iMakerbase launches platform serving overseas Chinese startups

The Bao’an-based iMakerbase has launched the Overseas Pioneer Companion (OPC) service system at a resource matchmaking meeting recently, aiming to bolster the construction of an international technology and innovation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) by leveraging the unique strengths of overseas Chinese.

By fostering a “One Person + AI = Company” paradigm, the service system provides comprehensive, one-stop entrepreneurial support for overseas Chinese and returning talents, encouraging high-quality projects from the Asia-Pacific region to establish themselves in the GBA and cultivate new quality productive forces.

The OPC system integrates iMakerbase’s global network, spanning over 20 countries, with the advantages of Bao’an District’s “1-kilometer full industrial chain ecosystem.” It focuses on workspace, intellectual property, AI empowerment, engineering R&D, supply chain, financing, policy guidance, global expansion, online residency, and ecosystem community.

The framework is expected to enable a faster entrepreneurial journey, achieving milestones such as prototype delivery in as little as three days and cutting the patent application cycle by half.

The Overseas Pioneer Companion (OPC) service system includes 10 major measures designed to lower barriers and accelerate growth. Photo from iMakerbase

Specifically, the service includes 10 major measures designed to lower barriers and accelerate growth, including dedicated rent-free office space for overseas Chinese ventures to reduce startup costs, and one-stop full-process intellectual property protection. The system also offers customized AI agents to handle repetitive manual tasks, alongside full-chain hardware engineering support covering design, sampling, and prototype production.

Additionally, it opens up a network of over 500 high-quality supply chain resources, providing priority access to services ranging from small-batch trial production to full-scale mass production.

To address capital and market needs, the OPC system will host exclusive investment roadshows to match projects with sector-specific investors, and provide comprehensive guidance on applications for policy incentives. Leveraging its 15 overseas stations, the initiative aims to assist startups in expanding into international markets. For those not yet physically present, a low-cost Cloud Residency program has been launched with an annual fee of just 1,000 yuan. Additionally, a free international overseas Chinese innovation ecosystem community has been established, linking global industrial resources to foster collective development.

Centering on Hard Tech + Overseas Chinese Power, the OPC service system is poised to unlock innovation momentum in the fields of AI and intelligent hardware within the GBA. By facilitating the rapid transformation of overseas Chinese projects from technical concepts to market-ready products, the system will further strengthen Shenzhen’s role as an international technological innovation hub.

Applications for the OPC service system are now open, with the first batch of supporting services currently being implemented.