The annual meeting of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) Entrepreneurship Investment and Financing Association was held on Nov 8, attracting over 300 alumni entrepreneurs and investors from across the country to Optics Valley of China (OVC) to focus on fostering collaboration and exploring development opportunities.

HUST Entrepreneurship Investment and Financing Association holds its annual meeting in OVC. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Founded in 2013, the association brings together alumni engaged in equity investment, core-tech entrepreneurship, and industrial operations worldwide. It concentrates on sectors such as integrated circuits, AI, robotics, biomedicine, and advanced manufacturing. The association prioritizes empowering faculty and student projects and early-stage alumni startups, creating a global innovation and investment ecosystem for HUST alumni.

Over its 70-year history, HUST has cultivated more than 860,000 alumni, forming a robust "entrepreneurial and investment corps". Alumni partnerships have recently increased, creating a robust HUST innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, with over 100,000 HUST graduates establishing roots in OVC and founding more than 3,500 companies. Of the 72 listed companies in the zone, 12 were founded or are controlled by HUST alumni.

OVC is now accelerating the construction of a 4.2-square-kilometer "HUST Innovation Development Belt", designed as an innovation zone integrating R&D incubation, pilot testing, and application scenarios. This area is set to become the premier destination for HUST alumni innovation and entrepreneurship. 

The Optics Valley Entrepreneurship Street is home to the 100,000-square-meter Optics Valley Technology Achievement Transformation Center, which is under construction and will serve as the first stop for alumni projects transitioning from the lab to the production line.