ShuGuo Completes Tens of Millions RMB Pre-A Round Financing to Advance Precision Health Management for Maternal and Child Populations

Recently, Shuguo, a digital health management service platform for mothers and infants, announced the completion of its pre-A financing round, raising tens of millions of RMB. The round was led by Hongshi Capital, with participation from renowned investor Wang Gang and continued follow-on investment from Hongxi Fund, the platform’s angel-round investor.

Regarding the use of proceeds from the new round of financing, founder Li Yuxin stated that the company will increase its investments in marketing and R&D to raise awareness among maternal and infant populations and enable them to benefit from thoughtful, precision health management services. Meanwhile, the company will also ramp up investments in talent acquisition and product portfolio enhancement to prepare for Shuguo’s next leap forward.

Shuguo Technology Co., Ltd., founded in Beijing in September 2016, primarily provides exclusive and precise health solutions for mothers and infants by collecting and analyzing data through internationally leading detection technologies. The company is committed to building a digital health management service platform for mothers and infants in China.

It is reported that Shuguo’s parent company, Health & Benefit, focuses on the research and application of high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence and life sciences in health management. The company has successfully established a presence in the precision health management market and leverages its core technologies and achievements through the Shuguo platform to comprehensively serve the maternal and infant market.

The implementation of the universal two-child policy has provided significant momentum for growth in the maternal and infant industry. Driven by the broader trend of consumption upgrading, China’s maternal and infant sector has experienced rapid overall growth, resulting in a substantial market size. In 2016, according to estimates from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the number of live births exceeded 17.86 million, with second-born and higher-order births accounting for more than 45%. Forecasts by the 21st Century Business Research Institute indicate that the maternal and infant market will grow at an annual rate of no less than 16%, reaching an overall market size of approximately RMB 4 trillion by 2020. As members of the post-80s and post-90s generations increasingly become expectant parents and consumers of maternal and infant products, the industry is encountering new opportunities for innovative development models.

Guan Kai, Co-founder of Shuguo, stated that there is currently a widespread lack of scientifically grounded professional guidance for maternal and infant populations throughout pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the broader post-maternal phase, particularly regarding nutrient intake for pregnant women and infants, as well as purchasing decisions for maternal and infant products.

Taking folic acid as an example, only 25% of Asians have adequate folic acid metabolism capacity. The common understanding among the Chinese population is that folic acid supplementation should begin during preconception and early pregnancy; however, specific dosage recommendations rely solely on product inserts for various folic acid tablets, lacking precision. Existing testing channels are relatively expensive: assessing folic acid metabolism capability costs approximately RMB 600 in first-tier cities and around RMB 400 in second- and third-tier cities, with tests typically recommended by hospitals through third-party testing agencies. Due to low public awareness of folic acid metabolism testing and limited promotion by hospitals, uptake remains low. In fact, excessive folic acid intake can cause adverse effects.

Similarly, infants and young children require supplementation with various nutrients and probiotics. Although a wide variety of pediatric nutrient products are currently available on the market, children, as a special population, have strict requirements for nutrient intake. Gut microbiota homeostasis emphasizes balance; therefore, more is not necessarily better.

Conditions such as low immunity and obesity in children are closely linked to gut microbiota. Currently, routine stool tests for infants and young children in hospitals are primarily aimed at identifying pathogens to guide targeted treatment.

Shuguo focuses on early-stage monitoring, based on the premise that intestinal microbiota dysbiosis occurs in infants before disease onset. By detecting physiological changes at an early stage and providing targeted supplementation of deficient nutrients based on gut microbiota test results, it is possible to prevent microbiota imbalance caused by excessive or unbalanced supplementation, thereby reducing the risk of future diseases.

Shuguo selected second- and third-tier cities as its initial market. Since its inception, the company has leveraged its robust offline sales partnership network to cover thousands of maternal and infant stores across eight provinces. By offering services such as infant gut microbiome testing, folate testing, and fetal heart monitor rentals through its proprietary platform and partner channels, Shuguo provides professional science-based education on maternal and infant health principles. The company offers free preliminary screening for folate metabolism capacity to pregnant women, as well as probiotic preliminary screening, along with corresponding reports and interpretations, for infants and young children aged 0–3 years.

After issuing the initial screening test report, health lifestyle recommendations are provided to healthy individuals, while those in a sub-health state are advised to undergo comprehensive re-examinations. The company issues the “Comprehensive Folate Metabolism Capacity Test Report” and the “Comprehensive Infant Gut Microbiota Test Report,” along with tailored solutions, to achieve precise health management for mothers and infants. Furthermore, through its app “Shuguo Health” and the WeChat service account of the same name, “Shuguo,” the company establishes user profiles, develops personalized solutions, and tracks lifestyle habits. After users have supplemented the required nutrients for a certain period, follow-up tests are conducted to monitor improvements in their physical condition.

Currently, Shuguo has established strategic partnerships in biological testing with multiple leading professional institutions within the industry. Leveraging the technical expertise of research entities such as Tsinghua University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Beijing Kangjian Digital Health Management Research Institute, it provides specialized health care for mothers and infants.

Founder Li Yuxin stated that the emergence of Shuguo stems from the fact that, to this day, the maternal and infant industry—though seemingly vibrant, remains exceptionally fragmented—has yet to see the rise of scaled enterprises offering refined testing and product services tailored specifically to this user group. Distinct from the general population, mothers during the “pregnancy-to-postpartum” period and infants aged “0–3 years” exhibit significant differences in physical, nutritional, and psychological conditions compared to other life stages. Providing positive interventions and specialized products and services during this critical window greatly supports mothers’ physical and mental recovery and promotes healthy growth and development in infants.

ShuGuo is not only a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) service enterprise with a robust sales channel network, but also a high-tech company with strong R&D capabilities. It has currently launched the “ShuGuo Smart Body Composition Hardware” series, the “Key Elements” nutritional supplement series, the “ShuGuo Mom Folate and Nutrient Testing” series, and the “ShuGuo Baby Gut Microbiota and Nutrient Testing” series. In addition, the company’s ShuGuo App and WeChat Service Account have received widespread acclaim since their launch, and the company is continuously advancing the development of new products.