XNode, a Startup Accelerator and Corporate Innovation Hub in Shanghai, is delighted to welcome Intel’s I2R Startup X to our innovative corporate community. I2R Startup X is designed to give Intel China employees a unique perspective into the inner workings of startup world. It will be located at our Jing’An co-working space where Intel teams will accelerate their internal projects outside of familiar corporate walls. This initiative aims to foster a culture of entrepreneurship, collaboration and co-creation amongst the corporate innovators by completely immersing them within the vibrant startup ecosystem.

I2R is short for Ideas2Reality, an innovation platform at Intel China that enables and empowers its employees to bring their ideas to life. I2R provides seed funding, lab space, mentors and innovation time-off to the employees to help incubate their ideas. Successfully incubated ideas with promising business plans enter I2R Accelerator where employees are provided with significant capital, business skills and complete autonomy to turn their ideas into viable businesses while turning themselves into seasoned Intrapreneurs.

StartupX is the natural next step for I2R”, says Kapil Kane, Director of Innovation at Intel China, “The goal is to bring our innovators out of the corporate nest, get them to think and act like startup founders and get to the first sale quicker”.

Zhou Wei, founder and CEO of XNode echoes this sentiment and adds that, “To innovate, corporations today have the imperative to look outside of their walls”.

Getting intrapreneurs to think the startup way is a real challenge. XNode’s startup community is the perfect environment to drive this new way of thinking. By setting up an Innovation Lab at XNode, Intel corporate teams will be surrounded by entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and innovators. Here, they will get the first-hand experience of entrepreneurial energy startups encounter every day. This is a game-changing experience for every intrapreneur. XNode has built a strong community for the last 2 years, that allows one of the fastest way for any corporate to tap into the startups’ network and resources.

XNode has also just released a new product line called X·CIP that is focused on corporate innovation programs. The line is a joint incubation platform created together with ZhangJiang Ventures under the support of the ZhangJiang Administration Committee and in collaboration with different other stakeholders.

XNode assists entrepreneurs and corporate innovators in accelerating the growth of their startups and projects. From providing inspiring spaces and startup-oriented events to mentorship and valuable connections with relevant stakeholders (VCs, corporates, government, academia, overseas partners), XNode is committed to become a unique innovation hub in the heart of China’s most dynamic cities.