More than 40 alumni entrepreneurs, seasoned investors are invited as the first cohort of “Entrepreneurs in Residence (EiR)” or “Angels in Residence (AiR)” of “Tsinghua x-lab”. DENG Feng, WU Ping, CHEN Datong, WANG Jiwu, TANG Ning, TONG Zhilei, CHEN Jianhuang, RAO Luhua, XUE Jun were all present at the x-lab opening ceremony as the “Entrepreneurs in Residence”; LEI Lin, ZHANG Zhen, ZHOU Kui, SHEN Zhengning, SUN Wenhai, TAO Ye, YI Jin, TAI Zhiqiang, QIU Hao were invited as the “Angels in Residence”. “EiR” and “AiR” will support students in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Tsinghua x-lab has also received support from a number of businesses and organizations.  China Times Investment Group, CreditEase Group, and China Growth Capital all signed cooperation agreements to provide continued financial support to x-lab. At the ceremony, Dean QIAN Yingyi signed a memorandum of cooperation with Deng Feng, founder and managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital as well as founding chairman of the Tsinghua Entrepreneur & Executive Club (TEEC), to designate TEEC as x-lab's founding cornerstone strategic partners. Another memorandum of cooperation was also signed by Dean QIAN with MEI Meng, chairman of Tsinghua Science Park (Tuspark) Co., to include Tuspark as an additional founding strategic partner of x-lab.

The event was followed by a forum on the topic of cultivating talents for innovation. The panelists included Northern Light Venture Capital founder Mr. DENG Feng, Spreadtrum Communications co-founder Mr. WU Ping, TusPark Co. CEO Mr. WANG Jiwu, Tsinghua University School of Information Science and Technology executive associate dean Mr. ZHANG Zuo.  Tsinghua x-lab plans to hold an innovation and entrepreneurship forum each year during the Tsinghua University Anniversary celebration, inviting elite speakers from the venture capital community, business and society at large.  The topics discussed would include opportunities and challenges of innovation and entrepreneurship, the impact and change of new societal thinking and methodologies, and the development of entrepreneurial teams etc.  By providing a platform for current students and the guests to exchange views, provoke thoughts, and stimulate creativity, the forum purports to evoke enthusiasm in innovation and entrepreneurship, expand creative culture, encourage the spirit of innovation, and enhance entrepreneurial abilities.

Tsinghua x-lab aims to provide services for students, alumni, faculty, and off-campus entrepreneur teams, through a variety of measures to promote the proliferation of entrepreneurial activities and the development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, to cultivate students’ innovative quality and capacity and to foster integration of the resources across various schools in Tsinghua University. Led by the School of Economics and Management, a memorandum of cooperation was signed with 11 schools and departments of Tsinghua University, including the School of Information Science, the School of Mechanical Engineering, the School of Material Science, the School of Public Policy and Administration, the Academy of Arts and Design, and the School of Architecture to break down barriers between different schools, integrate resources within the university through collaborative innovation, and to achieve the goal of cultivating creative talents through innovation and entrepreneurship.

Tsinghua x-lab will proactively provide free pro bono services to support students’ innovation and entrepreneurial development, including: creative activities, entrepreneurial teams’ open days, entrepreneurial business partner services, support from EiR and AiR, online platform of x-lab (Tsinghua Entrepreneurship Website), entrepreneurial learning and practice space (internships at the on campus industry training center and at Tsinghua Science Park site), exchange and training of entrepreneurial teams, and providing guidance and resources for business development with the help of alumni and cooperative partners. The project will cover both current undergraduate and graduate students at Tsinghua University and alumni who plan to form start-ups after graduation.