The Dream Factory of China

Andre Hui, a Qianhai-based Hong Kong entrepreneur, demonstrated his Yelp- and Baidu Map-like app to investors, media and other audience members at the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong 2nd Youth Maker Camp, which is a part of the 2016 National Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week at the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub (E Hub) yesterday. Hui was among 20 other teams’ representatives showcasing their new inventions in either Chinese or English at the camp.

The 20 Qianhai startup groups include 10 Hong Kong teams, one Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperative group and one Israeli company.

Hui, whose team has just settled at the E Hub, told the Shenzhen Daily that he thought Qianhai is attractive for Hong Kong young entrepreneurs.

“Currently, my app can only provide restaurant guidance to Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Beijing customers. The mainland market is important for our future development. Luckily, we have now moved to Qianhai, which is a gateway for us to get closer to our potential customers,” he said.

Renee Xu, a marketing manager of a skateboard company, said his Hong Kong team entered Qianhai in April and two months later they managed to start mass production.

“I can say that Qianhai and E Hub helped us find manufacturers in Bao’an. With Qianhai’s preferential policies and high media exposure, we became known very quickly and received over 2,000 orders, which is very promising for a startup company,” Xu said.

“Qianhai and the E Hub are our first and best choices to open up to the Chinese market,” said Roei Simantov, an Israeli founder and COO of a children e-book company. “As one of China’s free trade zones and the future Silicon Valley, Qianhai has a lot to offer and its preferential tax policies are appealing to us.”

Organized by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Qianhai Authority, Shenzhen Youth Federation and Hong Kong Federation of Youth Group, the camp includes an innovative products exhibition, startup road shows and a startup training camp for 40 startup teams that have entered the final round of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

E Hub was established in 2013. It has incubated 163 startup teams, including 71 Hong Kong and Macao teams, and introduced 12 incubators.