"Grabbing" Photoshop: Behind Yixin Technology's new round of financing, venture on the image processing software "localization"

21st Century Business Herald reporter Chen Zhi Shanghai report

Recently, the world -renowned professional image processing software Adobe's design community Behance suddenly stopped all domestic accounts, which caused the industry to shock, and also made professional image processing software independent research and development.

"In fact, we have been paying close attention to the localization of professional image processing software recently, including professional image processing software, vector image processing software, interface design software and other tracks. We all hope to find domestic leaders." A large domestic venture capital partner revealed to reporters.

Liu Changwei, the founder of Beijing Yixin Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yixin Technology"), revealed in an exclusive interview with this reporter that the 10 million-level Pre-A-round equity financing was completed not long ago.

"At present, many venture capital agencies are connected to us, and they have high investment interests for this track," he told reporters.

Data show that Yixin Technology is a company focusing on the research and development of image software and artificial intelligence technology. At present, this company has gathered the earliest research and development team, OCR identification and artificial intelligence technology researchers in China. It has been working and accumulated in the field of image processing and computer vision. The integration of resources, independently developed the domestic first domestic super large picture processing software that supports 2 billion pixels. This is a professional ability in this field, and it is also a sign that supports industrialized design.

Liu Changwei bluntly stated that the original intention of developing Goku image series products is to complete the replacement of well -known professional image processing software overseas, to solve the dilemma caused by the high monopoly of foreign products, and at the same time, it can also reduce the threshold and difficulty of user learning. Designers and everyone can become creative masters and create image processing software for Chinese brands.

"We hope that the emergence of Goku images can solve the pain points with high learning threshold and difficult use of overseas professional image processing software on the one hand. Only a few people can master it; on the other hand Everyone can use their creative design ideas to make the image design of domestic enterprises and professional designers more secure and stable through professional functional folding design. "He bluntly said to reporters.

The reporters have learned that domestic research and development professional image processing software, in terms of functions, performance, products, etc., to overtake overseas professional image processing software, and still face many challenges. First, domestic professional image processing software requires stronger professional capabilities; second, in terms of supporting creative design, domestic professional image processing software needs to increase the number of brushes and brushes to help designers better realize creative design; third is Domestic professional image processing software needs to further improve AI image processing capabilities, including AI image recognition, AI image segmentation, and AI image synthesis to further improve the efficiency of designers.

Several venture capital institutions revealed to reporters that seeing that the software "Goku image" of Yixin Technology has begun to "shoulder" overseas professional image processing software in many performance and functions, and quickly fill the gap in domestic professional image processing software. With the iteration upgrade of domestic AI technology and the maturity of product design, they are confident in independent research and development of professional image processing software.

Liu Changwei told reporters that after completing the Pre-A round of financing, it attracted more and more enterprises and professional designers to use domestic professional image processing software through marketing, which made them more confident to adhere to the independent research and development of professional image processing software to the end. The venture capital shareholders who are communicating in this round need to provide more diversified resource empowerment, help Yixin Technology's rapid free flying, and expand larger market space while further improving technology research and development capabilities.

"We investigate and develop that the domestic professional image processing market is tens of billions of annual output. Not only do companies and designers from all walks of life use related software every day, but every ordinary person also has the needs of image processing and secondary creation. Therefore, we believe that we believe in In this track, new unicorn companies are expected to be born. "The partners of the above -mentioned large domestic venture capital institutions told reporters.

The "domesticization" journey of image processing software

For a long time, overseas professional image processing software has a high market share in the domestic market.

But at the same time, more and more domestic enterprises and professional designers have also found that overseas professional image processing software not only has pain points such as high learning threshold and difficulty in use; on the other hand It is also facing unknown risks. For example, the recently occurred by Behance, which suddenly stopped all domestic accounts, which caused domestic entrepreneurs and companies to be unable to continue to use this design community -related resources. Domestic users who created a collection of works on Behance could not continue to use this platform to expand business cooperation space.

A vice president of a domestic venture capital institution revealed to reporters that through extensive market research, they found that more and more domestic enterprises and professional designers have become very urgent Investment opportunities for this new track.

"In the past, because overseas professional image processing software had an absolute market monopoly position in this field, and the technology of related domestic enterprises was not yet mature, we rarely paid attention to the investment opportunities of this track, but under the current wave of high -tech independent research and development, This may be a new track investment that has not been tapped. "He bluntly said.

Liu Changwei revealed to reporters that since this year, he has continuously felt the enthusiasm for investment in venture capital institutions. Recently, many venture capital institutions have come to understand. R & D effectiveness, functional performance and typical user cases.

In his opinion, to realize the independent research and development of professional image processing software, on the one hand, domestic software products need to be not lost to similar overseas products in terms of performance and functions. Software products also need to make breakthroughs in professionalism, compatibility, ease of use, and adaptability.

"Everything is difficult. In the research and development process, we mainly encounter two difficult stages." Liu Changwei bluntly. First, when Yixin Technology first developed Goku image software in early 2020, there was only a small team. It was extremely difficult to integrate ideas, design and technology accumulation into a software product. After 3 months of technical research, the team finally set up the prototype of the software. Kirin, Founder, Fang De and other domestic PC operating systems, as well as mobile operating systems such as Hongmeng, Android and iOS, so that more picture producers are connected with consumers to create creative design, editing processing, sharing release released Image application closed -loop ecosystem.

The reporter was informed that Goku images are currently not inferior to overseas professional image processing software in terms of performance and functions. For example, Goku images basically achieve functional coverage of about 90%of Photoshop. In addition, the 107 kinds of brushes unique to Goku images, the phantom objects used by high -efficiency rendering, online templates, batch processing, online sharing and preservation and other office functions are conducive to enterprises and professional designers to better play creativity and art level, improve creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creative efficiency and creativity. Network collaboration effect.

At the same time, Goku image is also the first domestic image processing software that achieves two -way compatibility with Adobe Photoshop format (PSD). It can not only achieve compatibility with PSD, but also save the PSD format. Goku images also support the embedding of vector graphics, which is convenient for users to perform vector graphics.

"At present, we are still promoting technological upgrades to catch up with overseas professional image processing software at more functional performance." Liu Changwei revealed to reporters. On the one hand, they are increasing research and development investment to strive for new breakthroughs in the number of special effects filters, primary 3D modeling, and videos. On the other hand, Goku images will further enrich the number of brushes and brushes at the same time as supporting 2 billion pixels. Functions, as well as improving AI image recognition and generating effects, allowing users to obtain better industrial drawing, graphic design, and AI drawing experience.

"Our entire pixel level can be improved, but considering that most of the terminal performance is not very high. In the end, we finally positioned Goku image software at 2 billion pixels. A symbol of it can also support industrial design and empowerment, "he emphasized.

The above -mentioned vice president of domestic venture capital agencies pointed out that the emergence of domestic professional image processing software developers such as Yixin Technology is effectively filled with gaps in the field of professional image processing software in China. However, professional image processing software has achieved good results. On the one hand, it is necessary to accelerate the advantages of technology research and development and build products. On the one hand, we must obtain larger market expansion space and more users' favor.

Liu Changwei revealed to reporters that Yixin Technology is currently actively deploying the NFT work release platform and services around the Yuan universe industry. After all, Goku image itself is a creative tool and application platform, and its output is unique artistic works.

Creative Investment Basin New Circuit looking for "unicorn enterprises"

It is worth noting that with the rise of professional image processing software, the enthusiasm for investment in this new track has suddenly heated up.

In July of this year, PROCESSON, a thinking map, a map tool, received nearly 100 million yuan in Series A financing led by Sidao Capital.

Earlier, Xi'an Zhilu Information Technology Co., Ltd. completed the 20 million yuan Pre-A round of financing led by AA investment.

An investment director of venture capital institutions involved in domestic image processing software investment bluntly said to reporters that they investigated and developed that the annual market size of domestic professional image processing software is as high as tens of billions of yuan, but due to the long -term overseas professional image processing software "The venture capital agency's attention to this track is relatively low. But with the advent of the independent research and development of image processing software, they believe that this track will soon appear unicorn -level enterprises. This is also one of the reasons why Yixin Technology has received fast-level PRE-A round of financing.

At present, many angel investors with the background of large Internet corporate companies also have a high enthusiasm for investment in this track. The "dividend" of the software localized; the second is that the continuous hotness of the Yuan cosmic industry will drive the demand for professional image processing software and AI drawing processing, which will benefit relevant companies from it. Optimistic about domestic professional image processing software service providers to build their own designer community ecology, help domestic enterprises and professional designers better expand business and work, and give software service providers a more diversified business income prospect. Liu Changwei told reporters that after completing PRE-A-round equity financing, they started the journey of marketing and found that many domestic enterprises and professional designers have a high acceptance of domestic professional image processing software. Behind this, one is that domestic professional image processing software can be compared with similar overseas products in many functions. Give them a strong confidence.

Several venture capital institutions said that as many domestic enterprises and professional designers are accustomed to using overseas professional image processing software and let them use domestic software, it may take a period of market cultivation and user operation habits to change, but venture capital Institutions can play the role of a bridge -piercing leader in it, and to empower domestic image processing software to contact more potential corporate customers by integrating various resources to empower domestic image processing software to accelerate the pace of independent research and development.

"There is no doubt that Photoshop can obtain 100 billion yuan each year with its high market share in image processing software. Once related domestic software rises, this track will be born sooner or later Partners of the investment agency emphasized.

- END -