Shenzhen’s population has exploded from 1 million people, 30 years ago to 12 million people today. It is a special economic zone backed by driven by a fast growth mentality, easy access to manufacturing hubs and funding from government agencies. More than 90% of the population are not originally from the area. Many professionals in the Shenzhen start-up scene bring with them years of experience gathered from working with tech giants in other parts of China.