A specialized and innovative "little giant" in the underwater robot industry has launched its IPO on the Science and Technology Innovation Board.
On October 19, information from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) showed that DeepBlue Ocean Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "DeepBlue") has completed its pre-IPO counseling registration with the Tianjin Securities Regulatory Bureau, intending to conduct an initial public offering (IPO) and list on the stock exchange. The counseling institution is China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC).
According to the pre-IPO filing announcement, DeepBlue Technology has no controlling shareholder. The single largest shareholder is Wei Jiancang, who directly holds 23.64% of the company's shares. In addition, Wei Jiancang indirectly controls 10.79% of the company's shares through his role as the executive partner of Tianjin Longtan Technology Partnership (Limited Partnership), and indirectly controls 6.92% of the company's shares through his role as the executive partner of Tianjin Longzhilan Technology Partnership (Limited Partnership). Therefore, Wei Jiancang controls a total of 41.35% of the company's voting rights, making him the actual controller of the company.
According to its official website, DeepBlue Technology was founded in 2013 and is the first private company in China focusing on the independent research and development of underwater intelligent equipment. DeepBlue Technology has two main business lines: industrial and consumer. For enterprise users, it provides products such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), underwater gliders, and COPEX-type automatic profiling buoys, along with related industry solutions. Its consumer brand, Sublue, provides individual users with intelligent products for water sports, including underwater boosters, powered floats, underwater drones, and smart surfboards.
Currently, DeepBlue's independently developed products comprehensively cover fields such as marine scientific research, water conservancy and hydropower, water rescue, aquaculture, offshore oil and gas, underwater engineering, and water recreation.
Notably, in 2017, the "Haiyi" underwater glider, exclusively operated by DeepBlue and operated by the Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, completed deep-sea observations. This achievement was included in the 2018 New Year's address by the Chinese leader. In 2021, DeepBlue was recognized as a national-level specialized and innovative "Little Giant" enterprise. In addition, DeepBlue Technology has participated in important projects such as the Shenzhou-13 return and landing support mission, the underwater security mission for the Belt and Road Leaders' Summit, and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project inspection.
According to Xinhua News Agency reports, underwater equipment is a strength of European and American countries. For a long time, my country's underwater robot industry has lacked core technologies, relying on imports for some key components. DeepBlue's development of core components such as thrusters has broken the monopoly of Western countries. DeepBlue has sold this "Made in China" product to more than 70 countries, beginning to challenge the price barriers of industry giants. Currently, the national standard "General Technical Requirements for Underwater Assisted Robots," drafted under the leadership of DeepBlue, was officially approved on March 21, 2023.
DeepBlue is widely favored by capital. According to Tianyancha data, DeepBlue Technology has completed 14 rounds of financing since its establishment in 2013. Investors include TEDA Technology, Yuanxing Capital, Suodao Capital, Shunwei Capital, Hongtai Fund, Shangshi Capital, Shengjing Network, Dingxiang Capital, Shanshui Venture Capital, Guangzhou Tourism Holdings Group, Gaolin Capital, Zhihu Investment, Binhai Venture Capital, Langmafeng Venture Capital, SDIC Venture Capital, Minsheng Securities, Primavera Capital, Jiayi Venture Capital, CICC, and the Military-Civilian Integration Development Industry Investment Fund.
In 2020, DeepBlue Technology completed two rounds of financing totaling over 320 million yuan and completed its shareholding reform to advance its IPO process on the Science and Technology Innovation Board (STAR Market).
