2025-09-11
Shenzhen, September 5–6, 2025, The Sixth China Private Entrepreneurs Gala, hosted by Bosum Institute of Management Science and Bosum Association, and co-hosted by Shenzhen Yangwang Auto, was successfully held in Shenzhen. With the theme of “Breaking Boundaries · Winning with Intelligence,” the event featured 14 keynote speeches and one high-level roundtable discussion, attracting over 8,000 entrepreneurs from across the country to explore the survival paths and growth opportunities for private enterprises under critical topics such as artificial intelligence, global expansion, manufacturing upgrades, and brand building. This year’s gala not only brought together leading voices from economics, technology, industry practices, and capital markets, but also facilitated cross-disciplinary dialogue and intellectual exchange, helping entrepreneurs regain confidence and direction in an era full of uncertainty. The event gathered distinguished guests from government, industry, academia, and research, presenting a feast of ideas through interdisciplinary integration. Guest speakers included Liu Shijin, former Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Vice Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the 13th CPPCC, and Chief Advisor of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development; Dr. Ding Lei, AI specialist and author of Generative Artificial Intelligence and AI Thinking; Yan Yan, Founding Managing Partner of SAIF Partners; Peng Jun, Founder and CEO of Pony.ai; Du Xinfeng, Vice President and Industry Director of Unitree Robotics; Huang Zhaolin, Senior Vice President of Rokid; and Xu Changdong, Chairman of the US-China Investment Fund, Chairman of Laiskcom (Beijing) Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., and known as the “Father of the Low-Altitude Economy.” From the consumer and branding sectors, notable attendees included Liu Xiaobin, CMO of MINISO Group; Feng Dagang, CEO of 36Kr; Zhang Chun, President of OATLY Greater China; Wang Pu, Co-Founder of Genki Forest; Ma Jun, Partner of Cathay Capital; Jiang Nanchun, Founder and Chairman of Focus Media; and Hu Xiaoqing, General Manager of Yangwang Auto. Also present were leading scholars and thought leaders such as Liu Qing, Distinguished Zijiang Professor at East China Normal University; Gao Jianhua, former Marketing Director of Apple China and former Assistant President/CKO of HP China; Liang Ning, product strategy expert and bestselling author of The Real Demand; and Zhang Qi, new business architect and distinguished mentor at Bosum. In his opening address, Zeng Renwei, Co-Founder and Dean of the Bosum Institute of Management Science, noted that in today’s complex macroeconomic environment, private enterprises face multiple uncertainties across policy, economy, society, and technology. Against this backdrop, the gala proposed the action concept of “Breaking Boundaries · Winning with Intelligence.” “Breaking boundaries” means transcending industry, institutional, and organizational limits to embrace digitalization, intelligence, and globalization; while “winning with intelligence” emphasizes using wisdom and strategic foresight to turn insights into tangible results through agile action. From a PEST analysis perspective, Zeng outlined three future growth curves for private enterprises: productization of AI, industrial intelligence, and branding plus globalization. Given insufficient domestic demand, he stressed that growth must come from brand building, product upgrades, and international expansion. He also emphasized that entrepreneurs should not only pursue business growth but also balance career and life, ensuring long-term passion and vitality. At this gala, Bosum officially unveiled the Bosum AI Agent, an innovative intelligent system that deeply integrates artificial intelligence with enterprise management practices, offering strategic decision-making support, operational optimization, and sales recommendations. The first modules launched include the Strategy Agent, Operations Agent, and Sales Agent. The Strategy Agent helps enterprises analyze macro trends, optimize development paths, and provide forward-looking strategies; the Operations Agent focuses on internal processes, resource allocation, and efficiency improvements; while the Sales Agent optimizes market expansion, customer management, and sales strategies to drive growth. Zhang Jiancai, Head of the Product Business Group at Bosum Institute, highlighted that management inherently combines science, art, and craftsmanship, but traditional management education often overemphasizes “science” while neglecting individual differences and practical complexity. Bosum’s approach is to shift education from pursuing the “best answer” to finding the “most suitable answer.” In this process, AI coaches act as tools for “intellectual equity,” serving as advisors to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), helping them quickly obtain high-quality solutions, shorten decision-making cycles, and embed the learning model of “anticipate–learn–practice–apply–link” into enterprise operations. The release of the Bosum AI Agent represents a significant milestonein empowering private enterprises with AI, showcasing Bosum’s innovation in technology-driven knowledge services. Through this AI system, entrepreneurs can more efficiently gain strategic insights, integrate industry expertise, accelerate learning, and create sustainable growth momentum in today’s complex business landscape. Yan Yan, Founding Managing Partner of SAIF Asia Investment Fund, emphasized in his speech that in the past, Chinese companies largely relied on “imported models” and “1-to-N” imitation-based expansion. But in today’s context of tightening China-U.S. relations and global supply chain restructuring, China must increasingly focus on “0-to-1” original innovation. Dr. Ding Lei delivered a keynote titled “Beyond the Technology Dividend: How SMEs Can Leverage AI,” stressing that the AI era requires a new mindset from entrepreneurs. They must not only be business experts but also understand the underlying logic of data and models, treating data and intelligent agents as new factors of production. Only in this way can enterprises achieve true intelligent transformation and reconstruction. Going global was a recurring theme and a major focus of the roundtable forum “Globalization in Practice: Brand Growth, Localization, and Long-Term Survival.” Guests including Feng Dagang (CEO of 36Kr), Wang Pu (Co-Founder of Genki Forest), Zhang Chun (President of OATLY Greater China), and Ma Jun (Partner of Cathay Capital) exchanged insights on brand innovation, cross-cultural adaptation, and capital support. Their consensus: overseas expansion is not optional but a necessity. However, success requires patience, perseverance, and determination. Chinese enterprises must establish long-term strategies, build brand and supply chain moats, and only then can they secure an unshakable position in fierce international competition. Jiang Nanchun, Founder and Chairman of Focus Media, offered an in-depth analysis in his talk “How Brands Can Win in China’s New Ten-Year Cycle.” He noted that for Chinese brands to stand out, they must achieve either being “first” or “only”—either the leading choice in a category or the pioneer of a new one driven by technological and consumer trends. Truly powerful brands succeed not through short-term sales bursts, but by securing long-term mindshare and societal consensus to become public brands. Hu Xiaoqing, General Manager of Yangwang Auto, emphasized that the essence of premium brands lies in “ultimate technology” and “ultimate product strength.” This is the core competitiveness for companies seeking high-end and global positioning. The key is to leverage core strengths, maintain confidence in products and culture, and win global recognition through Chinese stories. Product strategy expert Liang Ning pointed out that the industrial-era formula of “efficiency × scale = wealth,” which shaped business logic for over 200 years, is losing its power. In today’s environment of oversupply and homogenization, optimizing efficiency alone does not guarantee competitiveness. The real key is whether a company can create and manage its own “scarcity.” Zhang Qi, new business architect and Bosum distinguished mentor, highlighted that strategy should focus on current insights rather than blindly chasing the future. Entrepreneurs should pay attention to three key variables—policy, technology, and demographics—to seize opportunities and achieve sustainable growth for both business and personal development. With 14 high-quality keynote speeches and one premium roundtable forum, the Sixth Bosum Private Enterprise Gala concluded successfully. It provided entrepreneurs with systematic insights spanning macro policy, cutting-edge technology, capital investment, industrial upgrading, and brand building, offering strong guidance for navigating today’s complex business landscape. Looking ahead, Bosum will continue to drive professional and technology-based platforms for dialogue and learning, helping Chinese private enterprises enhance management capabilities, ignite innovation, and accelerate digital and global strategies. In a rapidly changing market, private enterprises will move forward with resilience and innovation, embracing new growth opportunities while contributing to high-quality economic development and societal value creation.
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