"When starting my business, I had two options: the U.S. or China. I chose China in the end because I wanted to contribute to this country," said Nie Hui, founder of Nvision Technology. Shortly after participating in the "Haichuang Pudong" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for returned overseas students, he immediately joined the 16th season of the "895 Entrepreneurship Camp" organized by Zhangjiang Hi-Tech, focusing on the intelligent computing session.
At the recent "Haichuang Pudong" competition, Nvision Technology won the title of "Technology Innovation Star" by its cutting-edge self-developed "optoelectronic integration platform." As soon as Nie Hui stepped off the stage after his presentation, he was apporached by representatives from investment institutions eager to connect on WeChat and extend olive branches for further collaboration.
Such bustling networking scenes are a common sight at Pudong’s “Entrepreneurship Camps.” This month, the 11th session of the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp also kicked off with a focus on artificial intelligence, attracting over 30 emerging AI companies.
Why are Pudong’s entrepreneurship camps so highly sought after? Many entrepreneurs note that the district’s “culture of innovation” makes aspiring founders feel more secure and confident to pursue their ambitions without hesitation.
The atmosphere of “like-minded collaboration” has given daring and experimental entrepreneurs greater confidence.
At the Luckin Coffee shop on the first floor of Building 2 in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park’s Guoshoujing Garden, the density of innovators surges whenever the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp is in session. Ouyang Zhuoyuan, co-founder of Shanghai Liansu Information Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as “Liansu Technology”), is a regular here.
“I was a participant in the ninth cohort, and when the tenth season was launched, our team was given another opportunity to present ourselves. When newcomers needed visual design work for posters, they immediately thought of us—the ‘alumnae’ from the previous cohort. Now both my company and this new partner have settled in Pudong Software Park to pursue our entrepreneurial dreams,” shared Ouyang Zhuoyuan, an articulate and experienced serial entrepreneur.
Back in 2016, Ouyang had already founded a tech incubator, where she met many like-minded entrepreneurs. During that time, she keenly felt that mobile internet was in a phase of rapid development. Seizing the opportunity, she and her partners co-developed several mobile tools and games.
For Ouyang Zhuoyuan, choosing a place to start a business hinges on a "shared vision and synergy." “I choose to join the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp because each season of the camp is focused and thematic, which means we can identify the right industry partners with minimal time and human resource costs. This is something generalized competitions can’t offer,” she explained. For startups, truly understanding the regional industrial environment and park ecosystem requires firsthand involvement is far beyond what brochures or exhibition boards can provide.
After participating in the ninth season of the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp in 2023, Ouyang and her team decided to stay at Pudong Software Park to continue their entrepreneurial journey. They are now focused on becoming technical partners for the new generation of AI developers and encouraging more talent to join the development of generative AI products.
“Now I often meet up with friends from the entrepreneurship camp at the Luckin Coffee shop in Purosoft. We talk about the challenges we’ve faced and new opportunities we see. Purosoft truly feels like a home base for us entrepreneurs,” she said.
Huang Lihong, Director of the Shanghai Technology Entrepreneurship Center, acknowledged the achievements of the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp over the past decade. She stated that through years of development, the camp has become a well-recognized brand within Zhangjiang and across Shanghai’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
It is reported that over the past decade, the Purosoft Entrepreneurship Camp has helped foster the growth of more than 350 entrepreneurs. Among them, two companies have successfully gone public, and nearly ten have grown into unicorn or soonicorn companies.
“In the future, Pudong Software Park will further develop an open innovation community, map out a forward-looking technology roadmap, and provide full-cycle growth empowerment for entrepreneurs,” said Nie Ying, General Manager of Shanghai Pudong Software Park Co., Ltd.
Empowering Innovators in "Industries of the Future" with Upgraded Services
Chen Hailing, who leads the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Entrepreneurship Camp, has dozens of WeChat groups on her phone—each representing a cohort of startups she knows inside and out. “The camp is now in its 16th season,” says Chen. “We aim to provide entrepreneurial teams not only with opportunities to connect and cooperate with leading companies in the industrial chain but also with comprehensive startup training. We will also focus on projects from our incubators and the camp itself—investing early in small hard-tech ventures—offering capital support to incubated companies.”
A case in point is the recently admitted Nvision Technology, which possesses unique and advanced wafer-level optoelectronic heterogeneous integration technology. Its founder, Nie Hui, brings 30 years of experience in optoelectronic devices. Recognizing the potential of the project, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech also aims to provide Nvision with full-industry-chain networking services.
On the opening day of the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Entrepreneurship Camp (Season 16) intelligent computing session, a leading state-owned “anchor enterprise” took a strong interest in Nvision Technology right at the scene.
“We hope to have the opportunity to collaborate with Nvision Technology. Without the platform provided by Zhangjiang Hi-Tech’s Entrepreneurship Camp, it might not have been possible to find the right partner this quickly,” said a representative of the company.
In Nie Hui’s view, Pudong and Zhangjiang are among the best locations for entrepreneurs in artificial intelligence and integrated circuits.
“This is the first entrepreneurship competition I’ve participated in. It offers startups like ours a great opportunity to introduce ourselves, engage with the industry, and connect with various companies across the industrial chain—it could spark new ideas.”
It is reported that since its inception in 2015, the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech 895 Entrepreneurship Camp has nurtured 437 tech companies with a combined valuation of RMB 170 billion. Starting from its eighth season, the camp entered its 2.0 era, deepening its focus on specific sectors by hosting dedicated sessions on integrated circuits, biopharmaceuticals, information security, and aerospace. Now, at the launch of the new season, the 895 Camp has officially entered its 3.0 era. Specifically, this new model introduces a format of “Anchor Enterprise Demand Release + Startup Technology Matching.” Through this approach, leading companies publish needs related to technological breakthroughs, scenario optimization, and collaborative R&D, while camp participants gain direct access to orders, financing, and merger opportunities—accelerating the commercialization of technology and driving both technical innovation and industrial upgrading.
Entrepreneurship Camps Create a Win-Win Platform
In recent years, various parks in Pudong have launched entrepreneurship camps and innovation competitions designed to stimulate creativity and venture creation, attracting startup teams from across the country and even globally.
Many of these camps have been running for over a decade. What fuels their enduring appeal and driving force? Industry experts believe the key lies in their role as a “win-win platform”: For startups, the full-lifecycle entrepreneurial support system built by the parks provides continuous assistance—from seed incubation and investment services to market expansion. For the parks themselves, these camps generate a chain reaction: “Introducing one team can boost an industry and energize an entire zone.”
A prime example is Fourier Intelligence. Starting out in one of Pudong’s entrepreneurship camps, it was incubated locally, grew steadily, and has now become a leading humanoid robotics company. Through open-source initiatives and other efforts, it continues to empower the industrial ecosystem and has attracted upstream and downstream partners to gather in Pudong.
This high-quality innovation and entrepreneurship environment has nurtured a cohort of high-potential companies. According to relevant data, in 2024, nearly 1,000 enterprises in Pudong registered for innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, with 17 reaching the finals. Furthermore, as of 2024, Pudong’s sci-tech innovation ecosystem includes 7 high-quality incubators, 202 innovative incubators, and 9 technology accelerators—together providing comprehensive support throughout the entire innovation chain, concentrating all essential resources, and radiating influence across the full spectrum of growth stages.
