Recently, 276 Shenzhen’s enterprises were selected in the fourth batch of State-level technologically advanced “little giant” companies, the most ever, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported, quoting the data from Shenzhen’s small and medium-sized enterprises service bureau.

So far, Shenzhen's number of national “little giant” firms has reached 445.

A “little giant” refers to small and midium-sized leading enterprises with great growth potential specializing in niche markets for mid- and high-end industries, including next-generation technologies, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, new materials and biopharmacy.

Shenzhen’s newly added “little giants” mainly specialize in sectors of computers, communications and electronic equipment manufacturing. Many of them are publicly traded companies, such as three subsidiaries of Han’s Laser Technology Industry Group. Also included are Allystar, HaploX, RoboSense and several industry-leading firms.

Among them, RoboSense is a world-leading smart LiDAR sensor system enterprise focusing on self-dependent innovations. Wei Genping, a partner of the company, said, “Since the establishment of our company, the Shenzhen government has been helping us solve problems in development, while providing us with various supports to safeguard our growth.”

Nanshan, Bao’an, and Longhua districts are the top three regions where the most newly added national “little giants” gather, according to the data from Qizhidao.com, China’s big data technological innovation service platform.

There are 88, 83, and 34 newly recognized enterprises located at Nanshan, Bao’an, and Longhua, respectively, accounting for 31.9%, 30.1%, and 12.3% of the total.

Nanshan provides fertile soil for science and technology enterprises in Shenzhen. As of the end of July, eight Nanshan companies got listed on the stock market this year, accounting for over half of the city’s total.

With more than 50,000 traditional manufacturers, Bao’an is known as a manufacturing pinnacle that is home to the city’s most technologically advanced “little giant” firms.

Longhua has been encouraging specialized and sophisticated enterprises to expand production in niche sectors and vigorously incubating more “hidden champion” enterprises.

Statistics showed that the average annual R&D expenditure of Shenzhen’s State-level “little giant” enterprises is 33.39 million yuan (US$4.91 million), higher than the country’s average. Moreover, these companies’ average main business revenue and average net profit have both increased by over 20%.

One month ago, 2,989 enterprises in Shenzhen were included in a list of municipal-level specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises, topping the ranking in Guangdong Province.