Shenzhen: Where Entrepreneurs Land and Ideas Take Off by ANDAMAN PARTNERS Co-Founder Rachel Wu

Hello everyone, Rachel from ANDAMAN PARTNERS on the ground in Shenzhen, China. Forty-five years ago, when it became China’s first Special Economic Zone, this place was a fishing town of about 300,000 people. Today it’s home for more than 18 million, one of China’s youngest populations, with an economy of nearly USD 590 billion, and it’s betting its next chapter on AI.

Shenzhen is a city built by entrepreneurs. Almost everyone here came from somewhere else, often in their twenties, and many came to start something. 90% of innovative firms are local companies. For example, Tencent began in 1998 with a handful of founders. Also BYD started as a small battery maker and is now one of the world’s largest EV companies. Huawei and DJI (DaJiang) were born here as well; one a global telecom giant now manufacturing its own AI chips, the other the world’s largest civilian drone manufacturer. And behind them are thousands of startups, each hoping to be next.

What makes Shenzhen different is speed. In the famous Huaqiangbei electronics market, almost every electronic component is within one kilometre, so an idea in the morning can be a prototype by evening.

And that speed now feeds into the frontier. Shenzhen leads China’s low-altitude economy, with drones delivering food and parcels every day.

And here in Nanshan, Robot Village is full of companies building AI-powered robots, from established players like UBTech to brand-new startups.

Innovation here isn’t a lab. It’s an ecosystem with entrepreneurs, suppliers and capital moving together. If you’re building or partnering in China, here is where you see the future first.

Happy to share more, and let’s connect. See you in the next city.