Entrepreneurs key to recovery from pandemic
Xie Jiangang, Party secretary of Yangpu, presents awards to the city's top 10 startup projects at the opening ceremony of the 14th Global Entrepreneurship Week China.
A global entrepreneurial ecosystem will help in getting through the economic crisis amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network said in Shanghai on Friday.
Jonathan Ortmans said entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned as they are used to uncertainty and unpredictable environments while being generally positive.
"I hope we can shine a spotlight on our startups that will be uniquely positioned to accelerate solutions that will lead us out of this economic crisis," he told the 14th Global Entrepreneurship Week China in Yangpu District in a video speech.
Ten local startups won Shanghai entrepreneurship awards at the beginning of the annual entrepreneurship week.
The startups, supported by the city government-backed Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates, were honored along with 10 angel investors who offered the biggest financial contributions to graduate entrepreneurs.
Winners included Sazhi Intelligence, which focuses on artificial intelligence robots that can replace human labor. Two of its latest robots checked the temperature of every attendee and disinfected the site automatically.
Thousands of entrepreneurs and investors will attend over 50 forums, project roadshows and negotiation meetings during the six-day entrepreneurship week to help startup projects attract investment.
This year’s event also focuses on startup projects and technologies to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic and support entrepreneurs in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Shanghai still lacks of an ambiance of entrepreneurship, said Chen Mingbo, deputy secretary general of the city government.
He said the week is expected to bring capital and technology together to create a better entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The foundation has sponsored over 3,000 startup projects since it was established in 2006, with investment from individuals and companies.
Many local startups, such as food delivery company Ele.me, laboratory equipment and reagent supplier Titan Technology, and mobile phone recovery platform Aihuishou, received their initial investment from the foundation.
The event is being held at the Shanghai International Fashion Center, the largest textile and fashion park in Asia. The site was renovated from the Shanghai No. 17 General Cotton Mill, which dates back more than eight decades.
The 14th Global Entrepreneurship Week China is launched at the Shanghai International Fashion Center.
