Entrepreneurs Aspiring to Create 20% of China's Future GDP Are at ZhenPlanet | Z Events

In early August, the fifth cohort of ZhenFund's "ZhenPlanet · AI+ Entrepreneurship Camp" wrapped up successfully in Beijing.

"ZhenPlanet" is a frontier tech talent incubation program hosted by ZhenFund, designed to identify tech talent with both innovative vision and business acumen — plus the drive to build something. Through capital support, resource matching, and hands-on mentorship, it helps participants turn research breakthroughs into commercial products, making the leap from zero to one and turning their tech dreams into reality.

Since its launch in 2019, ZhenPlanet has run five cohorts. Nearly 150 aspiring founders have come through the program, with alumni going on to build ZhenFund-backed startups like Colossal-AI (潞晨科技), LinkZill (领挚科技), and StarEx (星测未来). Over three days and two nights packed with substantive guest talks, wildly creative mock pitch sessions, and energizing peer exchanges, this cohort's 28 participants left calling the experience "hugely rewarding" and "well worth the trip."

Our hope is that every ZhenPlanet participant finds fellow travelers here — and discovers what's possible when you set out to change the world.

After opening recruitment for the fifth ZhenPlanet · AI+ Entrepreneurship Camp, we received over 450 applications from across China and abroad. In the end, 28 applicants from diverse fields and backgrounds stood out and joined the ZhenPlanet community.

Due to limited seats, many talented applicants couldn't join this cohort. We'll continue running ZhenPlanet camps, and hope to welcome more of you as planet members in the future. ZhenFund also hosts a variety of other programs — if you're brimming with entrepreneurial energy, we'd love to have you involved!

ZhenPlanet Takes Off

At the opening ceremony, Emma Yin, partner at ZhenFund, delivered a welcome address to the new cohort. She introduced ZhenFund, highlighted this cohort's special focus on AI entrepreneurship, and reflected on ZhenPlanet's history and founding mission since 2019.

Following the brief opening, ZhenFund co-founder John Wang shared his experiences and reflections on the entrepreneurial questions participants cared about most — how to find co-founders, how to build a technical moat, and what qualities matter most in a founder.

John encouraged everyone: whatever direction you pursue, you'll always hit roadblocks — that's entrepreneurship's test. Running into obstacles means the market is real and your product has value.

Mentors Lighting the Way

This ZhenPlanet brought in 10+ entrepreneur mentors to share deep insights on the latest AI developments and application translation, industry trends, product development, and commercialization. Their candid talks sparked deep reflection and genuine resonance among participants. The Q&A sessions ran hot — after formal presentations ended, participants kept pulling mentors aside for one-on-one conversations.

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The Founder's Essential Guide

In the ZhenWorkshop sessions, ZhenFund's finance, legal, and talent teams joined to deliver a "Founder's Essential Guide" — walking through the equity structures, compliance pitfalls, team building, and hiring challenges that trip up founders most often, with plenty of time for Q&A.

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Creative Fun, Unbounded Imagination

Beyond the intensive programming, this ZhenPlanet · AI+ Entrepreneurship Camp featured plenty of playful activities.

In "The Box," facilitator Big Gou used cardboard games to help everyone break out of habitual thinking patterns and discover their authentic selves. Each evening's "Mini Ted" gave participants space to speak freely about their experiences, stories, and reflections — deepening bonds across the cohort. The wildly imaginative "Mock BP" session had teams dreaming up fantastical AI products: "GuGou," a language model that lets dogs talk, and "AI Ball," a futuristic human augmentation device.

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From Zero to One: Entrepreneurship in Practice

In the final "Demo Pitch" session, participants presented their ventures to investors and peers. ZhenFund investors gave detailed feedback on each project, with ZhenFund committed to ongoing support and growth together.

That evening's closing dinner brought together dozens of outstanding AI entrepreneurs and investors for relaxed conversation and industry insights.

The fifth ZhenPlanet · AI+ Entrepreneurship Camp has concluded, but the journey of exploration in artificial intelligence is just beginning for these entrepreneurs. We've come to understand that succeeding in AI applications requires not just capital and talent investment, but innovative thinking and cutting-edge technology deployment.

ZhenFund is committed to helping founders find their footing in the AI wave and turn dreams into reality. We believe that through our collective efforts, every entrepreneur's journey will be filled with promise, and every AI dream can become within reach. In an era of relentless technological breakthroughs, ZhenFund stands with founders to move the world with AI.

Aiming for the stars,

landing in ZhenPlanet.

Future Tech, Zero to One

Text by Weilan

Edited by Wendi

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