).Key customers and partnershipsSonatus’ customers include automakers and Tier-1 suppliers such as Kia Motors, Genesis Motor, and Hyundai.The company also has partnerships with tech companies including Marvell Technology, Broadcom, Micron Technology, NXP, Realtek, and STMicroelectronics for core technologies such as Ethernet switches, processors, storage, and data infrastructure tools. Its cloud partners include AWS, Elastic, Google Cloud, and Microsoft.&nbsp;

<div>
 
 Aeva develops next-generation sensing and perception systems including 4D LiDAR-on-chip for autonomous vehicles and robotics. Its LiDAR sensors dubbed &ldquo;Aeries II&rdquo; are equipped with unique frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) 4D technology for high sensing capabilities and use a continuous laser. It can sense objects 500 meters away over a field of view (FoV) of 120 x 30 degrees. Aries II is powered by the company&rsquo;s proprietary 4D Perception software. Aeries II is reportedly the world&rsquo;s first LiDAR-on-chip silicon photonics design.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company launched Aeva Atlas, an automotive-grade 4D LiDAR sensor, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25293">
 in January 2024.
 </a>
 It can sense objects 500 meters away over a field of FoV of 120 x 30 degrees. The company claims that Atlas is the first automotive-grade 4D LiDAR sensor for mass production in automotive applications. Atlas is powered by Aeva&rsquo;s proprietary Digital Signal Processing Software. The company claims the unit is 70% smaller and 4x more energy-efficient than the company&rsquo;s previous lidar solutions.
 
 
 
 
 Aeva sources product components from third-party vendors and assembles the final product in its assembly facility in San Francisco, California. However, since September 2021, the company has gradually shifted to a manufacturing model that solely relies on local and foreign third-party suppliers for both manufacturing and assembly. The company began shipping its LiDAR systems to strategic customers in mid-2022 and reported shipping 40+ units to customers by 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/17245">
 December 2022
 </a>
 .
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 The company has entered into product collaborations with partners including automotive component manufacturers ZF Group (September 2020), Denso (January 2021), and Fabrinet (November 2021) to develop LiDAR systems for vehicles and Nikon to develop sensors for robotic factory production lines (August 2021).&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Avea has high-volume production deals with autonomous shuttle services provider May Mobility 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23631">
 (November 2023)
 </a>
 and an unnamed global automotive OEM 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25168">
 (January 2024).
 </a>
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 Aeva generated revenue of USD 4.3 million and reported a non-GAAP operating loss of USD 124.1 million in the year ended December 2023. The company has been listed on NYSE since March 2021, via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which valued the combined entity at USD 2.1 billion (November 2020).
 
 
 
 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23632">
 In November 2023,
 </a>
 the company raised USD 145 million via a combined private investment and preferred facility deal from existing long-term stockholders. The company intended to utilize the funds to enhance its standing with OEMs, and improve its ability to support various high-volume production programs, potentially increasing its prospects for securing additional contracts.
 
 
 
</div>

Aeva

Israel-based Innoviz Technologies develops LiDAR sensors and perception software specifically catering to autonomous vehicles. Its LiDAR product portfolio includes 1) “InnovizOne,” a solid-state LiDAR sensor specifically designed for autonomous vehicles with a detection range of up to 250 m and field of view (FoV) of 115 x 25 degrees; 2) “InnovizTwo,” a next-gen automotive-grade LiDAR sensor with a detection range of up to 300 m and FoV of 120 x 40 degrees; and 3) “Innoviz360,” a 360-degree LiDAR sensor with a detection range up to 300 m and pitched toward automotive and non-automotive applications.&nbsp;The company’s target market spans across the US, Europe, and Asia, and it had an order book worth USD 6.9 billion <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14444">as of September 2022. </a>As of February 2024, Innoviz Technologies had 18 of Innoviz’s products protected by US patents.&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26155">In January 2024, </a>Innoviz released a strategic realignment plan for its operations from Q1 2024, which included a reduction of its workforce by ~13% (about 60 employees) to lower expenses and enhance its financial longevity. This was to mainly consolidate expenditures by transitioning the InnovizOne program to series production and focusing on the InnovizTwo sensor and software suite.Key customers and partnershipsInnoviz Technologies has entered product collaborations with partners including Curium, a developer of automated calibration services for autonomous systems (August 2021); Ansys, a provider of simulation software (January 2022); Visionary.ai, a developer of software-based image signal processor technology (June 2022); Japan-based software company Kudan&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14117">(October 2022)</a> and Mobileye (<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/37124">December 2024</a>) to obtain technology to be integrated with its LiDAR solutions.The company secured 15 pre-production orders and four series production customers as of September 2023. Its customers include Twinner, Whale Dynamics, Syracuse, BMW, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12378">Volkswagen, </a>and Delphi Automotive—of which BMW and Volkswagen were among the series production customers.&nbsp;Innoviz Technologies generated revenue of USD 20.9 million and reported an operating loss of USD 132.6 million during the year ended December 2023. The company has been listed on the Nasdaq since April 2021 via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which valued the combined entity at USD 1.4 billion (December 2020).

Innoviz Technologies

<div>
 
 AEye develops artificial intelligence (AI)-powered LiDAR for various applications, including vehicle autonomy, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), and robotic vision. The company&rsquo;s products include &ldquo;4SIGHT,&rdquo; a software-defined, solid-state LiDAR sensor for automotive applications. The company claims that 4SIGHT offers the industry&rsquo;s longest detection range with the ability to identify small obstacles at over 300m and a 128 degree horizontal field of view (FoV). 4SIGHT uses adaptive LiDAR sensors as opposed to traditional sensors that passively collect data. AEye&rsquo;s next gen product 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24047">
 &ldquo;4IGHT Flex,&rdquo;
 </a>
 is an ultra-compact, high-performance LiDAR for in-cabin autonomy and safety features. It comes with a 120 x 30-degree FoV, high resolution, and a detection range of up to 275 meters. The company 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14502">
 launched a new 4Sight product line
 </a>
 in November 2022, which it claims was built on a high-performance adaptive LiDAR platform. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates?industryIds=70">
 March 2024
 </a>
 , AEye announced the launch of Apollo, the first product in the 4Sight Flex Lidar series. As of July 2023, AEye held 120 patents for its technology solutions.
 
 
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s business model also involves licensing software sensing platforms to automotive partners and outright sale of software-configured hardware products in partnership with system integrators in industrial markets.
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 The company began has been producing and supplying its sensors since late 2021, in partnership with electronic solutions provider LITEON Technology Corporation 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29284">
 (May 2024),
 </a>
 electronics manufacturer Sanmina Corporation (July 2021), German automotive parts manufacturer Continental (October 2020), simulation software provider Ansys (January 2020), and other system integrators. Its customers include Nvidia (July 2020), Continental (August 2021), and autonomous trucking company TuSimple (July 2021).
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 AEye generated revenue of USD 1.5 million and reported an operating loss of USD 87.8 million during the year ended December 2023. The company has been listed on Nasdaq since August 2021, via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), which valued the combined entity at USD 1.52 billion (May 2021).
 
 
 
</div>

AEye

LeddarTech is a Canadian company offering environmental sensing and perception solutions for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving solutions. The company’s main product offering “LeddarVision,” includes four scalable raw-data sensor fusion and perception platforms for Level 2/2+ ADAS applications (i.e., Level 2 refers to vehicles that can control both the speed and the steering, but the driver must maintain full vigilance). LeddarTech also offered LiDAR hardware components for LiDAR manufacturers, system integrators, and Tier 1–2 suppliers. However,&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14304">in November 2022,</a> the company announced plans to move away from its LiDAR hardware component business and focus on software development going forward. As of February 2024, LedderTech had 150+ patents (granted or applied).&nbsp;LeddarTech acquired VayaVision (sensor fusion and perception software company) in July 2020 and Phantom Intelligence (signal processing and LiDAR technology company) in September 2020 to complement its operations.&nbsp;LeddarTech became a publicly traded company via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25036">December 2023.</a> The company generated revenue of USD 7.4 million and an operating loss of USD 52.5 million in 2023.Key customers and partnershipsThe company has partnerships with technology companies such as&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27813">Renesas Electronics,</a> STMicroelectronics, Flex, dSPACE, Ningbo Sunny Optical, Black Sesame Technologies,&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27574">Arm Technologies,</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29173">Immervision</a> for the joint development and delivery of LiDAR solutions.In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/37030">December 2024</a>, LeddarTech partnered with Texas Instruments (TI) to develop integrated solutions for ADAS and autonomous driving (AD) markets.

LeddarTech

<div>
 
 Seyond (formerly known as Innovusion) offers image-quality long-range LiDAR solutions for the automotive and other industries. Its product portfolio includes 1) &ldquo;Falcon,&rdquo; a LiDAR sensor specifically designed for the automotive industry, with a detection range of up to 500 meters and field of view (FoV) of 120 x 25 degrees; 2) &ldquo;OmniVidi,&rdquo; a perception service software platform, powered by a proprietary single-laser Forward SightNet and multi-laser fusion perception lightweight model; and 3) &ldquo;Robin,&rdquo; a short- to medium-range LiDAR sensor, with a detection range of up to 250 meters and FoV of 120 x 24 degrees.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 The company, headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, also has operations in China and Germany. As of November 2023, the company had an annual production capacity exceeding 300,000 units at its facility in China, and had plans to commence mass production by December 2023. In November 2023, the company reported delivering 200,000 automotive-grade LiDAR to customers.
 
 
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 
 
 Seyond primarily targets China and has entered several partnerships in the region. This includes a strategic partnership with Chinese EV maker NIO to supply LiDAR sensors for NIO&rsquo;s vehicles and a partnership with Chinese self-driving tech startup Mogo Auto (January 2022) to promote the adoption and commercial use of LiDAR for autonomous vehicles. The company reportedly delivered 56,000 LiDAR sensors to NIO in 2022.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Meanwhile, the company also has a partnership with Joynext, the smart vehicle arm of Chinese auto component manufacturer, Joyson Electronics, for mass production of LiDAR sensors. It also entered a product partnership with 3D spatial intelligence software solutions specialist Outsight 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24507">
 in November 2023
 </a>
 to combine Outsight's software technology with Seyond's products for enhanced 3D perception capabilities.
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In January 2022, Seyond raised USD 118 million in a Series C funding round led by Hermitage Capital at a pre-money valuation of USD 1.1 billion. The company intended to use the funds to enhance production capabilities, expand global reach, increase headcount, and for further research and development (R&amp;D).
 
 
 
</div>

Seyond

Companies developing LiDAR and other sensors for autonomous passenger vehicles and to improve driver safety

Providers of software such as collision avoidance alerts, blind spot detection, automatic braking, and other advanced driver assistance systems

Companies developing self-driving technology for autonomous passenger vehicles including cars, buses, and shuttles

Companies providing software solutions for managing devices, and integrating external and internal systems for vehicles using internet connectivity

Companies offering vehicle data capturing, analyzing, tracking, and mapping solutions

Companies providing in-vehicle infotainment products such as audio equipment and other electronic systems

Companies providing cybersecurity solutions for IoT-enabled vehicle devices

Connected vehicles and related services like infotainment and cybersecurity use IoT applications

Some companies use AI/ML tech for autonomous navigation

Autonomous vehicles facilitate efficient and greener transportation, contributing to creating smart cities

Automotive companies utilize GenAI solutions to enhance in-vehicle user experiences—mainly conversational AI technologies

Autonomous cars promote sustainable operations

Automotive software company Sonatus has secured a strategic investment led by NEC and Translink Orchestrating Future Fund. The undisclosed amount will be used to strengthen ties with Japanese electronics companies and vehicle manufacturers to support expansion in Japan. Sonatus is the sole player in the auto tech industry offering a connected solution for vehicles across various segments, including connected car platforms, data capture and analytics, and automotive cybersecurity. The company has previously raised more than $110 million from investors such as Foxconn, Hyundai Motor Group's Kia Corporation, LG Electronics, and SAIC Capital, with solutions already in production with Hyundai Motor Group.

Sonatus

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