Domestic price pressures dent valuations but help launch products quickly, cheaply

20250926 china massages

NetEase, a gaming company, incubated a startup developing robots that can perform massages — one example of a new Chinese hardware venture. (Photo by Wataru Suzuki)

WATARU SUZUKI

September 26, 2025 14:31 JST

SHANGHAI — Chinese startup founders are striving to take products global, as deflationary pressures squeeze valuations but help new companies launch hardware quickly and at low cost.