KeyJia Robotics Secures Tens of Millions of RMB in Series A Funding from Baidu Ventures, Advancing ARTHROBOT Clinical Trials

In early 2020, Jianjia Robot, a developer and manufacturer of intelligent orthopedic surgical robots, completed tens of millions of RMB in Series A financing. The investor was BV Baidu Venture Capital, with Haoyue Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor for this round. The funds will be used to advance the clinical trials of the company’s first joint replacement surgical robot, “ARTHROBOT.”

Founded in 2018, Jianjia Robot has rapidly emerged as a leading medical device company in China providing precise joint replacement solutions, leveraging its prestigious background, an experienced and high-caliber core team, and surgical robot products with independent intellectual property rights. In terms of team composition, Jianjia Robot boasts a multidisciplinary team combining medical and engineering expertise, with years of experience in the R&D and commercialization of surgical navigation systems and surgical robots. The team has not only achieved innovative breakthroughs in key technologies but also closely aligned with clinicians’ needs in clinical applications, effectively addressing the pain points associated with traditional manual joint replacement surgeries. Regarding products, Jianjia’s independently developed surgical robots offer comprehensive solutions for joint surgery, achieving full-process coverage across “preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative” stages:

● Preoperative Phase – Precise Algorithms, Intelligent Planning. The intelligent preoperative planning software enables data processing directly on the terminal and facilitates interactive surgical plan design with physicians. Its proprietary automated calibration and efficient registration algorithms significantly reduce preoperative preparation time;

● Intraoperative—Precise Control, Exceptional Haptic Feedback. Precise robotic motion control, gravity compensation, and multi-mode switching capabilities assist surgeons in performing accurate maneuvers, streamline surgical steps, and provide exceptional haptic feedback;

● Postoperative – Comprehensive Assessment, Complete Visibility. Leveraging a real-time postoperative assessment system, physicians can quickly and comprehensively evaluate surgical outcomes.

In summary, Jianjia robot not only significantly enhances the precision and stability of surgical procedures performed by joint surgeons, but also eliminates intraoperative radiation exposure for both patients and medical staff, markedly reduces the incidence of postoperative complications, and substantially shortens the learning curve for physicians.

Looking at the international market, Stryker, a global medical device company with orthopedic implants as its core, currently has a market capitalization of approximately RMB 380 billion, and its Mako joint surgery robot system is widely used worldwide. Data shows that in the United States alone, the total number of surgeries performed using the Mako joint surgery robot system exceeded 114,000 cases in 2019, with a surgical penetration rate close to 10%. In contrast, in China, the number of artificial joint replacement surgeries exceeded 700,000 cases in 2019, maintaining an annual growth rate of over 20%. However, patient satisfaction with joint surgeries in China remains low, heavily relying on physicians’ experience and surgical skills. Currently, no domestically produced orthopedic joint replacement surgical robots have received regulatory approval. Facing such a vast untapped market, Jianjia Robot’s first joint replacement surgical robot product, “ARTHROBOT,” has entered the clinical trial phase. Its registration progress significantly leads that of competitors, positioning it to potentially become the first domestically produced joint replacement surgical robot to obtain an NMPA registration certificate.

As the integration of robotics technology with modern medicine continues to expand and deepen, medical robots are quietly leading the transformation of the future healthcare industry. Moving forward, Jianjia Robot will remain committed to addressing the core needs of physicians and patients, driving continuous innovation and leveraging its accumulated expertise to advance medical technology in the fields of joint replacement and orthopedics in China.

BV Baidu Venture Capital stated: “As a new capability platform for enhancing the quality and efficiency of surgical procedures, intelligent surgical robot systems have demonstrated significant clinical potential. Their capabilities will continue to expand with the rapid advancement of AI-driven perception, computing, and actuation technologies. BV has designated this sector as a core strategic focus, implementing global investment across the entire industrial chain. This includes investing in foundational technologies to establish an innovation platform for next-generation intelligent surgical robots, and supporting outstanding product teams across various clinical specialties to accelerate their growth. With the accelerating aging of the population, the demand in the orthopedic market is growing at an increasing rate, presenting substantial market potential for orthopedic surgical robot systems. In recent years, national policies have strongly encouraged and supported innovation in domestically produced medical devices. We believe this presents an excellent opportunity for strategic investment. The Jianjia Robot project originated from China’s National 863 Program. Its core technical team hails from the State Key Laboratory of Intelligence Technology and Systems at Tsinghua University, with senior orthopedic clinical experts participating directly in frontline R&D. Its core joint robot product has entered the clinical trial phase. We are confident that Jianjia has the capability to become a world-class Chinese innovator and provider of intelligent surgical robotic solutions in the field of orthopedics, contributing to modern clinical surgery and delivering more precise, minimally invasive, and efficient surgical services to patients.”

Xu Jing, founder of Jianjia Robot, stated: “As clinical needs converge with the technological singularity, surgical robots are exerting a revolutionary impact on medical technology. In recent years, major international orthopedic device giants have aggressively expanded into the field of orthopedic surgical robotics. The future trend is already evident; the future is here. Jianjia Robot’s products are not merely domestic substitutes for imported devices; rather, they represent genuine domestic innovation achieved through a deep integration of actual clinical needs and technological upgrades and iterations. Jianjia Robot can fundamentally address critical clinical pain points, such as suboptimal outcomes in joint replacement surgeries and the scarcity of clinical specialists, thereby catalyzing the rapid expansion of China’s entire joint surgery and orthopedic markets. Looking ahead, Jianjia will accelerate the clinical trials and R&D of its orthopedic surgical robots, striving to become an intelligent surgical assistant for orthopedic surgeons at the earliest opportunity, ultimately benefiting a broad patient population. Jianjia Robot is honored to partner with BV Baidu Ventures in this funding round, which provides strong support for the AI-driven intelligence of our product portfolio. We also extend our gratitude to our existing shareholders, Puhua Capital and Kefa Capital, for their continued confidence, and to Yuebo Capital for their comprehensive support. Innovative progress in certain ‘high-risk’ and ‘high-difficulty’ procedures in clinical medicine will undoubtedly be achieved through the joint efforts of advancements in clinical medicine and the medical robotics industry.”

Yang Zhenjun, Partner at Haoyue Capital, stated, “The R&D of surgical robots involves the intersection of numerous disciplines and requires interdisciplinary talent with a combination of science, engineering, and medical expertise. The specific characteristics of artificial joint replacement surgery dictate that joint surgery robots entail higher R&D complexity compared to other categories of orthopedic surgical robots. Jianjia Robot’s core team possesses extensive experience in the field of surgical robots, and their efficient execution has left a deep impression on us. Haoyue Capital is honored to serve as the exclusive financial advisor for Jianjia Robot’s current round of financing. We believe that the company will continue to accelerate the clinical trials and regulatory approval of its products, thereby benefiting orthopedic patients at an earlier stage.”

BV (Baidu Ventures) is an independent venture capital firm initiated by Baidu and managed by a professional team. Its limited partners include Baidu as well as other leading industrial and financial institutions. BV currently manages three funds in USD and RMB with a total asset under management of $500 million. Operating simultaneously in Beijing and San Francisco, BV is committed to becoming the co-founder of AI entrepreneurs, jointly raising the horizon of AI. BV strives for a more efficient intelligent world: finer-grained perception, more precise decision-making, reduced labor costs, and better efficiency models. We have invested in over 100 AI companies: from optical computing to neuromorphic neurons, from deep reinforcement learning to generative adversarial networks, from single-cell technologies to human-embedded sensors, we help frontier technologies move out of the laboratory; from precision agriculture to high-efficiency combustion, from virtual fashion design to intelligent new drug discovery, from personalized tutoring to automated content creation, from unmanned warehouses to agile cities, we empower the dream of AI-driven industrial transformation.

HaoYue Capital was founded in January 2014, with a mission to serve as a bridge connecting China’s healthcare sector with capital markets. Its research and transaction coverage spans multiple sub-sectors, including biopharmaceuticals, innovative medical devices, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) and precision medicine, healthcare services, and smart healthcare. The HaoYue Capital team comprises seasoned investment bankers with extensive experience in China’s healthcare industry. By closely monitoring market dynamics and investment trends in the healthcare sector over the long term, the firm releases weekly healthcare investment updates and special thematic research reports, offering HaoYue’s perspectives on new policies and emerging frontiers.