How to empower OPC? Luohu District Financial Services Office: A mature innovation ecosystem should not only promote success but also provide safeguards against sunk costs.

Jingjing News reporter Fan Hongmin, Beijing report

Luohu District π Innovation Space (interviewee/picture)

Since the beginning of 2026, the OPC—“a one-person + AI” company—has become a micro-level carrier of new-quality productive forces, driven by its advantages in lean operations and efficient innovation, sparking a new wave of individual entrepreneurship.

Although AI has significantly lowered the threshold for starting a business, the risk of business failure still remains. How can OPC entrepreneurs have no worries and start lightly? Recently, with the promotion of the Shenzhen Luohu District Financial Services Bureau, the District Science, Technology and Industry Information Technology Bureau, and The People’s Property Insurance Company (PICC) of China, Ltd. Shenzhen Branch (hereinafter “PICC Shenzhen Branch”), Shenzhen’s first technology enterprise bankruptcy-related expenses loss insurance—“Entrepreneurship Peace-of-Mind Insurance”—was formally issued in Luohu.

“Unlike traditional insurance products that provide coverage for fixed assets, the core of ‘Entrepreneurship Peace-of-Mind Insurance’ clearly targets the expenses of two key groups: first, it protects employees’ basic rights and interests; second, it provides transitional support for founders.” Chen Jianeng, Deputy Director of the Luohu District Financial Services Bureau, said in an interview with a reporter from China Business News, adding that it mainly addresses two pain points faced by companies during development: the problem of “sunk costs” from R&D failures and the “worries after starting a business” arising from the risk of failure.

“Government guidance + insurance backstopping + market operation” delivers a “peace of mind” pill to entrepreneurs

According to information disclosed, in November 2025, during the 27th China International High-Tech Fair, the Luohu District Financial Services Bureau, together with PICC Shenzhen Branch, precisely focused on the unique risks of the AI industry, jointly rolled out the “Entrepreneurship Peace-of-Mind Insurance” plan, and completed contract signings with the first batch of intended clients. The first batch of intended signatory enterprises mainly covered cutting-edge technology sectors such as biopharmaceuticals, embodied intelligence and robotics, intelligent assistive devices, and multimedia communications.

Chen Jianeng said that to facilitate the implementation of “Entrepreneurship Peace-of-Mind Insurance” in Luohu, a series of efforts were made. First, coordinated governance by government and enterprises. The Luohu District Financial Services Bureau worked with PICC Shenzhen Branch to precisely focus on technology innovation risks, conduct in-depth research and symposiums, and jointly design insurance solutions. Second, policy supporting measures. In 2025, Luohu released the “Application Guide for Science and Technology Innovation Risk Subsidies in Luohu District.” In the form of “technology insurance vouchers,” it provides up to RMB 150,000 in premium subsidies, lowers the threshold for purchasing insurance, allows a single team to potentially receive up to RMB 3 million in risk payouts, and in 2026 will continue to deepen policy support efforts. Third, platform building. Platforms were set up for activities such as the unveiling ceremony for the PuYue China Greater Bay Area OPC community and cross-border innovation special matchmaking meetings. Focusing on key tracks including artificial intelligence and embodied intelligence, it integrates resources from leading global enterprises, top investment institutions, and industrial scenarios to build a matchmaking channel.

“A mature innovation ecosystem not only needs to support success, but also needs to provide protection for sunk costs incurred during the exploration process. Therefore, by establishing a risk-sharing mechanism of ‘government guidance + insurance backstopping + market operation,’ we address the pain points of the AI industry—long R&D cycles, high investment, and high failure risk—delivering a ‘peace of mind’ pill to entrepreneurs.” Chen Jianeng said.

Transition to full-process risk management

This year’s Government Work Report for the first time proposed “building a new form of intelligent economy,” incorporating intelligent-native business models into the national top-level design.

And as early as January this year, Shenzhen released the “Action Plan for Shenzhen to Build an Exemplary Launch Site for AI OPC Entrepreneurship (2026–2027).” For the first time nationwide, it included the “one-person company (OPC)” in city-level industrial policy, clearly proposing to build OPC communities and cluster AI entrepreneurship entities.

It is reported that Luohu District has already taken shape in its layout for artificial intelligence and the OPC industry. As a pilot area for OPC communities among Shenzhen’s first batch, Luohu successfully promoted the allocation of the San-Gang—Qingshuihe area (π Innovation Space) and the Hubei area (PuYue China Greater Bay Area International Innovation Center) into the city’s first batch of OPC community layouts.

In terms of industrial clustering, Luohu has gathered more than 1,000 strategic emerging industry enterprises, integrated more than 1 million square meters of industrial space, established a strategic emerging industry fund with a scale of more than RMB 56 billion, and released more than 100 artificial intelligence application scenarios. Among them, as the first-launched community, π Innovation Space has already attracted 8 enterprises in the first batch, with more than 10 enterprises showing intent to move in. It focuses on areas such as AI marketing and embodied robots.

“The next step is for Luohu District to further leverage the role of the insurance industry to help safeguard the development of the artificial intelligence and OPC industries.” Chen Jianeng told reporters. First, deepen government–insurance cooperation. Continue guiding insurance institutions to focus on key industries such as artificial intelligence, life and health, and the low-altitude economy under the “3+3+4” framework, develop more distinctive insurance products with strong adaptability, and transition from “after-the-event compensation” to “full-process risk management” featuring “pre-warning before the event, in-process control during the event, and backstopping after the event.” Second, promote innovative models. Summarize practical experience from the implementation of “Entrepreneurship Peace-of-Mind Insurance,” and promote a new technology-finance model of “insurance + services + ecosystem,” while continuing to explore new insurance protection mechanisms in areas such as intellectual property protection. Third, strengthen resource matching. Relying on OPC communities such as π Innovation Space within the district and the PuYue China Greater Bay Area International Innovation Center, build a normalized matching platform for insurance institutions and OPC enterprises to ensure that insurance services precisely reach the entrepreneurial groups.

(Editor: Li Hui; Reviewer: He Shasha; Proofreader: Zhang Guogang)