BEIJING, CHINA (REUTERS) - It's the end of a long working day at the DouMiYouPin Technology Development Company in Beijing, but these employees aren't leaving.

They have beds at the office so they don't have to face commuting home after spending anything up to 16 hours at their desks.

Liu Zhanyu saves more than an hour each way, staying Monday to Friday in a cramped room with his colleagues.

"As a member of DouMi I think this is quite normal. As our boss always says, we're woken by our ambitions, so we won't feel tired. The hardest part is that sometimes I can't see my child, just like our boss who usually has a video chat with his child every night, which makes me feel sad, but I think men should take some responsibilities and make achievements at work," said Mr Liu.

Many Chinese tech start-ups are following suit to get more out of their staff during work days. Such firms are booming in China where investment by banks in tech ventures is fuelling competition between them.

Venture capital investments in tech start-ups last year more than doubled to over US$32 billion (S$43.8 billion). In the tough new world of Chinese tech start-ups, workers literally can sleep their way to the top - but at a cost to their family lives.