2016 - Nov 03, 2016

Venture Leaders 2016 Match-making Event at Swiss Center Tianjin

Venture Leaders China is a unique 10-day business development program initiated by Swissnex China to explore the China mainland and Hong Kong potential market for Swiss startups. Now in its third edition, the program unites 10 hand-picked high-tech entrepreneurs whose businesses will be given a technological and commercial boost through expert coaching, networking with investors and government bodies, and pitching events in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

As partner of Swissnex China, Swiss Center Tianjin in collaboration with Dongli Economic & Technological Development Area and the Northern Technology Exchange Market (NTEM) had the honour of welcoming the 10 start-ups from Switzerland to the port city Tianjin.

Swiss Center Tianjin opened location in November 2015 and comes into operation this November. With strategic importance in geography, the Swiss Center at Dongli Economic & Technological Development Area links the downtown and the Binhai New Area of Tianjin. As an innovation and R&D center, it possesses a well-developed IPR management system and provides technological and financial platform support. Equipped with intangible assets management system and financial technology system, Dongli Economic & Technological Development Area also offers favorable policies including tax benefits as well as investment and technology support, assisting foreign companies to succeed in their initial settlement and subsequent development.

The aim of this programme is to introduce the 10 start-ups to investors, distributors, partners, companies and institutions in the north of China (Beijing, Tianjin region). It aims to enable the Swiss start-ups to assess more potential opportunities on the Chinese market and enhance their global network. Attending institutions include China Technology Exchange (CTEX),  Tuspark – Qinghua University Science Park and over 10 investment management companies.

Northern Technology Exchange Market (NTEM) is a leading technology transfer organization of state level, which was jointly set up by Science & Technology Ministry of China and Tianjin Municipal People’s Government in 1995. Their mission is to commercialize technological achievements and promote the transfer of the advanced technologies, and make effort to evolve into a technology transfer center of top class. NTEM has built up relationships with more and more foreign technology transfer organizations in Europe, America and Asia. Cooperating with these foreign organizations, NTEM offered a variety of services for enterprises at home and abroad, such as technology-based business-matching, technology evaluation, market survey, manufacturing agreement for foreigner enterprises.

Like the other Venture Leaders China pitchfests this year, the Tianjin programme consisted of a pitch session (3 minutes allocated to each start-up) and a Q & A with the entrepreneurs. It also included a coffee break to offer entrepreneurs networking time with investors and government representatives.

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Aline Ballaman, General Manager of Swiss Centers China at the opening
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Mr. Hao Yang, Vice-governor of Dongli District, Tianjin with the Venture Leaders