<Talent business card>
Li Xiang, from Tongling, Anhui Province, graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University with a major in information communication. He is currently the CEO of Deepano Technology. Previously engaged in mobile device-related R&D in companies such as Inventec, Alcatel, and Lenovo. He used to be the product manager and core technology leader of Lenovo AR/VR, and the core technology leader of Lenovo’s first-generation mobile phone. He has more than 15 years of work experience and 10 years of focus on new technology research and development. In October, 2016, he won the first prize in the Nantong Jianghai Talent Entrepreneurship Competition; in June, 2017, he was funded by the Nantong Jianghai Talent Program; in August, 2017, he won the third prize of the Fifth Provincial Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
<A Dream of Nantong>
“This is our product ‘Erlangshen’ because it has three eyes.” On Nov. 22, in Deepano Technology, located in Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone, Li Xiang, the person in charge, showed the reporter the panorama camera which had already been sold in the market. Only a mobile phone-sized product has 3 cameras, which can achieve 360-degree shooting without blind spots. He introduced that the market price of a single panoramic camera is about 2,000 yuan, and it will be put on the market after mass production in August this year. Sales of 6 million yuan have been formed within a few months, and the annual sales are expected to reach 10 million yuan this year.
It took Li Xiang nearly ten years from the idea of starting a business to realizing it. In October, 2016, he brought his team to participate in the Nantong Jianghai Talents Entrepreneurship Competition and won the first place in one fell swoop. “The location advantage here is obvious, and it is very convenient to travel to and from Shanghai; basic education is good, and the quality of talents is high.” He said that, after feeling Nantong’s strong atmosphere of innovation and entrepreneurship, strong policy support from government departments, and profound talent culture, he determined to root the dream of entrepreneurship in Nantong.
In December 2016, Deepano Technology Nantong was formally established with a registered capital of 20 million yuan. The company also set up R&D and production departments in Zhangjiang, Shanghai and Dongguan, Guangdong. The core business is to provide integrated machine vision solutions based on VPU chips, including machine vision products hardware terminals (VR cameras, AI modules) and content playback, management, Production, sharing and storage platform, etc.
“Nantong’s new generation of information technology industry has a sound development foundation, coupled with 360-degree services and support from government departments, and the company has maintained a relatively stable and rapid development since its establishment.” Li Xiang said that, currently, 6 core patented technologies are currently being accepted, 20 more are applying.
“I had the idea of starting a business in 2008, but it is not a simple matter. You have to settle down and accumulate.” Li Xiang claims to be a curious person, and innovation is “commonplace” for him.
One of Li Xiang’s entrepreneurial goals is to lower the barriers to the use of panoramic cameras and allow them to enter thousands of households. Panoramic cameras are in great demand in the fields of home monitoring, tourism, commercial retail, drones and robots, especially when combined with artificial intelligence, such as face recognition, visual positioning, etc., will bring huge business customers value.
[Entrepreneurship perception]
“Entrepreneurship requires a large number of talents, and this is where Nantong attracts me.” Li Xiang said that when he started his business, he decided to form his own team to provide them with a stable development environment and reduce brain drain. “We have recruited many talents returning from Shanghai, and there are currently many people in Nantong.” He said that the company regularly organizes employees to go to Shanghai and other places for training to receive cutting-edge knowledge and concepts in the industry.
Li Xiang described his entrepreneurial path as “stable and steady”. Since the company officially entered the Nantong Development Zone in July this year, the company has a stable team of about 10 people. It plans to expand to about 40 people next year and establish in 10 provinces including Henan and Guangxi. Provincial-level agency strive to achieve annual sales of 40 million yuan. “By the end of 2018, it will invest 50 million yuan to build a local factory and R&D center in Nantong, and it is expected to provide employment opportunities for more than 100 people in Nantong.” He confidently stated that the goal in 2019 is to build high-end technology in the AR/VR field in East China The Exchange Learning Experience Center attracts top R&D talents from the global AR/VR field to gather in Nantong.
