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5 days inside China’s hardware ecosystem

A private trip for founders, builders and innovators guided by Futurewave’s local expertise. Skip the months of figuring out what the good stuff is, and go straight to it.

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February/March 2027 (TBC)

Most hardware founders have never been to China. It feels far, complicated and closed.

Join Futurewave for five days inside Shenzhen's hardware ecosystem, guided by our engineers with real experience on the ground.

  • Closed doors, open to you.
  • Built around you.
  • Guided by real engineers.
  • The full chain in one trip.
  • Substance, not sightseeing.

Let's go where hardware actually gets built.

Come with us to the factories you can't find on your own. Three reasons for a five-day visit in this corner of southern China.

Density

Component markets, prototyping workshops, PCB manufacturers, robotics companies and assembly plants sit within driving distance of each other. At the extreme, industrial zones are 2.5 hours apart, which means an entire supply chain is coverable in one week.

Specialization

Shenzhen for technology, robotics and electronics. Dongguan and Guangzhou for manufacturing and specialised components. That division of labour is what makes a five-day programme possible instead of a scattered itinerary.

Closed doors

No directory lists the suppliers worth working with. Access runs through relationships, and the doors stay closed to visitors without a concrete project behind them. This is the part of the ecosystem you cannot reach from an inbox.

What can you expect from five days on the ground

Six types of activities. Each one is a reason to join the trip.

The lobby of a Shenzhen consumer-technology experience centre, product benches under suspended light panels.

Tech giant showrooms

Visits to established robotics, drone and consumer-technology companies, from headquarters campuses to experience centres most people only see in press photos.

Assembly workers at benches along a production line on a Shenzhen factory floor.

Factory tours

Sector-specific manufacturers, rapid-prototyping workshops, PCB makers and component suppliers. Firms Futurewave already works with, normally closed to visitors.

Industrial robot arms running a demonstration cell at a Shenzhen automation trade fair.

A la carte visits

There is no fixed circuit. Before departure, each participant tells us what they need to see, and manufacturers get added around it.

Futurewave engineers and a Chinese manufacturing partner reviewing assembled boards across a workbench.

Business briefings

Working sessions on how we do business with Chinese partners, from etiquette to what to prepare before a first project.

Futurewave engineers and participants working through notes and photographs from a factory visit.

Daily debriefs

After each visit, a working debrief: what you saw, what it means for your product, and what it changes for your suppliers or cost target.

Evening street life in Shenzhen, signage and crowds outside the electronics district.

Local culture

Expect extras along the way: a night out, hotpot with the group, an afternoon at the Huaqiangbei electronics market, a mall full of Chinese brands Europe hasn’t seen yet.

Seven days door to door, five on the ground

An example of what to expect. The final schedule is confirmed ahead of departure, and one day of it doesn't exist until the cohort does.

Arrival

Arrival and hotel transfer, then a light welcome dinner and a short briefing on how the week works. Nothing demanding; the week is built assuming you land tired.

Day 1

Shenzhen: technology and robotics

Two visits, grouped in the same zone. Established robotics and consumer-technology companies. Group dinner.

Day 2

Shenzhen, or the transition

A morning visit in the city, then either a second Shenzhen visit or the transfer toward Guangzhou and Dongguan, depending on where the confirmed hosts sit.

Day 3

Guangzhou and Dongguan: manufacturing

Visits to large-scale manufacturers and specialised component suppliers, where you see how products are built in volume.

Day 4

The cohort’s own day

The prototyping workshops, PCB makers and sector-specific manufacturers this particular group asked to see, plus a meeting at an incubator. Huaqiangbei electronics market in the afternoon. This day does not exist until the cohort is confirmed.

Day 5

Close-out

Final visits in the morning. Working sessions on compliance, negotiation and how a first project actually starts, then a structured debrief across the whole week.

Departure

Transfer to the airport.

Is this for me?

You’ll be a great fit if…

  • You’re a solo entrepreneur.
  • You’re the founder of a small hardware company.
  • You work at a hardware company.

It’s probably not for you if…

  • You already run established manufacturing in the region.
  • You’re looking for a supplier to be handed to you.
  • You want a week of sightseeing with an industrial pretext.

Dates, cost, and what’s included

Dates

February/March 2027 (TBC)

Participation fee

To be confirmed. Per person, published with the official invitation.

What’s included

  • Hotel
  • All local transport
  • Meals
  • Guiding throughout
  • All visits and activities

Not included

  • International flights
  • Visa
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses

Common questions

Is this a booking?
No. Joining the interest list puts you on the list that hears first, and it shapes the programme. Nothing is due and nothing is committed until dates and pricing are published and we have spoken.
When do I get dates and a price?
With the official invitation. The interest list receives it first, before anything goes wider.
Which companies will we visit?
Recognisable technology and robotics companies, plus smaller specialised manufacturers from our own network. We name hosts once access is confirmed for your specific dates. We’d rather under-promise here than list a logo we can’t deliver. We’ll also tell you plainly which visits are floor access and which are experience centres, because they’re worth different amounts to you.
Do I need experience working with China?
No, the opposite. The week is built for a first approach. If you already manufacture in the region, this is probably not the right use of your week.
How much of the week goes on travel between sites?
Some. Industrial zones can be 2.5 hours apart, so visits are grouped by zone and the schedule carries real margin. Expect full days.
Who is Futurewave, and why do these doors open for you?
We’re a Belgium-based product studio that designs and builds connected consumer devices: design, engineering and factory access in one team. We work in this region because our clients’ products get made here. The suppliers and partners we bring the cohort to are firms we already work with on live programmes, which is why they’ll see a group with no purchase order behind it. That relationship is the week.
How many people, and could a competitor be in the room?
Eight to twelve, selected, with no direct competitors. That’s a condition of joining, not a preference. You’ll know the composition of the cohort before you confirm your place. The room is a large part of what you’re getting: eight to eleven people solving a version of your problem at the same time, with the same fresh reference points.
Is my project protected?
Two answers. Inside the cohort: no direct competitors, and what you share is yours to choose. On site: the compliance and IP session runs early in the week rather than as a closing footnote, and you’ll leave knowing what to sign, what not to send, and what actually protects a design in practice.
Will you try to sell me your services afterwards?
No. You’re welcome to work with us afterwards and a number of participants will, but nothing in the week is held back to create that conversation, and no part of the debrief is gated behind a proposal. We also have no stake in where you manufacture: no commission, no exclusivity with any factory.

I want to participate

Register your interest below and we’ll get back in touch.

The physical product, in a line.

Questions first? Email contact@futurewave.eu.