JIMHANG CAPITALGREATER BAY AREA / INTERNATIONAL FOUNDERS
AI Hardware Fundraising: What to Prepare Before Meeting Greater Bay Area Investors
Separate product evidence, manufacturing risk and working capital in an early-stage hardware investment conversation. A practical preparation guide for international founders approaching Jimhang Capital.
Raise for a decision-changing milestone
An early-stage round should buy evidence that changes what the company can credibly do next. For an AI hardware team, that might be a validated use case, a paid pilot with repeat usage, a production-ready design or a repeat order at workable economics. State which uncertainty the round is intended to remove.
Separate completed work, signed commitments and forecasts. A letter of intent, a distributor conversation and recognised revenue are different types of evidence. Presenting them accurately makes the next discussion faster and more useful; it is not a weakness to say what has not yet been validated.
Build the evidence pack around the product
Bring a concise demo, a description of the target customer and evidence of how the product is used. Explain why the AI capability needs this physical form and what advantage remains if model access becomes cheaper or more widely available. Show the failure cases as well as the successful demo.
Provide the current build stage, ownership of the relevant IP, major dependencies, supplier status and the next test. Use anonymised customer evidence where appropriate, and obtain permission before circulating identifiable contracts or user records. Do not expose another party’s confidential information merely to make the pitch more persuasive.
| Investor question | Useful material |
|---|---|
| Who pays, and why now? | Customer problem, purchasing process and paid-use evidence |
| Can this be built reliably? | Prototype configuration, test results and unresolved engineering issues |
| What does growth cost? | Build schedule, deposits, inventory and collection assumptions |
| Why this team? | Relevant execution history and clearly assigned responsibilities |
| What would this round achieve? | Milestone budget, timeline assumptions and downside case |
Separate development capital from working capital
Engineering salaries, tooling and validation consume cash before commercial deliveries. Later, deposits, inventory, freight, returns and customer payment terms can consume more cash even when an order looks profitable. Put those cash timings alongside the income statement.
State the currency of the raise, the proposed instrument if decided, the intended use of funds and existing commitments. Show at least a base case and a delayed-build or delayed-sales case. This is planning guidance, not a valuation recommendation or a proposed investment term.
Explain the cross-border operating plan
An overseas team should describe where product leadership, research, supplier management and customer support will sit. Explain which functions need proximity to manufacturing, which should remain near customers and who can make engineering decisions across time zones.
Do not create a new entity solely because a pitch template expects one. Discuss operating needs first, then obtain appropriate legal, tax and compliance advice for the proposed structure. Different investors have different mandates; a useful introduction does not mean every fund can invest in the same entity or geography.
What approaching Jimhang means
Jimhang Capital’s focus includes angel and seed-stage technology opportunities and connections across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. Read the firm’s investment overview for its own disclosures and relationship categories. Do not interpret a disclosed fundraise as cash available for a particular new investment.
Email Justin Zhan a short introduction, your current deck and one concrete request. Tell us whether you need an initial investment discussion, feedback on a manufacturing plan or help identifying relevant ecosystem contacts. Any investment, advisory scope or third-party introduction is considered separately; there is no automatic funding or endorsement.
Sources and scope
Original Jimhang editorial guidance, with short attributed policy references. Sources reviewed 2026-09-28; programme terms should be checked again before applying. Institutional links do not establish a partnership or an entitlement to support.