DYU raises $15M pre-Series B to push E-bikes toward AI mobility
What's the deal? Shenzhen Dayu Zhixing Technology, the E-bike maker known as DYUDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, has raised nearly US$13.8M in a pre-Series B round led by Tongxin CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, with multiple institutions participating. The funds will go toward new product research and development, intelligent technology upgrades, global brand building, and supply chain capacity.
What's the endgame? DYU, founded a decade ago, wants to evolve from a maker of folding E-bikes into a global intelligent mobility platform spanning light travel, outdoor movement, and AI mobility. Its products have already expanded from commuter bikes to recreational categories such as light off-road electric motorcycles and fat-tyre bikes.
Why now? Europe's E-bike market has been working through excess inventory. About 5.1 million E-bikes were sold across the EU and UK in 2023, down from 5.5 million in 2022, according to the European Bicycle Industry Confederation (CONEBI), and manufacturers have kept cutting production to clear stock.
DYU says it sits below that squeeze. It focuses on the €500 to €2,000 mass market, where founder and chief executive officer Li Wei says "Chinese brands' supply chain and cost advantages are most concentrated," versus the pressured €2,000 to €5,000 mid-to-high-end segment where local brands keep cutting prices.
What's the strategy? DYU is stretching its hardware beyond bikes. This year it launched an electric wagon for camping, beaches, and yards in Europe and the US, priced at about $1,200, which reuses its existing capabilities in motors, batteries, drive control, and manufacturing.
Regional demand differs sharply: European rules are stricter and commuting dominates, while looser US environments favour recreation. DYU sells outdoor recreational vehicles in the US under a separate brand — a business that contributes about 20% of revenue and has grown more than 25% over the past two years.
The signal: As the E-bike sector consolidates and weaker players exit, DYU is betting that cost advantages plus a wider product line — not premium pricing — offer the path forward. Its move into AI mobility signals where surviving Chinese manufacturers see the next round of growth.
Read more: eu.36kr.com
Image credit: Elvert Barnes
