π Beyond the Bench: Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Showcase ( in Mandarin)
βπ In today's hyper-competitive research landscape, do deep-tech PhDs really have only one crowded path forward? Faced with endless grind, how do you use your academic background to break out, cross disciplines, and map the golden track that actually fits you?
βThis forum is for researchers who want to stop talking about papers and start talking about their future. If you have a technical background and you've ever wondered whether your next move is a lab, a company, or something in between β this evening is built for you.
βCome with your academic edge and help us reimagine what a research career can become.
βWhat to Expect
βIndustry insights. We're bringing in guest speakers from across the frontier of hard tech β from the VC lens, the founder-entrepreneur journey, and the incubation trenches β to share real experience on translating research into companies and on the opportunities that city-scale platforms can open up. Our goal is to build a high-quality exchange platform for young peers standing at the intersection of academia and industry. (Speaker lineup to be announced soon.)
Featured speakers
βDr. Shawn Chen β Commercializing Biopharma R&D: Translation Pathways & Venture Strategy from a VC Lens PhD in Bioengineering (UC San Diego) and Applied Economics postdoc (Fudan University). His doctoral work centered on biosensors and cell-signaling pathways. He now invests in healthcare venture capital across angel to Pre-IPO stages (including strategic placements), with a focus on small-molecule drugs, protein-degradation technology, antibody drugs, ADCs, and cell & gene therapy (CGT). He works closely on evaluating and launching university-professor startups and academic-to-market technology transfer projects.
βWeijie Shen β The Growth Path of a Nanotech Public Company & Success Stories of Returnee Founders Senior Project Manager at Suzhou Nanotech Development Co., and Head of Cooperation at the Suzhou Integrated Circuit Industry Association. Since 2022 he has worked at the frontier of nanotech and semiconductors β semiconductors, MEMS, and advanced nano-materials β leading the full chain from university tech transfer and startup incubation to angel-through-Series-A financing, senior talent recruitment, and industrial investment. He brings a deep bench of real, executable incubation and company-growth cases.
βJason Wang β Turning Innovation into Impact in the AI Era: Commercialization Practice & the Sci-Tech Ecosystem Master's in Environmental Engineering (University of New South Wales). He joined RIET in 2019 leading R&D commercialization and team incubation, offering a firsthand view of technology moving from paper to product to market. He later joined SISPARK, focusing on AI and semiconductor project incubation, investment enablement, and ecosystem building β breaking down tech transfer, market expansion, and capital linkage from the frontline of industry operations, and helping companies through the full lifecycle from incubation to industrialization.
βTogether, the speakers will draw on frontline industry experience to explore questions like: How does academic research connect with real industry demand? β alongside practical insight on industrial platform building, talent-policy support, R&D commercialization, and the innovation-and-entrepreneurship ecosystem.
βFounder showcases. Startup founders working in the deep tech space will pitch their ventures β a chance to see early-stage hard tech up close, connect with the people building it, and imagine what your own leap might look like.
βThree perspectives, real case studies, and hands-on experience β practical inspiration for your commercialization journey, startup planning, and career development.
βπ£ Calling deep-tech founders: Building something in deep tech? Apply to pitch at the forum. Submit your project here β Selected founders will present to a room of researchers, investors, and fellow builders.
βWhy attend
βDeep dialogue between academia and industry
βLive showcases from founders currently building in deep tech
βA close look at the returnee talent and startup ecosystem
βA first-hand sense of real entrepreneurial opportunities
βHigh-quality networking and resource connections
βAbout the Host
βJJLake accelerates commercialization by connecting founders, VCs, and enterprises worldwide.