Smartee Orthodontics Completes RMB 500 Million Series D Financing to Accelerate Digital Orthodontics Expansion

VCBeat has learned that in March 2022, Smartee Denti-Technology announced the completion of its Series D financing round, raising RMB 500 million. The round was led by Beijing Taikang Investment, with participation from CR Guodiao Xiamen Consumer Fund, Jiaxing Science and Technology City, Zhangjiagang Industrial Investment, and several existing shareholders. This funding will accelerate Smartee’s industrial layout in the field of clear aligner orthodontics, drive continuous R&D and innovation in clear aligner technology, strengthen brand building and team development, and further expand the market presence of its core products both domestically and internationally.

Founded in 2004, Smartee Denti-Technology specializes in the research and development of proprietary digital clear aligner technologies, as well as the medical design, manufacturing, and sales services of customized clear aligners. The company has established medical design centers staffed by hundreds of professionals in Zhangjiang, Shanghai, and Jiaxing, Zhejiang. Additionally, it operates intelligent production bases in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, and Ziyang, Sichuan (China Dental Valley), equipped with fully automated production lines independently developed by the company. To date, Smartee has completed over 500,000 treatment plans and annually produces more than ten million clear aligners, serving dentists and patients worldwide. It is recognized as one of the leading brands in China’s clear aligner orthodontics industry.

From the angel round to Series D financing, over the past 18 years, Smartee has remained dedicated to cultivating its team’s independent R&D capabilities. Through collaborations with orthodontic experts, clinicians, the Chinese Stomatological Association, provincial and municipal stomatological associations, and research institutes, Smartee conducts clinical technical research in the field of orthodontics, continuously launching new devices, materials, and technologies to expand the boundaries of indications for clear aligner therapy. Smartee has achieved substantial results in multiple areas, including novel clinical techniques, new diagnostic classifications, membrane materials, big data and algorithms, and digital simulation technology. As of February 2022, the company had filed more than 530 patents domestically and internationally, with both the quantity and quality of its patents leading among domestic peers, establishing Smartee as a well-known high-tech enterprise in the dental industry characterized by innovation and growth.

Smartee Denti-Technology has been dedicated to exploring the infinite possibilities of digital clear aligner orthodontics, emerging as a leader in empowering digital orthodontics through technological innovation. Since 2019, Smartee has launched the research and development of its GS product series in collaboration with Professor Shen Gang’s Orthodontic Team at Taikang Bybo Dental. Centered on the innovative concept of “jaw position reconstruction,” this deep strategic partnership has jointly developed China’s first GS product series that uses facial profile as a breakthrough point, incorporating factors such as occlusion, alveolar protrusion, and jawbone relationships into diagnostic and treatment standards. Based on a comprehensive theoretical framework, the GS series encompasses technical and device systems including maxillofacial and alveolar orthopedic techniques, hybrid protocols combining clear aligners with fixed appliances, and various jaw position reconstruction methods. It has achieved breakthroughs in addressing clinical challenges associated with convex profiles, concave profiles, and mandibular asymmetry, while also providing clear aligner solutions for cases involving temporomandibular joint disorders, retreatment, peri-surgical orthodontics, and jaw position maintenance.

After establishing a strong presence in the field of clear aligner therapy for adults, Smartee Denti-Technology collaborated with Dr. Yao Jun in 2020 to jointly develop indications classification, diagnostic criteria, and appliances for pediatric occlusal guidance. In 2021, in partnership with Professor Li Xiaobing, the company applied theories of pediatric malocclusion correction to research clinical diagnosis and treatment standards for clear aligners in children. Smartee subsequently launched the Smartee Teen Occlusal Guidance Version (T1) and Early Treatment Version (T2), covering comprehensive orthodontic management for children and adolescents throughout their developmental stages. This product line has received official IP authorization from Disney and Marvel, making Smartee the only orthodontic brand in China authorized by both companies. With the full market launch of this product line in 2022, Smartee’s clear aligner portfolio now provides comprehensive orthodontic management solutions for users of all age groups.

Looking to the future, Mr. Yao Junfeng, founder of Smartee, stated: “Smartee has grown from treating approximately 100 cases in 2010 to over 30,000 cases in 2019, and around 80,000 cases in 2021. In 2021, Smartee’s market share in China’s clear aligner market approached 20%, a achievement driven by continuous innovation and capital support. From receiving angel investment from Rongzhengjia in 2013, Series A funding from Chengshu and Kavo in 2015, Series B funding from Yuansheng and Chende in 2017, to Series C funding from CICC, Xinjun, Keystone, and Qianhai in 2019, the company has proactively managed its financing pace, prioritizing healthy growth through operational cash flow. The completion of this Series D financing will undoubtedly accelerate Smartee’s development and strategic layout. As a rapidly growing domestic clear orthodontics brand, Smartee will continue to grow upward while rooting downward, sustaining investment in R&D for clear aligner technology, injecting more innovative concepts and momentum into the industry, and enabling more users to benefit from cutting-edge clear orthodontic technology.”

Huang Shengxuan, CEO of Beijing Taikang Investment, stated, “March 20 is World Oral Health Day, which makes it even more meaningful for Beijing Taikang Investment to lead the financing round for Smartee Denti-Technology at this time. With consumption upgrades and heightened awareness of oral health, clear aligner orthodontics—a segment combining both medical and consumer attributes—has become a fast-growing, high-value-added niche within the dental industry. After more than a decade of development, Smartee Denti-Technology has established a solid position as an industry leader and continues to achieve growth rates far exceeding the market average. Building on the in-depth technical collaboration between Smartee and Taikang Bybo Dental, we will further promote business cooperation among Smartee, Taikang Insurance, and Taikang Bybo Dental, jointly creating a new ecosystem model that synergizes insurance, oral healthcare, and innovative dental technologies.”

Zhu Zhenghong, Vice President of Taikang Health Investment and CEO of Taikang Bybo Dental, stated, “We have been committed to providing patients with better orthodontic technologies and experiences. To this end, Professor Shen Gang’s team at Taikang Bybo has long established a deep collaboration with Smartee in the field of digital orthodontics, jointly developing solutions including those addressing malocclusions involving jaw position factors.”JawThe GS jaw position reconstruction techniques for deformities (S8, S9, S10) and the post-treatment jaw position retention device (S17), along with the recently developed perioperative orthodontic clear aligner solution specifically designed for orthognathic surgery, constitute a series of innovative clear aligner products with independent intellectual property rights. These have become important Chinese original technologies in the clinical orthodontic field for addressing severe protrusive, concave, and asymmetric jaw deformities. Beijing Taikang Investment’s becoming a strategic shareholder of Smartee will further deepen the strategic synergy between Taikang Bybo Dental and Smartee in areas such as product technology innovation and business collaboration, jointly providing the public with Chinese-characteristic orthodontic solutions that meet both health and aesthetic needs.

Mr. Wang Xin, General Manager of the China Resources Guodiao Xiamen Consumer Fund, stated, “The rapid accumulation of cases by Smartee in recent years serves as evidence that the potential of the orthodontic industry is being rapidly unlocked. With the continuous iteration and upgrading of materials and technologies, complemented by persistent consumer education through high-quality products, we believe the potential of the clear aligner industry will continue to be unleashed for a long time to come. Our fund team is honored to partner with Smartee’s team in advancing the development of national clear aligner orthodontics. We are confident that under the leadership of Mr. Yao, Smartee will emerge as a leading force in China’s orthodontic industry, creating greater development opportunities for outstanding clinicians and delivering superior orthodontic services to patients worldwide.”

Beijing Taikang Investment Management Co., Ltd. (“Beijing Taikang Investment”) was among the first batch of private equity fund managers for insurance funds approved by the former China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). It is the sole controlled private equity fund management platform under Taikang Asset Management, and the investing entity in this transaction is the Taikang Qianzhen Fund managed by it. Leveraging the insurance, medical, and elderly care resources of Taikang Insurance Group, and adhering to Taikang Asset Management’s investment culture driven by research and excellence, Beijing Taikang Investment aims to build a leading, specialized, and market-oriented private equity institution. Guided by a three-pronged investment strategy encompassing direct investment funds, funds of funds, and insurance ecosystem resources, Beijing Taikang Investment focuses on investing in leading enterprises in the big health and innovative technology sectors, as well as top-tier funds in vertical niche markets.

The CR Guodiao Xiamen Consumer Fund was jointly established by China Resources Enterprise, Limited, CR Capital Management Co., Ltd., China State-owned Enterprise Structure Adjustment Fund Co., Ltd., Shenzhen OCT Capital Investment Management Co., Ltd., the two-tier government guidance funds of Xiamen City and Xi’an District, Jin Yuan Group, and other market-oriented investors. With a fund size exceeding RMB 2 billion, it primarily invests in emerging consumer brands, new supply chain and logistics transformation, consumer technology, and consumer healthcare and pharmaceuticals within the broader consumer sector.