HICOOL, a Beijing-based platform for startups and entrepreneurs, stands out in the variety of ways supporting and nurturing entrepreneurs especially in the tech sector.

HICOOL rents premises to some of the nation's brightest startup companies at its business park in Shunyi district, 30 kilometers from the center of the capital, and has turned the area into a hotspot for tech business ventures.

Hunan Satellite Space Technology is among those tech innovators that have taken full advantage of the business park, as well as some of HICOOL's other offerings such as a global entrepreneurship competitions.

The company, which makes micro-satellites, won the HICOOL Global Entrepreneur Competition, which was launched in 2020, a winning ticket into HICOOL's tech entrepreneurship ecosystem.

"We've got an amazing technical team that has won national awards. This year, we won an award at HICOOL and got to enjoy some awesome perks. For example, we can now get a Beijing hukou (household registry certificate), which is crucial for our children to attend school here. It's a big deal for us. This year, we're planning to relocate our marketing office and our R&D center to Beijing, so we can strengthen our collaboration with HICOOL," said Liu Pan, marketing director of the company.

The number of participants in the Global Entrepreneurship Competition has skyrocketed from 2,026 in 2020 to 5,705 this year, with almost a third of the entrants coming from overseas. A total of 11 unicorn companies have emerged from the competition.

HICOOL's entrepreneurship offer also includes venture capital funding, professional services management and an educational arm.

"Hosting a competition is just the start. With solid policy backing, we offer comprehensive services, from registration to taxes, and from HR to IPR matters. We've even set up a business college, an industrial park, and a foundation in order to nurture an innovative business ecosystem in Beijing," said Wu Yi, vice president of Beijing Overseas Talents Association and general manager of Beijing Hycore Innovation Co..

Wu says HICOOL is always on the lookout for more ways to connect China's budding tech startup sector with funding and know-how.

"The main challenge here is keeping up with our rapid expansion while managing our time and energy effectively. I often ponder on how we can further assist these entrepreneurs, how to connect them with partners, capital, and other crucial resources. My vision is for HICOOL to evolve into this highly efficient network that can connect the dots seamlessly," she said.