ChromX Secures Tens of Millions in Pre-A Funding to Advance MEMS-Based Gas Detection Technologies

VCBeat has learned that ChromX Health (Guangzhou) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (“ChromX”) has completed a Pre-A financing round worth tens of millions of yuan. The round was led by Fosun RZ Capital, with participation from Guangzhou Science City Venture Capital, Shanghai Juntiancheng, and existing shareholder Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Collaborative Innovation Research Institute (“GBA Collaborative Innovation Institute”). The funds will be primarily used to further expand the R&D and production teams, develop new products, and promote commercialization.

ChromX Health is a platform-based high-tech company specializing in micro gas chromatography technology, with its technologies and products ranking among the global leaders. By creatively integrating MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems), microfluidics, and AI technologies, the company has independently developed the MEMS-based micro gas chromatograph and the XCloud intelligent data analytics platform. It provides integrated hardware-and-software, one-stop solutions covering the entire process for applications such as hydrogen detection in new energy, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, online environmental analysis, and breath analysis. These solutions meet the demand for rapid, precise, and automated online VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) gas detection in various field environments.

In fact, this is not the first time ChromX Health has garnered favor from top-tier investment institutions. Within just two years of its establishment, the company has secured multiple rounds of financing from prominent domestic VC firms such as ZhenFund and Country Garden Venture Capital. The current support from industry-leading institutions Fosun Creative Capital and state-owned Guangzhou Science City Venture Capital, along with continued backing from existing shareholder Greater Bay Area Collaborative Institute, fully demonstrates ChromX Health’s significant potential and strength in technological innovation and global commercial development, as well as the industry’s recognition of its rapid growth.

Zhu Feng, Executive General Manager of Investment at Fosun Chuangfustated: “ChromX Health is a startup that leverages MEMS technology to build a miniaturized gas chromatography platform for gas detection and intelligent analysis. The company has achieved significant breakthroughs in the high-end gas chromatography field, while also enhancing sensitivity to the ppt (parts per trillion, 10^-12(i.e., parts per trillion) level, making it one of the few companies worldwide capable of achieving this goal. Gas chromatographs have a wide range of applications, spanning numerous scenarios including life sciences, industrial sectors, and new energy fields. Dr. Wang Junqi, the founder, is a professional with over a decade of experience in the research and development of gas chromatographs. As one of the inventors of technologies related to micro gas chromatography, he possesses profound capabilities in foundational technological innovation and R&D.

Xu Xin, Global Partner of Fosun International, Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fosun Capitalstated: “We have been actively seeking early-stage sci-tech innovators that introduce globally leading technologies to China. The ChromX Health team is a global academic and practical leader in the field of Micro-GC. By integrating interdisciplinary technologies such as MEMS and AI, ChromX Health has achieved chip-scale integration, miniaturization, and automation of large scientific instruments while maintaining ppt-level sensitivity for VOCs detection. Furthermore, its integrated hardware-software solution significantly enhances detection efficiency. In the future, the company plans to gradually establish a one-stop AI analytics platform for VOCs tailored to diverse scenarios including industrial applications, general health, and environmental monitoring, offering broad prospects. This investment highlights Fosun RZ Capital’s innovation-led and globalized investment strategy, serving as a typical example of its approach to investing early, investing in small enterprises, and supporting sci-tech innovation in the deep-tech sector.”

Lin Ruhai, Chairman of Guangzhou Science City Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd.stated: “Congratulations to ChromX Health on the successful completion of this round of financing. We are also delighted that our venture capital firm has participated in this investment. Dr. Wang Junqi, the founder, graduated from the University of Michigan and completed his postdoctoral research at Yale University. With a strong academic background and entrepreneurial experience in both China and the United States, he is an exceptional overseas-returnee talent. Meanwhile, Dr. Wang has assembled a team comprising talents from world-renowned institutions such as Yale and Harvard, as well as senior executives from Fortune 500 companies, laying a solid talent foundation for the company’s development. We are highly optimistic about ChromX Health’s multidisciplinary core innovation capabilities in MEMS, microfluidics, and AI technologies, as well as its broad application prospects in the medical, industrial, and other sectors. We will continue to support Dr. Wang and ChromX Health in their future development.”

Analytical instruments have been widely used in academia, pharmaceuticals, food, environmental protection, and other fields. Among them, mass spectrometers and chromatographs, employed for precise quantification and separation of substances respectively, represent high-end general-purpose instruments characterized by broad applications and significant technical complexity, earning them the title of “the crown jewels.”¹。

Currently, approximately 73% of analytical and testing instruments in China rely on imports. The scarcity of independently mastered core technologies and the dependence on imported high-end instruments remain the predominant status quo in China’s scientific instrument and equipment sector.². China remains heavily reliant on imports for the core components and software of high-end gas chromatographs, leaving it vulnerable to severe “chokehold” risks in the event of supply disruptions.

ChromX Health has achieved independent research and development and production of the core components for its MEMS micro gas chromatograph. The core MEMS chip, a "hard technology" with extremely high technical barriers, enables the miniaturization of key components in gas chromatography instruments and allows for product form design and deployment tailored to specific application scenarios. The MEMS micro gas chromatograph offers exceptional sensitivity and high-resolution qualitative and quantitative analysis capabilities. According to third-party testing by SGS, this product is the world’s first gas chromatograph capable of performing real-time, full-spectrum VOC gas analysis on-site with sensitivity at the parts-per-trillion (ppt) level.

In the 14th Five-Year Plan, the state has placed scientific and technological innovation at the core of overall development, repeatedly emphasizing the need for original and leading breakthroughs in key technologies to accelerate the achievement of high-level self-reliance and strength. Many provinces and municipalities, represented by Beijing, have incorporated "precision instruments" into their 14th Five-Year Plans, prioritizing support for and accelerating technological breakthroughs in precision scientific instruments, with some regions also introducing policies that prioritize the procurement of domestically produced equipment. ChromX Health is one of the few domestic companies capable of independent research, development, and production of core components for gas chromatographs. With business coverage spanning the mid-to-downstream entire industry chain, it will significantly drive the development of the domestic high-end chromatograph market, break the monopoly of international industry giants, and help expand the domestic gas detection industry into broader application scenarios beyond laboratories.

In recent years, trace gas detection and industrial VOC online analysis in China have received significant national attention and guidance for development. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Monitoring" emphasizes the need to strengthen online monitoring of VOCs and fugitive emissions in industries such as petrochemicals and chemicals, while encouraging the deployment of portable VOC monitoring instruments. Furthermore, the state has established stringent regulations for hydrogen detection and safety requirements (National Standard GB/T 3634.2-2011). Notably, this standard adopts helium ionization gas chromatography, a technical route highly similar to that of ChromX Health.

Under the "dual carbon" goals, precise detection of green hydrogen will be the next key focus in the gas detection market. Currently, the global hydrogen energy market exceeds $100 billion.³, with the development and utilization of hydrogen energy, the demand for testing is rising, highlighting the growing importance of hydrogen quality inspection technologies. The global market size for hydrogen detection (covering upstream hydrogen purity and impurity testing in the hydrogen energy sector) will continue to expand.

Moreover, gas analysis in fields such as semiconductors, environmental monitoring, and life sciences testing also holds broad development potential. The semiconductor sector is a key focus area for China’s national strategy on quality-driven growth, and high-precision gas detection instruments will drive the development of the country’s semiconductor industry. Gases serve not only as raw materials and processing aids in semiconductor device manufacturing but also as potential sources of interference. Therefore, gas quality control is one of the most critical measures for semiconductor fabs to increase yield and reduce failure rates. According to TECHCET data, the global electronic gases market is projected to reach nearly USD 9 billion by 2026.⁴, the corresponding demand for testing will also increase.

By achieving a high level of integration and unification between core chip hardware and intelligent AI algorithm software, ChromX Health enables one-stop, full-process detection of a broad range of VOC gases, with application versatility and product performance comparable to those of the world’s leading gas chromatography companies.

Compiled by VCBeat based on public information

In terms of hardware, ChromX Health’s core components are three microchips developed based on MEMS and microfluidics technologies: a VOC molecular capture chip, a separation chip, and a detection chip. These chips offer three key advantages: First, high sensitivity, enabling qualitative and quantitative analysis of VOC molecules at the parts-per-trillion (ppt) level, thereby addressing the current lack of autonomous, independent detection technologies for trace gases. Second, high resolution, overcoming the difficulty of separating complex mixtures of VOC molecules and achieving full-spectrum analysis of a broad range of VOC gases. Third, high throughput, allowing the simultaneous detection of over 100 VOC molecules in a single run for precise and rapid analysis.

In terms of software, ChromX Health has built the XCloud intelligent data analytics platform based on its AI algorithm engine. Data generated at the hardware level will undergo cloud-based collaborative processing and analysis via XCloud, providing customers with a comprehensive, integrated solution that covers the entire workflow, including sampling, data management, data quality control, data analysis, data modeling, and application deployment.

As a pioneer and trailblazer in the exploration and application of domestic MEMS-based micro gas chromatography technologyChromX Health will continue to accelerate the process of domestic substitution, enhance product competitiveness, promote the establishment of industry standards related to gas analysis, and support the high-quality development and application of gas detection across various industries and scenarios.

Regarding this round of financing,Dr. Wang Junqi, Founder and CEO of ChromX HealthThe statement reads: “As one of the leaders in the field of MEMS micro gas chromatography both domestically and globally, ChromX Health extends its gratitude to new and existing shareholders for their trust and support in the company and the industry. We also thank domestic experts, enterprises, research institutions, and strategic partner hospitals for their continued and steadfast choice of ChromX Health. With the care from all stakeholders and the efforts of every ChromX-Man, the company has not only achieved new breakthroughs and progress in technology, products, applications, and production over the past year, but also made solid strides in commercial collaborations, establishing robust and deep strategic partnerships with leading enterprises. Empowered by new capital and resources, ChromX Health is committed to continuously breaking new ground in the industry, leading the development of MEMS micro gas chromatography technology, and advancing the practical application of online VOC analysis technologies.”

Reference Article

1. CICC Report, “Heavyweights of a Great Power Series 05: Analytical Instruments—Who Can Break the Impasse?”, 2021.

2. Yicai, “In-Depth Research: Over 70% of High-End Scientific Instruments Rely on Imports—How Can Domestic Instruments Break Through,” 2021.

3. Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research, “The Clean Hydrogen Revolution,” 2022.

4. TECHCET,《Electronic Gases including Ne&Xe Market Report CMR 2021-2022》，2021.