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Shanghai has initiated registration for the upcoming “Startup in Shanghai,” an annual international competition in innovation and entrepreneurship that has been held for over ten years. This event serves as a key platform for identifying and nurturing small and medium-sized tech companies while fostering a vibrant innovation ecosystem.
This year’s competition will continue to prioritize cutting-edge technology projects, emphasizing support for emerging industries. The platform aims to enhance its support system for participating businesses and welcomes innovative tech projects from around the world, stated Huang Lihong, director of the Shanghai Technology Innovation Center, during the launch event.
Since its inception in 2012, nearly 70,000 tech innovation companies have participated, with 94 having gone public. As a premier venue for discovering and developing tech firms, the evaluation process tends to favor hard tech ventures and projects.
Since last year, teams and companies that are still in the early stages—those not yet registered or newly founded—have been allowed to participate. This initiative helps promising projects in their idea phase gain early approval to enter the market. Last year alone, 453 projects from unregistered firms competed, and by year’s end, 66 teams with registered companies had been recognized, according to data from the innovation center.
A standout example is Yixin Technology, a startup specializing in designing electronic design automation software for next-generation 2.5- and 3D-stacked chips, which won the top team award last year without being officially registered at the time of entry. The company recently settled in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Science City.
Zhao Yi, founder of Yixin Technology, explained that the decision to establish in Zhangjiang was influenced by the area’s strong supply chain support. “There are many chip design firms in Zhangjiang, and this environment, rich with clients, helps shorten our R&D-to-market cycle,” Zhao said.
Supportive policies and consistent financial backing are vital for the ongoing growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Data from the organizers shows that last year, 32 participants secured a combined CNY 2.8 billion (approximately USD 404.4 million) in equity funding from leading venture capital firms.
Yu Haitao, founder of Maizhen Electronics Technology, highlighted the importance of the local investment environment. “For entrepreneurs, access to financing is crucial when choosing where to locate their companies. The recent rise of industrial investment funds in Shanghai over the past two years also makes the city attractive,” he noted.
Maizhen Electronics, which received the Enterprise Excellence Award last year, has since established itself in Shanghai’s Jiading District. The company now focuses on research, development, and manufacturing of advanced micro-electromechanical systems chips and scientific analysis instruments.
The 2026 edition of the “Startup in Shanghai” competition will conduct preliminary eligibility screenings by June 15, with the final round scheduled for October.
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