Competition to find top young cross-Strait entrepreneurs

The Shanghai Cross-Strait Youth Entrepreneurship Competition kicked off its sixth edition on Monday, with the metaverse an important theme.

The event was first launched in 2016 by the Cross-Strait Entrepreneur Summit, the Shanghai Taiwan-invested Enterprise Alliance, the Shanghai Employment Promotion Center, the Shanghai (Jinshan) Cross-Strait Youth Entrepreneurship Base and some other parties, and attracted more than 7,000 young entrepreneurs to present 2,776 programs over the past five editions.

This year, individuals aged no older than 45 or teams with an average age of 45 and below from at home and abroad can submit entries through the competition's website (http://2022.jskechuang.cn/) by August 15.

There are five sections – optoelectronic and semiconductor integrated circuits, life and health, smart manufacturing, cultural creativity and the digital economy, which are all key industries that Shanghai is trying to develop.

Notably, metaverse is included in the digital economy section for the first time in the competition aside from virtual human, big data-based consultation, e-commerce and SaaS (Software as a Service).

Up to 80 projects will be selected to be presented in Shanghai, Taipei or Guangzhou to vie for 20 tickets to the final scheduled on September 23 in Shanghai.

During the competition, organizers will invite venture capital institutions and experts in law, tax and entrepreneurship to deliver lectures and training for participants. A conference will also be organized during the competition to share experiences and wisdom on starting businesses.

Winners will receive a bonus of 10,000 yuan to 200,000 yuan (US$1,500-30,000) in cash and tailored services if they decide to land their projects in the Shanghai (Jinshan) Cross-Strait Youth Entrepreneurship Base.