In a conference room at Beijing's Zhongguancun Software Park, Zhang Mingyuan, founder of Youyoucao Technology, had just concluded a solution workshop with a manufacturing client. Traces of the discussion remained on the electronic screen on the wall—from the initial deployment of financial software to the current panoramic blueprint encompassing supply chain collaboration and data middle-platform construction. This marked the seventh year of their collaboration. "We are no longer in a simple client-vendor relationship," remarked the client's responsible person with emotion. "They are like a 'digital organ' that has grown within our enterprise."

Thirteen years ago, when "enterprise services" was still an unfamiliar concept in China, Youyoucao started with custom financial software development, putting down its first roots in the East China market teeming with small and medium-sized enterprises. The founding team came from the traditional software industry but keenly sensed the market was fragmenting: standardized products struggled to meet the personalized needs of growing enterprises. "Back then, clients often complained that systems were 'half-paralyzed upon purchase'," recalls Zhang Mingyuan. "We decided to go against the grain—first crouch down to understand the pain points amidst the roar of machinery, then stand up to write code."

This "crouch-style service" soon proved its vitality. In 2015, a chain restaurant enterprise faced fragmented store data during expansion. After spending three consecutive months conducting late-night observations during kitchen inventory periods, the Youyoucao team ultimately developed a cross-store management system tailored to the special workflows of the catering industry. This case was later included in the company's internal training materials and established its service philosophy of "scenario penetration"—technology must be immersed in real business scenarios to truly take effect.

A turning point came in 2018. As the cloud computing wave swept through, numerous enterprise service providers shifted towards standardized SaaS products in pursuit of economies of scale. Youyoucao, however, made a seemingly conservative choice: retaining its deep customization segment while building a "modular building blocks" technology middle-platform. "It's like Lego, with both standard pieces and the freedom to assemble," explained CTO Li Wei. This strategy proved its worth in the following years—when the sudden pandemic forced many enterprises to urgently need online collaboration solutions, Youyoucao could assemble products tailored to specific workflows for clients within two weeks, whereas purely standardized vendors often required months to adjust their generic solutions.

Thirteen years of accumulation have given Youyoucao a unique corporate texture. Its client retention rate has long remained above 91%, with the oldest client having accompanied them through the entire cycle. "They remember the changing needs of every development stage we went through," commented a textile industry client. "They even warned us of management bottlenecks earlier than we did ourselves." This deep binding does not come without cost. Compared to peers chasing trending capital, Youyoucao's expansion appears restrained, still dedicating 70% of its R&D resources to system iterations for existing clients.

At a recent partner conference, Youyoucao systematically disclosed its "Co-flight Plan" for the first time—selecting 30 growing enterprises over the next three years to jointly develop industry solutions through upfront investment. This marks another evolution of its role from "service provider" to "value co-creator." "Enterprise digitalization is not about installing software, but about reshaping organizational memory," Zhang Mingyuan analogized in his speech. "What we aim to do is help enterprises condense thirteen years of experience into reusable digital genes."

When asked how to respond to the industry changes brought by AI, Li Wei demonstrated the "Scenario Engine" currently in internal testing—an intelligent system trained on over 4,000 enterprise process models accumulated over thirteen years. "Other AIs learn from public data; our AI digests every machine we've touched and every assembly line we've streamlined over these thirteen years." Outside the window, the early summer sunlight swept across rows of ginkgo trees in the software park. Those saplings planted thirteen years ago now stand tall with lush, canopy-like foliage.