United Beauty Group Secures RMB 400 Million Series C Funding from Sino-Ocean Capital

Lianhe Lige Group Completes Series C Financing (Source: Corporate Photo)

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) learned that on September 18, the “United LiGe Group Series C Financing Round and Investment Signing Ceremony between YuanYang Capital and United LiGe,” co-hosted by United LiGe Group and YuanYang Capital, was held in Beijing.

Mr. Li Bin, Founder and Chairman of Bunion Beauty Group, and Mr. Lin Chuan, Deputy General Manager of Sino-Ocean Capital, attended the meeting and signed the agreement. During the meeting, Bunion Beauty Group announced the completion of¥400 Million Series C Financing Exclusively Invested by Sino-Ocean Capital, becoming the "leader" among brick-and-mortar medical enterprises in China's medical aesthetics industry.

This Series C financing round holds strategic significance for United Beauty Group.

As one of China’s earliest medical aesthetics chain platforms dedicated to supporting outstanding physicians in launching their own practices, United Liger Group has achieved phased success after five years of operational experience. The robust participation of Sino-Ocean Capital in its Series C financing has further solidified and reinforced United Liger’s core development philosophy of “respecting physicians, returning to the essence of medical care, operating with integrity, and putting people first.”Dr. Regal Leverages Specialized Services as a Key DifferentiatorThe consumer healthcare market boasts broad prospects. The signing ceremony attracted a full turnout of doctors, investors, and media representatives from the medical aesthetics industry.

In early 2013, amid the wave of healthcare reform and against the backdrop of the era of “mass entrepreneurship and innovation,” United Lige Group was established with the aim of supporting outstanding physicians in launching their own practices. By early 2016, United Lige, together with its nearly 20 medical aesthetic institutions, had completed a Series A financing round of RMB 200 million.

In early June 2017, as the trend of physicians launching independent practices gained momentum, United LiGe successfully completed its Series B financing round of RMB 200 million. In September 2017, the physician group “Medical Aesthetics Dream Team,” co-founded by Professor Cao Yilin and Professor Guo Shuzhong, joined United LiGe in its entirety. With this integration, Beijing United LiGe No. 1 Medical Aesthetic Hospital was officially launched, marking a new chapter for the United LiGe Group through its innovative, integrated approach combining medical practice, education, and research.

In September 2018, one year later, United B&G once again leveraged its strong physician expertise and precise market positioning. Aligning with the development philosophy of “Healthy China,” and after nearly five years of meticulous operations, brand building, and patient engagement, the company carved out an innovative development path uniquely its own. This achievement occurred in the new era ushered in by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which emphasized enhancing the population’s well-being, implementing healthcare reforms, encouraging private capital investment in healthcare, and permitting physicians to practice at multiple institutions. As a result, United B&G became a highly sought-after investment favorite in the venture capital community, attracting Sino-Ocean Capital to complete a C-round financing of RMB 400 million.

Over the course of more than five years, Union Lige has leveraged the support of physicians in launching their own practices and “empowering” them as a strategic opportunity to implement“Doctor Brand + Group Brand” Composite Branding Strategy, synergizing modular management systems encompassing operational management, marketing, and supply chain management. Through its rapid and robust development, United B&G has emerged as the new “leader” in the medical aesthetics industry. Across China, it has jointly invested in, operated, and is preparing to launch more than 40 medical aesthetic institutions in 15 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Dalian, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou.

United BCC has recruited numerous top-tier medical teams from the industry, including Professor Cao Yilin, the scientist behind the international “human-ear mouse” breakthrough; Professor Guo Shuzhong, a globally renowned expert in body surface reconstruction; Professor Xing Xin, one of the representative figures of contemporary plastic surgery in China; Professor Wang Zhijun and Professor Yang Daping, internationally recognized experts in facial anti-aging; Professor Zhao Xiaozhong, Professor Zhou Zhanchao, Professor Zheng Quan, and Professor Xu Xiaoke, leading figures in the field of laser aesthetics in China; Dr. Hong Seong-beom and Dr. Park Heung-sik, top South Korean experts in facial contouring surgery; Professor Wang Jigeng, a pioneer in advocating comprehensive treatment protocols for facial rejuvenation in China; Director Wang Zhongjie, former Director of the Injection Cosmetology Department at the Laser Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery Center of the Air Force General Hospital; and Director Wu Wenyun, an authoritative expert in rhinoplasty revision and the proponent of the nasal framework theory.

Currently, Union Lige boasts two Changjiang Scholars (out of three in the entire industry), two Distinguished Young Scholars (out of three in the entire industry), three Level-2 Professors, two Chairmen of Professional Committees (out of six in the entire industry), five doctoral supervisors, and eight leading figures in various medical specialties... The Union Lige Physician Group serves as a model and benchmark for outstanding plastic and aesthetic surgeons pursuing independent entrepreneurship during China’s healthcare reform. Such an expert team represents the top-tier configuration in China’s plastic surgery industry.

During this period, United Beauty Group achieved the following: 1. Significant market potential for single-service medical demands and strong scalability across the industry chain; 2. Successful replication of its business model across regions, with a nationwide footprint beginning to take shape; 3. Integration of personalized medical services with standardized operational management, treating quality control as the company’s “lifeline”; 4. Establishment of an efficient information technology system to enable refined operational management and precision marketing for customer acquisition.

There are numerous players in the current consumer healthcare market. Why has Union LiGe earned the “favor” of Sino-Ocean Capital? Wei Shihan, Managing Director of the Equity Investment Center at Sino-Ocean Capital, provided a comprehensive answer: “Sino-Ocean Capital has conducted long-term research on the medical aesthetics industry, and Union LiGe’s uniqueBusiness Model and Healthy Development Philosophy"Fully meets the investment criteria of 'Toushi'."

The relationship between investee companies and investment institutions has always been the result of mutual selection. When discussing his “concerns” about bringing in investors, Mr. Li Bin, Founder and Chairman of Union Beauty Group, frankly stated in a media interview that he prioritizes three key factors when selecting investors: 1) Alignment of philosophy and a deep understanding of the medical aesthetics industry; 2) The ability to achieve complementary resources, collaboration, and mutual support; 3) A lack of urgency for exit, ensuring adherence to the inherent principles of medical practice.

At the signing ceremony, Lin Chuan, Deputy General Manager of Sino-Ocean Capital, stated that the successful partnership with Union Plastic Surgery was primarily due to the strong alignment between Sino-Ocean’s core brand philosophy of “Health” and Union Plastic Surgery’s long-standing commitment to being “people-oriented.” Furthermore, both parties share significant commonalities in their strategic layouts across core cities and their target customer base of middle- to high-income individuals.

The collaboration between the two parties represents both a synergy of strengths and a complementarity of ecosystems, enabling value co-enhancement with portfolio companies through the aggregated empowerment of resources and investment activities.

In the future, the investment layout of BCC and Sino-Ocean Capital in the big health sector will become more strategic. With the advent of the era of big health, BCC Group will join hands with more outstanding experts to continue upholding its business philosophy of “returning to medical essence and putting medicine first,” providing scientific, safe, trustworthy, and appropriate medical services to more beauty seekers, while also charting a replicable path for development for numerous physicians aspiring to embark on independent entrepreneurial ventures.