Walking a factory floor teaches you more in a day than weeks of emails. Several groups now run guided tours of Shenzhen's supply chain for foreign founders, with translation and logistics handled for you.
Why join a tour
- Meet several suppliers in a few days, with introductions made for you
- See how products are really made (and what "a factory" can mean)
- Leave with contacts and sometimes real quotes
- Meet other founders at the same stage
Who runs them (2026)
Future Factory Five-day cohort tours for hardware, robotics and biotech founders, including translation and logistics. The 2026 cohorts listed on its site include 18–23 October (Cohort 08) and 6–11 December (Cohort 09). Prices aren't published; apply through its website.
SinovateX Six-day Shenzhen Tech Tours for international founders, including robotics factories, accelerators and Huaqiangbei. The next listed tour is 27 November – 2 December 2026, timed with the China Hi-Tech Fair.
Seeed Studio Seeed has run "Factory Hi" tours alongside Maker Faire Shenzhen in past years. We didn't find a dated 2026 tour when we checked, so watch Seeed's channels.
Before you book
- Ask which factories and categories are included, and whether they match your product.
- Ask what's included (hotel, transport, translation, meals) and the total price.
- Prepare drawings, specs and questions. Factories take visitors more seriously with a real project.
- Bring an NNN agreement if you plan to share sensitive designs.
Related
- EVT, DVT, PVT explained
- Events (tours are listed with dates)
Sources: thefuturefactory.ai, sinovatex.com, seeedstudio.com, checked September 2026. Tours may be referral partners; any paid relationship is labelled on the site.
Updated 29 September 2026