Young Chinese talent put in incubator in UK

Lin Zhenyu, 24, is one of many Chinese participants in the Sirius program. He leads a team of five in a startup called Sensory Media, which helps restaurants automatically match their music to the lighting in a room using an LED lighting and application system.

Lin, who came to the UK to attain his master's degree in computer science at University College London in 2013, started working on the idea during his studies and later established Sensory Media with four students.

Two central London restaurants have since bought Sensory Media's product and Lin says his team is in the process of registering the technology's copyrights, after which they will focus on broadening the product's sales channels to more restaurants and bars.

Sensory Media, Lin says, will develop smaller scale products such as a single light bulb that will apply the same technology to homes.

Lin, who hails from Zhejiang province, says the entrepreneurial spirit of the region's people instilled in him the desire to start his own business as a child.

"I've always thought this is what I should do after graduating. It just came naturally."

Sensory Media was borne out of two failed attempts to establish two businesses - one focusing on LED technology and the other on web applications - during his undergraduate studies at Zhejiang University as well as from his love of music. Lin plays a number of instruments well.

In his current role as an entrepreneur, Lin says he is constantly learning new things and adapting to changes every day. In addition to managing the team, developing new technologies, Lin is also in charge of sales and marketing.

"We hope to develop the best technology in this sector and constantly make improvements to it through customer feedback, so that we will maintain our competitiveness in this industry," Lin says.

Another young Chinese entrepreneur is Lesley Zhang, 32, from Shanxi province.

In September 2013, she attended the Global Graduate Entrepreneurs' Festival in Manchester that was initiated by UK Trade and Investment. After meeting what would eventually turn out to be her business partner at the conference, the two worked to turn the concept of fashion rentals into an online venture. They created Rentez-Vous, a clothes-sharing platform for women who want to access high quality fashion without having to pay full prices.

"Basically, we allow women to rent clothes to one another and rent designer creations for a fraction of the price. Beyond peer-to-peer sharing, we are a unique marketing and customers acquisition tool for fashion designers and brands - by renting out their collections, they can get more awareness, more market surveys and sell more," Zhang says.