Xbot Park is a pioneering innovation centre developed by robotics expert Li Zexiang. It offers a glimpse into China’s evolving deep-tech entrepreneurship – one that integrates research, education, and industrialisation. Li, a DJI founder Frank Wang’s early mentor, told attendees at BEYOND Expo Macau that the initiative aims at training a new generation engineers who can turn cutting-edge ideas and products into market-ready ones.
Li stated during a panel discussion at BEYOND Expo AI Summit that “we are building a model of engineering education which cultivates entrepreneurial talent and accelerates technology transfer.” “Our approach combines teaching, research, and startup incubation all under one roof.”
Li started his academic career in the early 90s at HKUST, focusing on graduate instruction and robotics research. In 1998, Li co-founded the motion control company Googol Technology, in Shenzhen. The city’s government had encouraged university-industry cooperation. Googol was a major supplier in China’s semiconductor and industrial automation industries. The venture proved that professor-led startups can succeed in China’s emerging innovation landscape.
Li said that the real breakthrough was made by students, particularly those who participated in university robotics contests. Wang, a DJI employee who built drones for his education, was one of the first. DJI is now the world’s leading consumer drone manufacturer.
Li said that competitions provided hands-on experiences in product design, teamwork, and market testing. “This was more efficient than traditional teaching.”
Inspire by the success of his students, Li’s graduate laboratory evolved into an incubator. Over 50 companies were formed by his mentorship. More than 90% of his students launched startups.
Li’s successful incubator model led to Xbot Park’s flagship in Dongguan, south of the city, where it is a hub for early-stage hardware entrepreneurs, offering mentorship and access to investment.
To attract talent, the park partners with regional university, including Guangdong University of Technology. The base has launched more than 60 startups. Narwal (which makes floor-cleaning robotics), EcoFlow, (portable energy storage), Mammotion, (AI-powered mowers) are among them. Nearly 15 percent of the companies have valuations above RMB 10 billion ($1.38billion).
Xbot Park is now scaling up its model to other cities, such as Ningbo Chongqing Changzhou and Hong Kong. In each case it is paired up with customised curricula that focus on project-based education and market validation.
Xbot Park, in Chongqing’s joint program with a university local, produced a 20 per cent entrepreneurial rate among graduates. Li pointed out that the entrepreneurship rate at top US Universities such as Stanford and MIT is below 0.5 percent.
Xbot Park’s cumulative impact is increasing. By 2023, Xbot Park had incubated over 40 startups with projected revenues exceeding RMB 18 Billion ($2.5 Billion) and valuations exceeding RMB 70 Billion ($9.72Billion) in 2024. According to Li, these companies collectively paid over RMB 2 Billion ($0.28 Billion) in taxes. This has resulted in a tenfold increase of public investment.
Many of these companies have achieved international traction. This is especially true through platforms like Kickstarter, where an average Xbot Park campaign raised over $1.8 million – roughly 70 times more than the global average.
Li said that these companies were competing with global peers in events such as CES. “China’s deep tech sector is ready for a global stage.”
Li envisions, in the end, a top-down education reform, starting with universities and extending to primary schools. Li stated that “the performance of institutions such as the Shenzhen Institute of Technological Innovation, and the associated innovation-focused kindergarten, has continued to surpass our expectations.” Shuang is a Shanghai based tech reporter for Technode.com. She covers AI, tech companies, ecommerce, and retail. Find her via e-mail: shuang.jing@technode.com. More by Shuang. Jing
