The semifinal of the fourth Qianhai Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition kicked off Oct. 31 in Qianhai, attracting nearly 300 entrepreneurs to participate.
According to the organizers, over 2,000 projects have been accepted for the competition. They have been arranged into two groups, an enterprise group and a startup group. The total award money of the competition is 7 million yuan (US$992,600). The winners entering the final competition will split a 3-million-yuan prize. This year, the competition has set up a division in Taiwan to encourage young people from Taiwan to compete with entrepreneurs from other cities in China.
Themed “What’s Next,” the competition aims to provide guidance on entrepreneurship and is striving to become an entrepreneurial trend leader in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Xu Zhouming, CEO of A.I. Phoenix Technology Co. Ltd., said that he has been learning the development tendencies of Qianhai. “I wish to win the competition and benefit from favorable policies, such as low-rent office space or financial subsidies, so that I can relocate my company from Hong Kong to Qianhai,” he said.
An entrepreneur training camp was also held along with the competition. Cen Wei, a youth scholar and entrepreneurship tutor at Peking University HSBC Business School, shared his experience on how to reduce the risk of starting a business with the entrepreneurs at the camp. Entrepreneur representatives from Qianhai and Taiwan also shared their thoughts on how to utilize the platform in Qianhai for innovative and entrepreneurial careers.
The competition was jointly held by the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen, the municipal offices of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan affairs, the Economic Bureau of Macao SAR and Shenzhen Media Group.
Since its launch in 2016, the competition has attracted more than 3,000 projects, including over 1,000 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The competition has promoted the transformation of scientific and technological achievements from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and has played a positive role in attracting Hong Kong and Macao youngsters to start businesses on the mainland.