Wu Shuai, general manager of Brainware Terahertz Information Technology Co Ltd. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]

Wu Shuai, general manager of Brainware Terahertz Information Technology Co Ltd, which is located in the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone, is one of the entrepreneurs included in the zone's plan to foster leading entrepreneurs in their fields.

Brainware Terahertz is considered a domestic leader in the commercialization of terahertz technology – it is considered one of the top ten technologies that will change the world.

Wu said that his goal is to grow Brainware Terahertz into a unicorn - a term used to describe a startup company with a value of over $1 billion - in the terahertz industry.

In 1993, Wu was admitted to the Department of Modern Physics of the University of Science and Technology of China where he studied for a Bachelor's and Master's degree. In 2000, Wu went abroad to study for a doctorate degree, starting a 10-year life overseas.

In 2010, he had the chance to visit the 38th China Electric Technology Institute in the zone during a trip home to visit his family. Impressed by the rapid scientific and technological development in the domestic market, Wu decided to return home.

"China has provided a broad stage for talent. Rather than being a spectator of its development, it is better to be a participant," Wu said.

He began working at the institute in June 2010, leading a R&D team made up mostly of doctors to set up a microwave photonics research center that focused on terahertz body security check technology.

After just three years, Wu and his team, which had an average age of just 28 years old, created China's first terahertz security check equipment with independent intellectual property rights.

Wu then played a key role in the establishment of Brainware Terahertz in 2016. He said Brainware Terahertz is currently at its third developmental stage – scaling – with the first two being R&D and market promotion.

Following years of development, Brainware Terahertz has grown into a leader in the terahertz security check field in China. The TeraSnap security body scanner it has created features world-leading passive terahertz human imaging technology and is the earliest domestic security check product to use terahertz technology with independent intellectual property rights. The product is also the first to be certified by the Ministry of Public Security.

The company's products have already been used in a number of important international events such as the Military World Games, the China International Import Expo and the Boao Forum for Asia.

Wu said Brainware Terahertz will continue to specialize in the terahertz field and explore more applications in this field. He also plans to build a "Terahertz Valley" in Hefei.

With regard to the support he has received, Wu said the company has benefitted from the zone's new plans to foster leading entrepreneurs. According the plan, the zone will connect entrepreneurs with government officials and economic experts to help solve their problems.

Wu said the plan has also helped Brainware Terahertz connect with other enterprises in the zone, noting that the company found a partner quickly when it was looking to develop a security check robot.

Brainware Terahertz's security check product is put into use in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat account: hefeigaoxinfabu]