Shanghai hosts training camp for young entrepreneurs from home and abroad
City and district officials jointly launch the Shanghai Talent+ Summit Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Shanghai's downtown Yangpu District.
An entrepreneurship training camp was launched in Shanghai's downtown Yangpu District on Thursday to offer guidance and help seek investments for young entrepreneurs from universities at both home and abroad.
As part of the 3rd Shanghai Talent+ Summit, the Talent+ Entrepreneurship Bootcamp opened at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics' National University Science Park.
Sixty graduates from leading universities worldwide, including Harvard, Oxford, Fudan and Jiao Tong, will take part in three intensive training programs during the camp.
A third of the participants, who were selected from 171 applicants from across the world, are overseas returnees who have studied abroad, according to the city government-backed Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates, one of the hosts of the camp.
Their startup projects mainly cover artificial intelligence, intelligent technology/Internet technologies and semiconductors, along with some cross-border fields, such as the merger of AI and medical health, or modern agriculture and robotics, according to the foundation.
A senior investor gives lessons on the business value of enterprises to camp participants.
"Both domestic and international students have a strong desire to start businesses in Shanghai, demonstrating the powerful attraction of the city for talented young entrepreneurs," an official with the foundation said.
During the three-day camp, senior entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors will give lessons on topics such as "analyzing the business value of enterprises," "opportunities and challenges in information security in the era of AI," and "brand strategies for startups."
The students will also visit the China-Israel Innovation Hub in Putuo District to talk with Israeli entrepreneurs operating in the park.
As a highlight of the event, some successful entrepreneurs who were once supported by the foundation will share their experiences with the participants.
These included Wang Zhe, the founder and president of Lieju Tech, a platform using AI to serve real estate developers. He is a former outstanding graduate of the training program.
A participant at the bootcamp speaks with mentors.
"Shanghai, with its abundant talent and capital resources, is increasingly becoming the preferred location for startups to establish their headquarters," Wang told participants.
"The city offers numerous opportunities for exploring new technologies within traditional industries, allowing businesses to find their niche and achieve success," he added.
Wang resigned from a high-ranking position in a company in neighboring Jiangsu Province and took part in the training camp before founding his tech firm in Shanghai.
After the training camp, the foundation will organize investors and experts to evaluate the startup projects and offer investments to those projects with great development potential.
The foundation has held 70 entrepreneurship sessions, training more than 4,237 students since its establishment in 2016. Among them, 426 have received support from "angel investors," amounting to over 1 billion yuan (US$137 million).
