MetaCircle
Category: Foundation Models / LLMs
Tsinghua-linked AI-for-AI startup building 'meta models' that predict training performance and generate AI model architectures and hyperparameters. MetaCircle was founded in 2026. The company is led by Ziming Liu. Based in Beijing, China. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Shunwei Capital, Shanghai Future Industry Fund, StarLink Capital (星连资本), Junli Capital (君礼资本), Shanghai Semiconductor Industry Investment (上海半导体产投), 360 Strategic Investment, Shoucheng Capital (首程资本), Shanghai AI Industry Fund series, Baidu Ventures, Shanxing Capital (山行资本), Yunshi Capital (云时资本).
- Founded
- 2026
- Headquarters
- Beijing, China
Value proposition
Replaces compute-heavy trial-and-error model development with learned design intuition. Meta models predict how an unseen model will perform and automatically design architectures and training hyperparameters ('Scale Insight, not just Compute').
Products and solutions
Meta Model (general Meta Model 1.0 planned for 2027), auto-designed time-series prediction models for vertical use cases, ComfyResearch (graph-native AI experiment workbench), OPHIS (mechanistic auto-research method), nanoGPT Observable Library (training-dynamics inspection), Architecture IQ benchmark (upcoming, measures the model-training intuition of LLMs and human researchers), research releases such as 'Predicting Marin's Hero Run'.
Unique value
A KAN-based, physics-first-principles approach to AI for AI. It learns the regularities behind model performance, giving a 'map and GPS' for model design, unlike LLM-driven recursive self-improvement that relies on brute-force compute.
Target customer
AI model developers and research labs. Near-term focus is enterprises with continuous time-series data in industrial inspection, quantitative finance, weather forecasting, power-load forecasting, autonomous driving and world models.
Industries served
AI research / AI for AI, AI for Science, industrial inspection, quantitative finance, meteorology, power/energy forecasting, autonomous driving
Technology advantage
The founder's KAN research lineage gives an interpretable, white-box modeling foundation. The company builds training-performance prediction and mechanistic auto-research tooling and publishes open research releases. The team is young and drawn from Tsinghua and PKU. Its investor base mixes top VCs, industrial capital and state funds.
How they differentiate
Uses meta models grounded in the Science of AI and KAN to predict and design models, instead of compute-heavy LLM-based recursive self-improvement. It starts with narrower time-series prediction products to prove commercial value before releasing a general meta model.
Main competitors
Sakana AI (AI Scientist / automated research), RSI-focused neolabs such as Recursive, Google AutoML / neural architecture search tooling
Key partnerships
Tsinghua University College of AI and Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute (founder affiliations)
Major milestones
May 2026: company founded. Oct 2026: announced Seed (led by Shunwei Capital) and Seed+ rounds totaling hundreds of millions of RMB. Released OPHIS, ComfyResearch and the nanoGPT Observable Library. Architecture IQ benchmark is upcoming. Meta Model 1.0 is planned for 2027.
Growth metrics
Raised two consecutive rounds totaling hundreds of millions of RMB (exact amount undisclosed) within about 4-5 months of founding. Team average age is about 22.
Market positioning
Early-stage Chinese 'neolab' at the frontier of the AI-for-AI paradigm, backed by top-tier VCs, industrial capital and Shanghai state funds.
Geographic focus
China (Beijing/Shanghai), with global research visibility
About Ziming Liu
Founder & Chief Scientist of MetaCircle (no separate CEO publicly disclosed). Tenure-track Assistant Professor, College of AI, Tsinghua University (since Apr 2026); PI, Shanghai Qi Zhi Institute; Postdoc, Stanford (2025-2026); PhD in Physics (AI+Physics), MIT, advised by Max Tegmark (2021-2025); BS Physics, Peking University (2020). First author of KAN (Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks), with 16K+ GitHub stars and 5,700+ citations.
Latest news about MetaCircle
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Official website: https://www.meta-circle.com