Recently, Greatwall Strategy Consultants (GEI) released the "GEI China Unicorn Enterprise Research Report 2025", highlighting that a total of 10 companies in Qingdao made the unicorn enterprise list. Located in the Qingdao Area of China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, COSMOPlat Institute of Industrial Intelligence (Qingdao) Co., Ltd. and Qingdao KingAgroot CropScience Group Co., Ltd. successfully appeared on the list.
The report reveals that as of 2024, there were 372 unicorn enterprises in China with a total valuation surpassing USD 1.2 trillion. The term "unicorn enterprise" primarily describes start-up companies characterized by rapid growth, scarcity, and strong appeal to investors, typically exhibiting exponential growth and disruptive innovation. Unicorn enterprises continuously explore new scenarios and niches, significantly enhancing local total factor productivity and serving as a beacon for regional economic dynamism and innovative progress.
COSMOPlat Institute of Industrial Intelligence (Qingdao) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "COSMOPlat"), listed this time, relies on the "Intelligence + 5G Mass Customization Verification Platform" and six key technology laboratories, focusing on the R&D of industrial Internet and artificial intelligence technologies. It provides comprehensive intelligent manufacturing solutions for the COSMOPlat platform, covering the home appliances, consumer goods, and manufacturing sectors. In 2016, the institute was founded under the guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and became China's first industrial intelligence research institution in the home appliance sector. In 2017, it spearheaded the release of the world's first "Industrial Mass Customization White Paper." In 2019, its R&D achievement was recognized among the top ten advancements in global intelligent manufacturing technology. Additionally, it co-established the Sino-German Digital Twin Laboratory. In 2020, it received several certifications, including the Alliance of Industrial Internet Laboratory and the CIIF Information Technology Award. In 2021, its IoT key technology project was designated as a demonstration initiative by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. COSMOPlat has led the development of 36 national and 5 international standards, empowering various "lighthouse factories" to advance intelligent manufacturing upgrades.
Qingdao KingAgroot CropScience Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "KingAgroot") has recently emerged as a unicorn enterprise. Specialized in agricultural biotechnology, this company integrates R&D, production, and sales, aiming to enhance global agricultural productivity and quality through innovative pesticide development and biological breeding, thus contributing to global food security. KingAgroot boasts a team of over 1,300 R&D professionals, with business activities spanning three main areas: innovative pesticide development, biotechnological trait advancements, and commercial breeding programs. Currently, KingAgroot has successfully commercialized six key patented compounds within China, including Cypyrafluone, Bipyrazone, Fenpyrazone, Tripyrasulfone, Flufenoximacil, and Flusulfinam.
In recent years, the SDPFTZ Qingdao Area has consistently focused on optimizing services and fostering an innovation-friendly ecosystem. It has continuously intensified efforts to cultivate pioneering enterprises, offering comprehensive lifecycle support services to firms such as COSMOPlat and KingAgroot. These initiatives have effectively enhanced the total factor productivity in the area, promoting industrial innovation and vitality.
Moving forward, the SDPFTZ Qingdao Area will continue prioritizing the development of the "10+1" innovation-driven industrial system, emphasizing collaborative growth across industrial chains. The area aims to implement a tiered cultivation system for innovation-driven enterprises, identify emerging high-growth companies with core technological competencies, and nurture more unicorns, gazelles, and fledgling enterprises. This approach aspires to instigate an industrial cluster impact of "developing one to drive many," ultimately injecting robust momentum into advancing the area's new productive forces.
