Haivivi Secures $28M in Series A Funding for AI Toy Expansion
Haivivi Raises $28M to Revolutionize AI Toy Market
Chinese AI toy innovator Haivivi has completed a 200 million yuan ($28M) Series A funding round, led by prominent investors including China Investment Capital and Sequoia China. The financing will fuel product development and market expansion as the company prepares to launch new licensed products featuring major intellectual properties.
Strategic Partnerships and Product Pipeline
The Shenzhen-based company has secured licensing agreements with global entertainment brands:
- Ultraman
- Peppa Pig
- Nai Long
Over ten IP collaboration products are scheduled for release in Q3 2025, headlined by the second-generation CocoMate series launching August 27. The initial lineup will include:
- Limited edition Ultraman characters (Sera and Deka variants)
- "Bubbles" gift box from Haivivi's original IP
Leadership and Product Evolution
Founder Li Yong, a 20-year veteran of consumer hardware, previously contributed to Tmall精灵's growth to 30 million units. His first AI toy venture, the BubblePal attachment for plush toys, sold over 200,000 units but revealed technical limitations:
- Complex wake-up mechanism
- WiFi dependency
The new CocoMate series addresses these issues with:
- Embedded hardware design (removable option)
- Shake-to-activate functionality
- 4G connectivity for outdoor use
- Advanced voice interaction features including:
- Interruptible dialogue
- Noise-canceling algorithms
- Context-aware response system
Market Positioning and Technology
Haivivi's proprietary end-to-end voice model enables more natural conversations, with special optimizations for children's speech patterns. The company claims its technology maintains dialogue continuity even in noisy environments through:
- Dynamic volume adjustment
- Background noise filtration
- Seamless story continuation
The upgraded hardware supports both WiFi and cellular connectivity, significantly expanding usage scenarios compared to first-generation products.
Key Points:
- $28M Series A funding secured from major VC firms
- Licensed collaborations with Ultraman, Peppa Pig coming Q3 2025
- Next-gen CocoMate launches August 27 with improved voice interaction
- Solves key pain points from BubblePal through hardware redesign
- Founder brings proven track record in consumer electronics