“What has allowed [Merck] to thrive over these 350 years has been our emphasis on the importance of entrepreneurship, responsibility, technology, and innovation,” explains Sophie Sun, Managing Director for Merck China’s Innovation Hub and Vice President of Strategy and Transformation.
“Whether it's driving the current business or developing some new technology or solutions for future growth, innovation guides us in our efforts.”
Sun, who leads Merck’s recently established China Innovation Hub coordinates between her local team and global headquarters to look at new technologies with an emphasis on how to support China’s business growth.
In China, these efforts are realized in ways such as leveraging the innovative minds of the local workforce, the development of various startup accelerator programs, and comprehensive integration into local business ecosystems. Sun notes the pivotal nature of tapping local Chinese startups to help drive innovative solutions for the Chinese market.
“For startups, we have an accelerator program in which we target seed stage to series A stage startups who are active in the field of healthcare, life science, performance materials and also some areas like AI-enabled healthcare solutions, liquid biopsy or biosensing and interfaces. At these intersections, we can build between one of our sectors,” says Sun.
Sophie Sun will join AmCham China’s Tech & Innovation Summit to help drive the discussion of the Parallel Industry Panel: Digital Healthcare and serve as an Advisor for the Plug and Play Startup Shark Tank, where she’ll be advising 6 startup companies on their live pitch to investors, brining her industrial and startup expertise to help 6 growing companies.
Join us on September 19 to hear the latest from Sophie Sun and Merck on the current status of innovation in China, and see Sophie advise a cohort of startups live!