Entrepreneurs Talk up Shanghai's Unique Business Strengths

Editor's note:

Shanghai's function as an open hub gateway is a central pillar of its strategy to build a modern socialist international metropolis. It's utilizing leveraging flagship events such as the Lujiazui Forum and the 9th China International Import Expo as a key annual showcase. This series explore the institutional innovations and results through these systematic opening-up measures.

Shanghai has steadily strengthened its reputation as a city where entrepreneurial ambition meets opportunity.

With its robust economy, world-class infra structure, international outlook and vibrant innovation ecosystem, the city offers fertile ground for businesses at every stage of development.

Startup businesses, entrepreneurs and incubators cite key strength of the city's business environment such as extensive network of resources and support systems as favorable conditions, which offer them access to professional services, mentorship, industry networks, investment opportunities and potential business partners.

The city's appeal is not only rooted in its combination of market access, talent and connectivity, but also a large consumer market, a highly skilled workforce, leading universities and research institutions, and close links to domestic and international supply chains.

Dispensing and drug delivery company Aptar has set up its Asia Innovation Hub in Shanghai, and unlike a traditional R&D center, it's an open innovation platform that connects industry, design, technology, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.

"What attracted us most to Shanghai is its highly collaborative and open innovation environment," said Michelle Lu, VP & GM Innovation of Aptar China.

Shanghai's greatest advantage is not just talent, technology, or market size alone, it is also the completeness of its innovation ecosystem.

The choice is a reflection of its commitment to open innovation.

Shanghai's unique strength lies in its ability to efficiently integrate technological innovation, industrial capabilities, and commercialization resources, she said.

From Aptar's perspective, Shanghai's most distinctive advantage is its ability to combine innovation resources, industrial strength, and real-world business applications into one highly efficient ecosystem, and the integrated innovation cycle is one of Shanghai's strongest competitive advantages.

It is an important node connecting Aptar's global technology platforms with China's innovation ecosystem, and the American company seeks to bring China's emerging insights, business models, and innovation practices back into its global innovation network, helping transform China from an innovation adopter into an innovation contributor.

In addition to consumer insights trend research, and open innovation partnerships, Aptar invests in new materials and sustainability, fast prototyping, and AI-embedded innovation to accelerate the journey from concept to proof of concept.

"We have in-house capabilities for packaging concept design, 3D-printed prototypes, and early-stage mold development, allowing us to rapidly validate concepts and test user experiences in the early phases of development. We are also actively exploring AI (artificial intelligence) applications in consumer insights, design assistance, and trend forecasting to further improve innovation efficiency," Lu observed.

For Aptar, Shanghai is a platform for exploring future trends, connecting with frontier technologies, and shaping the next generation of innovation.

"We hope the Asia Innovation Hub will continue to serve as an important source of innovation within Aptar's global network, working alongside startups, universities, research institutions, and industry partners to explore emerging technologies and innovation opportunities," she added.

Moroccan-born Hamza Boukili was drawn by Shanghai's openness to wards cutting-edge technologies such as AI and its well-developed innovation ecosystem. Boukili teaches at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Paris Elite Institute of Technology (SPEIT) and started his own business Shanghai Yunsuan Tech Co at the end of 2024.

He finds Shanghai to be a city over flowing with developmental energy and boundless opportunities.

Well-established office infrastructure, ample computing capabilities, and abundant talent reserves at Caohejing Hi-Tech Park provide easy-access platforms for his company to stream line operations, drive innovation, connect with customers, and explore new collaborations.

The park's broad and diverse exposure to entrepreneurial projects enables it to deliver precisely matched resources tailored to an enterprise's specific growth stage.

He also participated in various events hosted by the Shanghai Foundation Model Innovation Center, where guest speakers from various sectors shared their insights.

Shanghai's comprehensive package of policies for its entrepreneurs to facilitate residence permits and housing has significantly alleviated the concerns of overseas talent, providing a solid foundation for them to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship.

Yunsuan Technology is actively exploring the combination of AI with intelligent energy-saving systems.

It deploys smart energy-saving management platform to collect operational metrics, analyze heating patterns, and optimize energy distribution in real time.

By dynamically adjusting the heat supply based on actual household demand and environmental variables, the system significantly curtails energy loss while maintaining reliable warmth for residents – transforming legacy municipal infrastructure into an efficient, eco-friendly network.

Scott Yang, CEO and president of Pulse Vision, said he chose to scale up its 128-channel color ultrasound platform in Shanghai back in 2023.

"The biggest reason I made this decision comes down to one word: certainty," he said. "China now has everything needed to turn a core technology into a compliant product within two to three years and get it into real clinical use."

Since registering the company in Lingang, Pudong New Area, in October 2023, his team has developed eight medical and underwater acoustic products.

"I wouldn't have dared to imagine that speed overseas," he noted.

Within months, the company had its production line and testing lab in place, and had passed its quality system audit. Its R&D center, based in a Lingang incubator with preferential rent since February 2024, has more than doubled to 841 square meters.

According to Yang, clinical resources matter most.

"The same hardware and algorithms can perform very differently on patients of different body types and in different departments," he said. "Whether an image is good can only be verified on real cases."

The company's orthopedic navigation system was refined with a team at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital. Doctors didn't ask about resolution, and they cared about whether images refreshed fast enough and whether the probe created artifacts and which interface functions were unnecessary. That feedback directly changed the imaging parameters and software.

"These teams don't just tell us whether it works," Yang said. "They give feedback down to a specific step in an operation. That decides whether our product can truly make it into the clinic."

Pulse Vision has a team of 27, more than 70 percent of whom work in R&D. In 2025, it spent more than 15 million yuan (US$2.24 million) on research, over ten times its revenue.

But policy alone doesn't build a company.

"A start-up ultimately has to stand on its products and orders," he noted. "What Shanghai gives us is fast access to customers, clinicians and talent, turning 20 years of accumulated work into products in just two years."