GEN President Jonathan Ortmans joined ecosystem leaders and entrepreneurs at the 2024 Pujian Innovation Forum in Songjiang, Shanghai. With the theme of "focusing on the development of unicorn enterprises and writing a glorious chapter of new-quality productive forces", more than 200 participating guests including representatives of unicorn enterprises, representatives of investment institutions, new economy experts, and representatives of government agencies attended the forum.
As a keynote speaker, Ortmans shared insights on unicorns, connectivity and global leadership. Other keynote speakers included He Yu, chairman of Guoyi Quantum, Lin Lin, founder and CEO of Huihe Medical, Chen Rui, CEO of Stellaris Fusion, and Xiong Weiming.
The Great Wall Enterprise Institute (GEI) released the "China Unicorn Enterprise Development Tracking Report" for the first time. The report shows that from 2016 to 2023, the number of unicorn enterprises in China increased from 131 to 375, and the total valuation increased by more than double; in eight years, unicorn enterprises have appeared in 22 provinces; the number of tracks where unicorn enterprises are located has increased from 22 to 39, and the proportion of frontier technology unicorn enterprises continues to increase (exceeding 60% since 2021); a total of 139 unicorn enterprises have been listed, and more than 40% are concentrated on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, providing an insight into the development changes and trends of unicorn enterprises from a longitudinal time axis.
The forum was jointly guided by the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission and the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce. It was co-hosted by the People's Government of Songjiang District, Shanghai, Great Wall Enterprise Institute (GEI), and the Shanghai Institute for Science of Science, and co-organized by the Shanghai Branch of China Construction Bank Co., Ltd.
Additional attendees included:
- Shou Ziqi, vice chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, vice chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce, and president of the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce;
- Bai Jie, deputy director-general of the High-Tech Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; Xie Wenlan, a cadre at the deputy bureau level of the Party Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission;
- Sun Zhenrong, Party secretary and president of the Shanghai Academy of Sciences;
- Wang Huajie, secretary of the CPC Songjiang District Committee of Shanghai;
- Wang Jing, head of Songjiang District, Shanghai; and,
- Wu Wensheng, chairman of Great Wall Enterprise Institute (GEI).
The forum was presided over by Wang Fenyu, director and deputy general manager of Great Wall Enterprise Institute (GEI).