- Founder says company has “ammunition” for product development, not listing
- Hangzhou AR eyewear maker leads global AI glasses market, ranks second behind Meta’s Ray-Ban
Hangzhou-based augmented-reality (AR) eyewear pioneer Rokid has no immediate plans for an initial public offering, founder and CEO Misa Zhu Mingming told local media, countering industry speculation that the company might follow peers in seeking a Hong Kong listing soon.
In an interview with local portal Tide News, Zhu said the company’s corporate restructuring last month was aimed at optimizing domestic and international operations, not signaling an imminent IPO.
“We have ample ammunition and are fully focused on new product development,” he said, emphasizing that market expansion and product launches remain the top priorities for 2026.
In Chinese venture capital parlance, “ample ammunition” often denotes abundant cash reserves on a startup’s bank account.
The remarks come amid a wave of smart-glasses IPO activity. On April 2, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange disclosed the listing application of Xreal, a domestic AI eyewear company, marking the first such filing by a Chinese smart-glasses maker.
Industry sources had suggested Rokid might soon follow, but Zhu downplayed the conjecture.
Founded in 2014 by former Alibaba employee Zhu, Rokid is considered one of China’s established AR eyewear makers.
According to a March 2026 Omdia report, Rokid ranks second globally in AI glasses behind Meta, and leads the global market in smart glasses with display functions.
Its products serve both consumer markets and business-oriented applications, including industrial and energy inspections, medical assistance, immersive education, AR museum guides, and transportation.
Since its inception, Rokid has raised more than 3.5 billion yuan ($512 million) across 15 rounds, entering unicorn status with a post-valuation exceeding US$1 billion as of the latest funding round in early 2024, according to Chinese media reports.
While corporate registration changes completed in March 2026 often precede IPOs, Zhu reiterated the company is concentrating on product launches rather than listing in the near term.
Zhu’s cautious stance contrasts with previous comments in mid-2023, when he acknowledged to The Yangtzeer‘s author that Rokid had been in talks with stock brokerages and might go public within two years. The company has yet to respond to questions on those earlier statements.
