Cutting-edge technology: Starting with individual stealth equipment

Chapter 116 Top-Tier National Team Institutions' Strategic Investment

After Lin Chuan reported on quantum energy storage, the country's attention to him increased dramatically.

His exceptional innovative capabilities are considered by the nation to be a valuable, albeit quantifiable, strategic asset—a humanoid mobile robot.

In just a few years, they have developed so many strategic-level innovative technologies.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuan already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

The national team seems to have decided to invest in DeepBlue Technology, no longer viewing it as an outstanding private technology company, but rather as a strategic-level technology innovation enterprise.

This was something Lin Chuan had anticipated from the beginning. The national team's strategic investment in this company was not a shrewd move; it was an attempt to elevate Lin Chuan and the company to a strategic level, involving the allocation of national-level strategic resources.

To put it bluntly, it means we're going to really invest a lot of money.

However, it's impossible to give it away for free, so it's inevitable that the state-owned enterprises will take a stake. Otherwise, why would they give private enterprises such national-level strategic resources?

Under normal circumstances, only those super-large state-owned enterprises can be allocated national-level strategic resources.

As long as the national team invests strategically, it means that DeepBlue Technology will not be subject to so-called anti-monopoly investigations for any monopoly it achieves in its industry based on its own abilities and technology. This directly opens up the ceiling for its scale and size.

If reaching a scale of trillions was the limit before, then with the strategic investment of the national team, there is basically no upper limit. A scale of ten trillions or even higher is not a problem as long as Lin Chuan has the ability to achieve it.

Less than a week after Wang Chengjun left, a new visitor arrived.

This is He Yunting, a special commissioner from Beijing. He is about fifty years old, with a gentle face, and looks like someone from the system.

In a reception room at DeepBlue Technology's new headquarters.

Lin Chuan glanced at He Yunting and extended his hand, saying, "Director He, welcome."

He Yunting grasped his hand and said with a smile, "Comrade Lin Chuan, it's an honor to meet you."

The two took their seats as host and guest, and Shen Yuxin served tea before leaving and closing the door behind her.

He Yunting didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Comrade Lin Chuan, the country attaches great importance to you and Deep Blue Technology. I can tell you directly that it's a strategic level of importance."

"DeepBlue Technology's technological breakthroughs to date all possess extremely strong strategic value."

"Some technologies are even directly related to the lifeline of national security. Your innovation capabilities are no longer as simple as those of an ordinary private enterprise to the country."

Lin Chuan listened quietly without interrupting him.

He Yunting continued, "Based on this series of assessments, the state has decided to allow several central state-owned enterprises to strategically invest in DeepBlue Technology, while also requiring the seven external investors currently holding shares in DeepBlue Technology to completely withdraw."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Lin Chuan's reaction.

Lin Chuan's expression remained unchanged; this did not stir any emotion within him whatsoever.

From the very beginning of founding DeepBlue Technology, it was clear that as the company gradually grew and its strategic value continued to rise, the investment of state-owned enterprises was an inevitable event.

There is no "if," only the question of "when."

After a moment, Lin Chuan asked the most direct question: "Director He, if the national team makes a strategic investment, who has the final say in DeepBlue Technology?"

This still needs to be clarified, and Lin Chuan spoke frankly.

He Yunting answered without hesitation: "You founded the company, so of course you have the final say. The government won't interfere with your decisions regarding the company's daily operations and management. But there are two basic requirements."

"Speaking."

"First, DeepBlue Technology's strategic direction must be highly aligned with national interests. I believe this is something you understand."

It's a constraint.

Lin Chuan nodded; he couldn't offer any reason to object to this request.

In principle, this should apply to any Chinese company, regardless of whether state-owned enterprises have invested in it.

He Yunting continued, "Secondly, after the national team's strategic investment, DeepBlue Technology must allocate at least 30% of its net profit as cash dividends each year to replenish the national treasury."

Upon hearing this second condition, Lin Chuan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he couldn't help but smile.

In fact, even without this condition, Lin Chuan would have allowed Deep Blue Technology to distribute large dividends regularly, since he himself was the company's largest shareholder and the biggest beneficiary of the dividends.

However, this second condition further confirms that DeepBlue Technology will receive strong support from national-level strategic resources in the future.

Since a large dividend needs to be distributed every year, DeepBlue Technology must ensure that it has a sufficiently large profit to support this dividend. A sufficiently large profit means having a large enough market share and strong enough pricing power.

In other words, as long as DeepBlue Technology achieves its monopoly in its own field through genuine ability and core technology, the country will not easily resort to anti-monopoly measures to dismantle its market position.

Hearing this, Lin Chuan smiled and said, "Cash dividends are no problem. As long as the company's profitability is outstanding, it's not impossible to distribute half of the net profit as dividends."

As the largest shareholder of DeepBlue Technology, the more dividends Lin Chuan receives, the more money he will get.

Generally, when a company distributes a large portion of its net profit as dividends, it means that the funds available for reinvestment and expansion of production are reduced, which will directly limit the company's future growth rate and scale of development.

For most listed companies, distributing 10% of their net profit as dividends is already considered extremely generous.

But Lin Chuan did not feel pressured, because the impact on Deep Blue Technology was far less than any outsider could imagine.

Other technology companies rely on huge R&D funds to conduct long and uncertain explorations, but DeepBlue Technology does not need to do that.

Lin Chuan possesses a hyperdimensional technology library, unlocking complete technological pathways and experimental data.

This is an open-book exam. Technological breakthroughs that other companies can achieve with 10 billion yuan of R&D investment may only require a few hundred million yuan in engineering verification fees at DeepBlue Technology.

This means that DeepBlue Technology will never need to retain huge profits within the company as R&D reserve funds, like other tech giants.

Large-scale dividends will not hinder DeepBlue Technology's development; on the contrary, they will directly benefit the country's finances.

The more dividends the country receives from DeepBlue Technology, the more significant DeepBlue Technology becomes in the country's strategic layout.

In Lin Chuan's eyes, large-scale dividends were never just a matter of money.

Finally, He Yunting couldn't help but laugh and say, "Alright, that would be perfect."

Lin Chuan then raised another issue: "The seven investment institutions currently hold a total of 21% of DeepBlue Technology's shares. When these institutions were introduced, the investment agreement included a restrictive clause that if they were to exit early, a total of 3000 billion yuan in dividends must be distributed first; otherwise, they have the right to refuse."

After listening, He Yunting said in a deep voice, "With 21% of the shares and 3000 billion in dividends distributed proportionally, the seven institutions will receive a total of 630 billion."

After a pause, He Yunting looked at Lin Chuan: "This isn't a big problem. You go and communicate with them first, and see if you can modify the terms of the agreement so that they can take the money and leave early."

He then added, "If they are willing, you can apply for a bank loan in the name of DeepBlue Technology, use the money to redeem the shares they hold, and then state-owned institutions can strategically invest in DeepBlue Technology. Use this financing to settle the bank loan, and use the remainder for the company's development."

Clearly, the national team's strategic investment this time involves offering a higher premium, in order to ensure that DeepBlue Technology has sufficient funds to support its future development.

Quantum energy storage has been regarded as the next generation of strategic energy infrastructure, and the positioning of infrastructure means that the implementation of this technology will require a lot of investment.

National-level institutions bring in huge sums of money through strategic equity investments, offering higher premiums, which is equivalent to indirectly subsidizing DeepBlue Technology and promoting the rapid implementation of the technology industry.

As for the other side demanding large-scale dividends, that's a separate matter, and the two should not be confused.

Lin Chuan immediately asked, "What if these investment institutions don't agree?"

Upon hearing this, He Yunting smiled confidently and said, "They will agree. They shouldn't be so ungrateful."

Lin Chuan immediately understood the implication.

If the investors really don't agree and let you leave with your money, but you're still so greedy and unwilling to go, then you're just asking for trouble.

Moreover, none of the investors have voting rights, so it would be easy to kick them out.

It's just a little troublesome, like the process of replacing one bird with another.

Lin Chuan could easily transfer the company's technology outright without distributing any dividends, and then deliberately and legally inflate the company's losses over several years until it becomes insolvent and goes bankrupt.

If they actually did that, the seven major investors wouldn't get a penny, and they'd lose all their principal.

Lin Chuan immediately nodded: "Okay, I'll talk to them later. I don't think there should be any major issues with amending the agreement."

After a moment, Lin Chuan steered the conversation to the next point: "Director He, how does the national team plan to invest? What percentage of shares will they acquire?"

All the previous discussions, whether it was about profit-sharing ratios, investor exit, or agreement amendments, were all aimed at clearing away external obstacles.

That's the only time we've gotten to the real core issue.

He Yunting took a document out of his briefcase and unfolded it on the table.

"The national team holds a 45% stake."

When Lin Chuan heard about this shareholding ratio, it was in line with his expectations.

Although his equity will be diluted again, the entry of the national team not only means that from now on there will be national-level support, but also that DeepBlue Technology's overall scale can be expanded, even without any upper limit.

这就好比你持股100%但公司体量做到100亿就到顶了，而你持股20%但公司体量可以做到10万亿，后者看似股权少了80%，但这20%的实际价值就是2万亿，是前者持股100%的200

Double the value.

Therefore, from a value perspective, the dilution of equity is not the key issue; the key issue is whether the overall size can be increased as a result of the dilution.

He Yunting continued, "The specific arrangements are as follows: CIC holds 25% of the shares, SDIC holds 10%, China Reform Holdings holds 5%, and CCB holds 5%. These four major institutions will jointly participate."

Lin Chuan was quite surprised when he heard these four names.

This is absolutely an epic lineup of top-tier talent; any one of the four national team organizations could be considered an epic behemoth in its own right.

Now, they will appear together on the shareholder register of the same company.

For example, China Investment Corporation (CIC), established in 2007, is a sovereign wealth fund with a registered capital of US$2000 billion. The renowned Central Huijin Investment Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIC.

For example, the State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC) undertakes the core function of guiding state-owned capital towards strategic emerging industries and national security, and holds trillions of yuan in assets.

He Yunting looked at Lin Chuan: "The state's 45% share of equity will never be diluted and will always remain at this ratio. As for the other 55%, you can allocate it however you want, as long as it is legal and compliant. The state will not interfere."

Even after the national team strategically acquired a 45% stake, Lin Chuan remains the controlling shareholder and actual controller of DeepBlue Technology, and he is fully responsible for all of the company's operations.

The country only has two bottom-line requirements, which are the two mentioned above.

Finally, Lin Chuan asked, "When will the shareholding be completed?"

"There's no rush," He Yunting replied. "The equity investment plan of the four major institutions still needs to go through internal procedures. Besides, the exit of those seven investors needs to be resolved first."

Lin Chuan nodded.

He Yunting added: "At this stage, you should develop according to your own ideas. The country will be watching and protecting you in secret. If you need any policy support or encounter any insurmountable obstacles, just tell me and I will pass it on to my superiors."

Lin Chuan nodded again. This was the benefit of having national strategic support.

He Yun put the document back into his briefcase.

"After the equity transfer is completed, the four directors appointed by the four central state-owned enterprises among the major shareholders will all come."

"However, you don't need to worry about any obstacles or power struggles. You have the right to nominate more than half of the directors, and the country fully recognizes you as the captain of this fleet. It will never allow anyone to cause trouble internally."

The matter was settled, including the distribution of the cake.

He Yunting closed his briefcase and stood up.

Lin Chuan also stood up, and the two shook hands again.

After He Yunting left, Lin Chuan returned to his office and mentally reviewed the entire conversation from beginning to end.

The entry of four top-tier national institutions—China Investment Corporation (CIC), China Investment Corporation (CIC), China Reform Holdings Corporation (CRHC), and China Construction Bank (CCB)—together, these four institutions hold a 45% stake, signifying that DeepBlue Technology will henceforth play a crucial role in the national strategic chessboard.

With national-level credit backing and national-level strategic resource support, DeepBlue Technology will have unimpeded policy channels for future development in various fields.

It is also a get-out-of-jail-free card in all strategic industries involving national security, preventing them from being harmed by the anti-monopoly stick.

It is also an invisible backing that can provide immediate support from the state when encountering external resistance.

Lin Chuan returned to his desk and sat down, then picked up the internal phone to call Shen Yuxin: "Make an appointment with the heads of the seven investment institutions, set a time, and invite them all over for a meeting."