EqualOcean released the "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Emerging Brands TOP 50". This list is designed to identify Chinese enterprises with the potential to become world-class brands over the next decade, showcasing the Chinese global forces defining the future.
On September 19-20, 2025, the "2025 GoGlobal Forum of 100" (GGF2025), hosted by EqualOcean, successfully concluded in Shenzhen. Centered around the theme "Embrace the Golden Decade of Chinese Brands Going Global", this year's forum focused on the leap to globalization and the reconstruction of brand power for enterprises in the new cycle. As the highest-level and largest event about going global this year, it attracted thousands of participants, including leading representatives from companies that expand overseas, senior experts and scholars, venture capitalists, and several international guests.
During the forum, EqualOcean officially released its series of "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal" lists at the awards banquet. These included the "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Emerging Brands TOP 50", "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Service Enablers TOP 50", and the "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Investment Firms TOP 20", honoring the enterprises and organizations that have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the field of global expansion over the past year.
After a period of rapid growth, China's consumer market has entered a new phase, and domestic demand alone can no longer sustain the next round of corporate expansion. Meanwhile, overseas markets are presenting new opportunities: Southeast Asia has become a testing ground for cost and efficiency, the Middle East and Africa are emerging as new blue oceans, while Europe and North America remain the most established and lucrative markets.
Concurrently, the logic driving Chinese companies' global expansion is shifting from "opportunity-driven" to "systematically planned," aiming to foster deeper roots in overseas markets. Hard tech and AI companies are leading the acceleration, followed by consumer and cultural brands. Autonomous driving, AI hardware, and new energy vehicles are rapidly penetrating European, US, and Middle Eastern markets; consumer brands like VIVAIA are captivating global youth through social media, while entities like ShortMax and GameScience have gained new international fanbases with original content and IP. It can be said that China's new forces are collectively sketching a new map of globalization through diverse paths.
Against this backdrop, EqualOcean released the "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Emerging Brands TOP 50". This list is designed to identify Chinese enterprises with the potential to become world-class brands over the next decade, showcasing the Chinese global forces defining the future. Our focus is not on the "current champions," but rather on those unlisted companies possessing the potential to become future giants.
The selected companies span various sectors, including hardware, AI, consumer goods, and entertainment. They include hard tech companies breaking through with technological advantages, consumer brands breaking into overseas markets through brand storytelling and user community operations, and entertainment enterprises shaping international influence with content and IP, collectively demonstrating the diverse vitality of China's emerging brands.
Detailed information of the listed companies on "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Emerging Brands TOP 50" (In no particular order):
Hypershell, Divamics Biotech, zdeer, Chi Forest, Gauth, Hibobi, Momenta, VELOTRIC, Urtopia, navee, Flower Knows, GMEELAN, Oclean, iKitbot, RAYSHAPE, Beatbot, SMOROBOT, FastForm, Sijiu Technology, Bambu Lab, SUNPURE, TCab Tech, Mammotion, EngineAI, Hydwin, PolyBuzz, AIsphere, Deepseek, Cutout Pro, CreativeFitting, AeroBand, XVERSE, YouWare, SpinQ, catlink, CAYE, SPEEDIANCE, DREO, RE-MALL, vivaia, halara, cider, SmallRig, SHARGE, RayNeo, INMO, Nothing, Zendure, ShortMax, GameScience.
Compared to previous years, the proportion of hardware and hard tech companies on this year's list has increased significantly, with machinery, equipment, computer, and electronics firms taking prominent positions. Bambu Lab has broken into European and American markets, leveraging industrial-grade technology to create consumer-grade products and challenging a space long-dominated by international giants; Momenta is advancing the commercial deployment of autonomous driving in Europe; and devices like RayNeo's AR glasses and Beatbot's robotic products are gaining global consumer attention. These cases not only demonstrate the solid foundation of China's manufacturing and engineering capabilities but also illustrate that AI-native and smart hardware products are emerging as a new driver for cross-regional competitiveness.
Simultaneously, consumer brands are also delivering remarkable performances. Chi Forest has carved a niche in the global youth market with its "healthy beverage" positioning, while Flower Knows captures overseas user communities with its "girly heart" aesthetics; Cider gained popularity on social media through collaborations with influencers, becoming a "representative Chinese brand" in the eyes of overseas youth; In the realm of cultural exports, ShortMax and GameScience have won global acclaim through their original content and storytelling. Their success is not only measured commercially but also in how deeply their Chinese cultural products are resonating with a worldwide audience.
Geographically, the listed emerging brands generally exhibit a tri-polar structure focusing on "Europe/US – East Asia – Middle East". The European and American markets remain the primary choice for most, serving as the hub for growth due to mature consumer bases and high-profit margins; Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea, with their cost and efficiency advantages, serve as the testing ground for business models and drive localization efforts; while the Middle East is rapidly emerging as a new growth area for Chinese companies, driven by demand for new energy and AI. Some companies are also extending into Latin America and Australia/New Zealand, showing a trend from single-point breakthroughs to coordinated multi-regional expansion.
In terms of capital structure, the listed companies are predominantly in early to mid-stages, with Series A and Angel rounds being most common, indicating capital's preference for the rapid validation and scaling phases. Regarding investor composition, both foreign and state-backed industrial funds are active; approximately one-third of the companies have received foreign investment, and over twenty percent have state-backed shareholders. Some companies are developing hybrid ownership structures combining foreign and state capital, leveraging the resources and market networks of international investors while enhancing stability and certainty for local operations.
Regarding team and organizational characteristics, the headquarters of these listed companies are concentrated in Shenzhen, Suzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. These cities, leveraging advantages in industrial chains, capital, and talent, have become core bases for incubating and scaling emerging brands. Meanwhile, the proportion of founders with overseas study or work experience is close to one-third. While not yet mainstream, this group is gradually becoming a significant force. This indicates that China's emerging enterprises are increasingly maturing in a hybrid governance model, building on local teams while integrating international capabilities to accelerate cross-cultural management and global resource alignment.
The release of the "EqualOcean 2025 GoGlobal Emerging Brands TOP 50" is more than just a ranking; it is a microcosm of the global practices of China's emerging enterprises. Hard tech is propelling China's ascent up the global value chain, while consumer and cultural brands are winning the minds of global users through emotional value and content storytelling. Standing at the dawn of this "Golden Decade," these emerging brands are becoming the vanguard of Chinese companies going global.
EqualOcean will continue to track their growth trajectories and document their breakthroughs on the global stage. We also look forward to collaborating with more enterprises, service providers, and investors to collectively write a new chapter in the globalization of Chinese brands.
Since 2018, EqualOcean has been dedicated to tracking and analyzing the global expansion of Chinese enterprises. We welcome contributions from industry professionals to share your expertise and insights. Companies seeking international growth, media exposure, or discussions on overseas strategies are also encouraged to contact us directly.
You can reach us via WeChat at xyrnina or by email at xingyiran@iyiou.com.