— On May 10, the 7th Shanghai Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum for Young Professionals, themed “Growing Together: Youth and the City,” was held at the Shanghai Tower.
Forum organizers stated that Shanghai upholds the city’s values of openness, innovation, and inclusiveness, and is committed to supporting young innovators and entrepreneurs with the greatest sincerity while advancing the development of a youth-friendly city. As an important platform for implementing China’s innovation-driven development strategy, fostering new quality productive forces, and supporting Shanghai’s development into an international science and technology innovation center, the forum focuses on the needs of young entrepreneurs by creating exchange platforms, facilitating diverse collaboration, and providing practical support. Through continuous upgrading and optimization, the forum strengthens innovation and entrepreneurship service systems, support mechanisms, and ecosystem development, injecting youthful momentum into Shanghai’s efforts to build a globally influential modern socialist international metropolis.
This year’s forum continued the “Main Forum + Sci-Tech Carnival” format. The main forum featured major sessions including project announcements, policy briefings, keynote speeches, and panel discussions. The Sci-Tech Carnival showcased youth-led innovation projects and promoted financing, matchmaking, and commercialization opportunities. The forum also partnered with alumni networks from Stanford University, National University of Singapore, and The University of Hong Kong to host parallel youth innovation and entrepreneurship events, fostering international exchange and collaboration while helping more young talent from China and abroad engage with Shanghai.
Innovation Momentum Accelerates as Youth Grow Alongside the City
During the keynote speech session, speakers from various sectors explored the mutually reinforcing relationship between young talent and urban development. Michael Levitt, recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and professor at Stanford University, noted that Shanghai’s comprehensive innovation industry chain provides fertile ground for young entrepreneurs to transform laboratory technologies into commercial applications.
Lan Ximu Amidi, Co-founder of Plug and Play Global, shared practical insights into how technology incubation empowers startups and creates mutual growth opportunities for both young entrepreneurs and the city. Other speakers, including Shen Yichen, Chairman of EnlightenMind Technology, Wang Jialiang, Founder of CooTek, Ying Zhenkai, Chairman of PATEO CONNECT+, and Nan Yi, Chairman of Universal Investment Group, discussed Shanghai’s advantages as a diverse and integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem from perspectives including long-term business development, AI empowerment, urban value creation, and support for youth-led projects.
The forum also announced the “2026 Shanghai Young Technology Entrepreneurs” and “2026 Shanghai Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Achievements.” The 20 selected young representatives are active in sectors such as new energy, high-temperature superconductivity, industrial software, advanced equipment manufacturing, integrated circuits, commercial aerospace, automotive electronics, and artificial intelligence. Focused on tackling key technological challenges and accelerating commercialization of research, they have achieved breakthroughs in areas including optical encoder chips, industrial AI foundation models, localization of nano- and micro-material equipment, eVTOL aviation solutions, high-end medical devices, and nuclear fusion technologies, contributing strong momentum to Shanghai’s industrial innovation and frontier technology development.
During the “Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Shanghai” panel discussion, Zhou Yuxiang, Founder and CEO of Black Lake Technologies, Xiong Yinjiang, Founder and Chairman of Photon Intelligence Technology, Lin Lin, Founder and CEO of Huihe Medical, and humanoid robot Xiaoyuan from AgiBot Lingxi X2 engaged in in-depth discussions and shared practical advice for young entrepreneurs.
A Continuously Evolving Innovation Ecosystem Supporting Youth Ambitions
Shanghai continues to improve its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem to support the growth of young innovators. During the policy briefing session, officials from relevant Shanghai authorities introduced Pudong’s innovation and entrepreneurship development strategy and Shanghai’s 15th Five-Year Industrial Development Plan, outlining support measures across policy incentives, innovation spaces, financial resources, and talent development.
The forum also launched the “Shanghai Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Policy Service Package.” Through a dedicated section on the “Suishenban” platform, the initiative integrates 1,296 active municipal policies and exclusive support measures from eight youth entrepreneurship bases, enabling “one-stop access through a single QR code.” Young entrepreneurs can directly browse and apply for policies on-site, making resources and support more accessible.
This year’s forum also unveiled the Shanghai University Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Seed Program and the Shanghai University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consortium. The Seed Program plans to provide RMB 500 million in direct equity investment and RMB 5 billion in credit support, focusing on sectors including artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, advanced equipment manufacturing, new materials, and new energy. Through “one-on-one” innovation camp services, the program aims to precisely match the needs of university entrepreneurs. Initiated by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Shanghai University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Consortium brings together leading innovation and entrepreneurship education resources from universities in and outside Shanghai to build a full-chain ecosystem integrating education exchange, financial support, collaborative incubation, and commercialization.
Meanwhile, the “Shanghai Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Camp” remains open to young innovators worldwide, offering systematic hands-on courses tailored to different sectors, supported by professional mentors and practical training programs. The initiative aims to build a comprehensive growth pathway from early-stage ideas to business implementation.
Precision Resource Matching Accelerates Commercialization of Innovation
In the afternoon, the Shanghai Youth Sci-Tech Carnival officially opened, bringing together faculty and students from more than ten leading universities, over 100 investment institutions, thousands of young innovators, and innovation carrier resources spanning over 10,000 square meters. The event created a practical platform for project roadshows, investment matchmaking, and resource expansion.
The carnival featured five specialized tracks: integrated circuits, biomedicine, artificial intelligence, future industries, and dedicated sessions for Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas participants. Twenty projects participated in roadshows evaluated by panels composed of investment institutions, industry experts, and leading enterprises. More than 300 innovation projects engaged in intensive interactions with investors and industry partners through scheduled meetings and open networking sessions, enabling precise matchmaking, accelerating project implementation, and helping youth-driven innovation take root within vibrant capital and industrial ecosystems.
For the first time, this year’s forum also collaborated with universities to host the “Siyuan Zhiyuan · Innovating the Future AI+ Sci-Tech Carnival” at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The event connected eight Shanghai youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases with financial institutions and corporate resources to establish a five-dimensional support system integrating talent, technology, capital, space, and application scenarios.
Over the previous six editions, the forum has attracted more than 2,500 outstanding young participants, recognized 40 annual innovation and entrepreneurship projects and 30 annual technology innovators, supported 37 companies in becoming “specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative” enterprises, and helped eight companies list on the STAR Market. Today, the forum has established a “1+N” brand ecosystem and a year-round “1+365” service framework, continuously serving as a hub for intellectual exchange, resource integration, and entrepreneurial collaboration.
Looking ahead, Shanghai is extending an open invitation to young people worldwide with the confidence and commitment of a city driven by innovation. Together, the city and its young innovators will write a new chapter in building a globally influential science and technology innovation hub.
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