eurekapd Chapter 143 How much money did Hongyuan Flying Bird make?
Chapter 143 How much money did Hongyuan Flying Bird make?
The morning after Su Chen finished settling the accounts, Zhang Lei strode in from outside.
"Boss, a bunch of reporters and independent media outlets have come downstairs, including 36Kr, Huxiu, TMTPost, and several vertical media outlets focusing on the low-altitude economy. Do you want to see them or not?"
"reporter?"
Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Su Chen showed a thoughtful expression. Indeed, the news that Xiangyu had won a major contract with the Southern Power Grid had been circulating widely in the industry these past two days, and as the provider of the G1 gateway, Hongyuan Feiniao was naturally being watched by reporters.
"Do you want to let them leave directly, or go outside and say a few words?"
Zhang Lei looked at Su Chen curiously, waiting for him to make a decision.
"Then let's meet."
After thinking for a moment, Su Chen decided to go see them.
"OK."
Zhang Lei nodded and immediately went to make the arrangements.
……
"Su Chen is out!"
At this moment, in the lobby on the first floor of Hongyuan Feiniao's Shenzhen headquarters.
More than twenty reporters and independent media professionals were crammed into the sofa area, holding microphones and recorders, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
Actually, Hongyuan Feiniao's headquarters is quite low-key, just a three-story office building in a science park. It's completely different from the high-end image people imagine—there's no impressive reception desk, no cool showroom, just rows and rows of densely packed workstations.
But in this seemingly unremarkable office space, a product that could potentially change the entire low-altitude industry landscape is being conceived.
"Mr. Su, what are your thoughts on Xiangyu UAVs securing this large contract with China Southern Power Grid?"
"Mr. Su, when will the G1 industrial gateway be officially released? What will the price be?"
"Mr. Su, I heard that Tianyu Aerospace Technology secured 23 orders in Southeast Asia in just four days. Is that true?"
"President Su, what exactly will be released at the Flying Bird Technology Summit?"
"President Su..."
"President Su..."
As Su Chen appeared in the hall, the reporters immediately launched into a barrage of questions.
To be honest, Su Chen hasn't given a formal interview to the media for a long time since the last industry alliance was launched. Although there are occasional news reports about Hongyuan Flying Bird, Su Chen rarely has the opportunity to face the camera in person, so all the reporters cherish this opportunity very much.
"One at a time."
Su Chen frowned slightly, but considering that these reporters came from different media outlets, it was normal for it to be a bit noisy.
"You go first."
After scanning the list, Su Chen pointed to a young female reporter who seemed to be the most prepared—she was holding a thick interview outline.
"Mr. Su, did you anticipate that Hongyuan Feiniao would evolve from a flight control module supplier into a low-altitude industry infrastructure supplier? Was this all part of your plan?"
"Regarding the evolution of Hongyuan Flying Bird's positioning, I actually had related ideas when I founded the company, but I didn't expect this day to come so soon."
"I can't believe it!"
As Su Chen spoke, many reporters at the scene showed expressions of surprise. They hadn't expected Su Chen to have such ambitions at the very beginning of his business. However, considering the strategic vision Su Chen had demonstrated over the past year, everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing that it was only natural.
"Will the XiYao product be launched at the FeiNiao Technology Summit?"
The second reporter, chosen by Su Chen, couldn't wait to ask the question he was most concerned about.
"You'll find out on the 28th, anyway, there are only six days left."
Su Chen answered with a mysterious smile, then called on the third reporter.
"Mr. Su, what have you been busy with lately? How is the progress at Qixin MEMS? What are the next steps?"
Upon hearing this question, Su Chen paused for a moment before speaking:
"During this period, I've mainly been working on two things. The first is developing the G1 industrial gateway. The core purpose of this product is to provide sufficient financial support for Qixin MEMS's independent DRIE etching process development."
After a pause, Su Chen continued:
"The second thing is the R&D on the MEMS side. Currently, the 'Pioneer Project' team at Qixin MEMS has entered a critical stage. I can reveal some information—my goal is to complete the prototype verification of the DRIE etching equipment within two months, that is, before the end of December."
"Then, following a pace of tackling one core process node every two months, we aim to achieve small-batch trial production of our independently developed MEMS sensors by June next year."
Upon hearing Su Chen's words, the reporters present were in an uproar.
Su Chen actually gave such a specific timetable!
The prototype verification of the DRIE etching equipment could be completed within two months? Everyone looked surprised and skeptical.
Thanks to various industry reports and expert explanations during this period, journalists have gained a certain understanding of the difficulty of the DRIE etching process and know that the development cycle of this equipment is usually calculated in "years".
Now Su Chen is actually claiming that he will produce a prototype for verification within two months? Isn't that a bit too confident?
"Mr. Su, are you sure you can complete the DRIE prototype verification within two months?"
Several reporters looked at Su Chen with suspicion.
Su Chen shrugged and gave a concise answer:
"That's right. We'll just have to wait for good news."
After speaking, Su Chen pointed to another reporter.
"Mr. Su, according to our information, we've received a large number of inquiries from companies applying to join the industry alliance in the past week. Could you please tell us the current membership number of the industry alliance? What is the booking situation on the G1 website? Could you also provide an estimate of the expected revenue?"
The reporter asked a question that made everyone in the room hold their breath.
Su Chen pondered for a moment.
He pondered whether to handle the data discreetly or to release it to boost the confidence of the team and the R&D personnel who were still working day and night on the "Project Pioneer".
After a brief consideration, Su Chen felt that under the current circumstances, the benefits of publicly announcing the data far outweighed those of keeping it low-key—this would not only boost team morale but also send a signal to the outside world that Hongyuan Feiniao's business model had proven successful.
Then he slowly began to speak:
"As of today, the total number of paid members of the Bird Industry Alliance has increased from 44 two weeks ago to 217. This includes 22 strategic members, 83 premium members, and 112 newly added basic members."
"hiss--"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Two weeks ago, the industry alliance was ridiculed by everyone for having "only 44 members," but now it has increased to 217 members.
Su Chen didn't stop and continued:
Regarding the G1 industrial gateway, although it has not yet been officially released, we have already received over 800 pre-orders. In addition, orders for the S1 flight control module are also growing, with total pre-orders exceeding 5,000.
"Wow!"
The scene instantly erupted in cheers.
Eight hundred G1 gateways! Five thousand S1 modules!
Reporters with strong mental arithmetic skills were already working at lightning speed in their minds.
Soon, someone calculated the first number.
Forty-four million!
A bespectacled male reporter slowly uttered the number that made even himself tremble slightly.
The annual fee revenue from strategic members alone—22 members multiplied by 2 million—is 44 million!
This is only for strategic members!
Then someone else calculated the income of premium members.
"Forty-one million!"
Eighty-three premium members multiplied by 500,000 equals more than forty million!
The annual fees for strategic members and premium members alone exceed 85 million!
Then there's the revenue from the G1 gateway—
"Eight hundred units multiplied by 9999 yuan... nearly eight million!"
There's also revenue from the S1 module—
"Five thousand times 1299 yuan... six million five hundred thousand!"
Other items include H-Link relay base stations, technical adaptation service fees, and future pre-sales of MEMS sensors…
A reporter took out a calculator on his phone, added up all the numbers he could calculate, and finally came up with a breathtaking total.
"One hundred million!"
The reporter's voice was trembling.
"Hongyuan Flying Bird's revenue forecast for this year... is at least 100 million!"
The moment the number was announced, the room fell completely silent.
After about three seconds of silence, everyone simultaneously erupted in incredulous gasps.
One billion!
Just two weeks ago, Hongyuan Feiniao was ridiculed by the entire industry for having "only 44 members" and being "doomed to failure." Now, its annual revenue is projected to exceed 100 million yuan!
Keep in mind that this is a startup company that has only been established for a little over a year, with a total of less than two hundred employees!
Moreover, this 100 million is a conservative estimate—if we take into account the new members after the summit, the continued sales of G1 gateways, and the expansion into overseas markets, the figure will only be higher.
More importantly, over 85 million of that 100 million comes from membership fees—meaning it's a net income with almost zero marginal cost!
No factories, no raw materials, no logistics required—enterprises pay membership fees, and Hongyuan Feiniao provides technical support and priority supply rights.
The profit margin of this business model would probably drive even SaaS internet companies crazy with envy.
Several reporters at the scene nearly dropped their recording pens.
These are professional reporters covering the technology sector; what kind of huge numbers haven't they seen? But the speed at which Hongyuan Feiniao reversed its fortunes from "bleak" to "one hundred million" still made their hearts pound.
How shocked would the entire industry be if they knew this news?
Many reporters at the scene had their eyes gleaming – the light of having caught a big story.
Su Chen shook his head slightly, then continued:
"However, I need to correct everyone's calculations. You've only calculated the superficial first 10% of revenue. In reality, Hongyuan Flying Bird's revenue structure has three layers."
Upon hearing Su Chen's words, all the reporters snapped out of their shock and immediately realized what was happening—
Yes, Hongyuan Feiniao offers more than just membership fees and G1 gateways. They also sell S1 modules, H-Link relay base stations, technical adaptation services, and future MEMS sensors!
Thinking of this, the reporters immediately fixed their gazes intently on Su Chen.
"The first layer is membership fees, which you've already calculated. The second layer is hardware sales—G1 gateways, S1 modules, and H-Link repeater base stations. The third layer is technical services—deep adaptation, solution customization, and data analysis."
Su Chen paused, then said something that sent chills down everyone's spine:
"And most importantly, this 30% revenue split is multiplicative, not additive. Each new member drives a chain reaction of demand for hardware and technical services. The more G1 gateways are sold, the more S1 modules and relay base stations are sold. The more S1 modules are sold, the more flight data is accumulated, the more accurate the AI model becomes, the stronger the G1 gateway's performance, and the more customers it attracts..."
"This is a forward-rotating flywheel."
He used a metaphor that everyone could understand.
"Once the flywheel starts spinning, it will spin faster and faster."
The scene was completely silent.
All the reporters were trying to decipher the meaning behind Su Chen's words.
This is not just a company that sells hardware, nor is it just a platform that collects membership fees.
This is an ecosystem.
An ecosystem that is almost impossible to leave once you join.
And Su Chen is the designer of this ecosystem.
……
Less than three hours after the interview, 36Kr's exclusive in-depth report was published online.
The title consists of only one line:
"From being ridiculed to earning over 100 million yuan a year: The flywheel effect of Hongyuan Flying Bird"
This report sparked a seismic discussion in the tech and investment communities.
On Zhihu, the "low-altitude observer" who previously wrote a long article mocking Hongyuan Feiniao's "industry alliance as doomed to failure" has quietly deleted his post.
On Weibo, the topic "Hongyuan Flying Bird earns over 100 million yuan a year" topped the trending tech search list.
On V2EX, someone started a thread titled: "What kind of game is Su Chen playing?"
The most upvoted comment under the post is only one sentence:
"You think he's selling hardware, but he's actually building an ecosystem. You think he's building an ecosystem, but he's actually nurturing MEMS. You think he's nurturing MEMS, but he's actually reconstructing the entire supply chain of the low-altitude flight industry."
Meanwhile, Su Chen returned to his office on the third floor after the interview.
He opened the virtual disassembly lab and brought up the 3D model of the DRIE etching equipment.
On the screen, a dense array of parameters were fluctuating—reaction chamber temperature, SF6/C4F8 gas flow ratio, RF power, base station bias voltage…
These are the data he spends three to four hours every night repeatedly simulating and optimizing.
Chen Guodong's team has already set up the framework of the DRIE verification platform in their Suzhou laboratory. Four former AMEC engineers brought by Shen Zhiming are conducting preliminary plasma etching experiments according to the parameters provided by Su Chen.
two months.
He promised the outside world that it would take two months.
However, according to the simulation results from the virtual disassembly lab, if everything goes smoothly, six weeks should be enough.
Su Chen kept two weeks' worth of food as reserves.
Because he knew all too well that in the field of MEMS, there will always be a gap between laboratory data and mass production data. No matter how accurate virtual simulation is, it can never completely replace real engineering verification.
But Su Chen believes that with the ample funding from the industry alliance and G1 gateway, the support of top talents like Chen Guodong, Shen Zhiming, and Liu Guoqiang, and the precise parameters provided daily by the virtual disassembly lab—
Two months is enough.
He closed the 3D model and opened the summit's agenda document.
The Flying Bird Technology Summit is in 6 days.
The official version of the G1 gateway's Siyuan 220 chip will arrive tomorrow.
Wu Zheng's team has prepared a setup plan for five official G1 gateways - three for on-site demonstration at the summit and two to be given as gifts to important clients attending the event.
Zhou Zhenguo's joint speech has undergone two rounds of revisions.
Lu Ming sent a message from Thailand saying that he had rushed back to Shenzhen with the complete demonstration video of the "Farmland Guardian" solution, and was preparing to give a five-minute case study presentation at the summit.
Everything is ready.
Su Chen leaned back in his chair, looking out at the Shenzhen skyline.
In late October, the sky in Shenzhen was so blue it looked like it had been washed.
The Flying Bird Technology Summit will be held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in six days.
At that time, the G1 industrial gateway will be officially unveiled to the entire industry.
Those who are still mocking Hongyuan Feiniao's "industrial alliance is doomed to failure" will witness a fact firsthand—
While the entire industry was arguing over ticket prices, Su Chen had already quietly built the entire castle.
Industry alliances are a moat.
The G1 gateway is like a city wall.
Qixin MEMS is the heart of the castle.
And the Flying Bird Technology Summit—
It was the moment the city gates were opened.