A bird's-eye view of Yuhang district, an innovation hub in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: hzfb]

Hangzhou's entrepreneurship companion model — developed over more than a decade — is reshaping how the city supports startups.

At the 2025 Hangzhou Entrepreneurs Conference, recently held at the Grand Canal Culture Center, nearly 2,000 founders, investors, scholars, and students gathered to explore how this approach empowers rather than manages entrepreneurship.

Introduced in 2013, the model shifts the government's role from regulator to co-running businesses, providing comprehensive, long-term support throughout the startup lifecycle. Hangzhou has issued 8.1 billion yuan ($1.15 billion) in guaranteed loans, built 154 incubation hubs, and nurtured 74,000 startups, generating over 160,000 jobs. Policies such as the Spring Rain Plan and the integrated Employment & Entrepreneurship Map enable smart policy matching, while key groups receive up to three years of rent subsidies.

The model has evolved from isolated support to an ecosystem. A new Entrepreneurship Companion Ecosystem Pact, launched at the conference, brings together universities, firms, and financial institutions to coordinate service delivery. Events like project showcases, consultation stations, and creative markets formed a "resource market" for founders.

Citywide, 100 companion spaces now provide 380,000 square meters of incubation capacity, each with distinct specialties — from creative industries in Gongshu's renovated factory cluster to pet-economy startups in Yuhang. A network of 663 mentors and 79 training institutions further anchors the system.

Through a decade of steady refinement, Hangzhou has turned entrepreneurship from a solitary journey into a shared run. As the companion ecosystem continues to deepen, the city aims to remain a resilient, supportive launchpad for innovators from China and around the world.

Hangzhou holds entrepreneurship competition for college students every year. [Photo/WeChat account: hzfb]