One Person, Powered by AI: Shanghai Backs a New Entrepreneur Model

On Jinling Road E. in downtown Shanghai, a renovated building now responds to people and traffic in real time.

Sensors trigger lights and screens. Digital systems link outdoor displays with parking and consumer apps. The project was delivered in just a few months.

Behind it is a five-person startup.

The company, DATALAVA, is led by founder Huang Sha. His team works on immersive digital experiences that combine design, software and artificial intelligence.

Huang is among a fast-growing cohort in Shanghai dubbed "super entrepreneurs" – a group pioneering a new startup model called OPC, or one-person company. The concept hinges on leveraging AI tools to oversee everything from design and development to marketing and delivery, all with a skeleton crew, or often, just the founder alone.

Shanghai's Xuhui District is moving quickly to support this trend.

The downtown district released new measures to support Super Entrepreneurs on Thursday. The focus is on practical support in the early stages.

Founders can receive free workstations in their first year, with continued support after review. Accounting and other basic services are also free in the first year. Qualified founders can receive startup funding of up to 100,000 yuan (US$14,202).

Xuhui also provides computing power, AI models and data resources, each worth up to 1 million yuan. Computing services can be used first and paid for later.

The district plans to build five Super Entrepreneur communities and add about 2,500 workstations by mid-2026. More than 200 Super Entrepreneur companies are expected to be introduced or cultivated.

Much of this support is centered around the Shanghai Innovation Institute in Beiyang AI Innovation Town, one of Shanghai's key AI industry clusters.

Xuhui already hosts more than 1,500 AI companies, covering computing power, base models and industry applications.

Huang founded the company in New York in 2014. His clients have included Chinese web services giant Baidu and French luxury group LVMH. Despite more than a decade of growth, his core team remains at five people.

"Each person can handle work that once needed a full project team," Huang observed.

AI tools make that possible. His team uses multiple large language models, image and video generation tools, and AI coding assistants from both Chinese and international providers.

"Communication and learning used to be the two biggest costs," Huang said. "AI has lowered both."

Another "super entrepreneur," Shi Pu, said AI tools now help individual founders make up for gaps in technical skills.

Shi is a former Google engineer. He said AI also allows small studios and individual creators to produce work that's close to professional standards.

In his view, AI is flattening technical barriers in much the same way the internet once flattened access to information.

Huang said local support in Xuhui goes beyond funding.

When his team wanted to work on AI-driven immersive experiences, for instance, district departments helped match them with nearby partners. They included virtual reality hardware makers, domestic game engine developers, 3D scanning firms and digital twin specialists.

"Almost every firm had technology we needed," Huang said. "It cuts costs, so that we can move faster and adjust quickly."