01 / INTELLIGENCE IN MOTIONAI in the physical world
Look at robotics, intelligent devices, and the practical questions between a compelling demo and a useful product.
SHENZHEN, CHINA / AI · ROBOTICS · HARDWARE
Where AI gets
physical.
Explore Shenzhen's AI and hardware ecosystem.
Make better decisions about what you build next.
7
Days in Shenzhen
Five core program days
30
Participants
Planned cohort size
EN
Program language
English-led discussions
01 / THE APPROACH
Less distance between
an idea and an understanding.
Make better
hardware decisions.
In Shenzhen, AI takes shape through components, prototypes, production lines, and the people connecting them.
Shenzhen Fieldwork brings together 30 founders, investors, and operators for five core program days, with arrival and departure days on either side. Explore how products are engineered, how suppliers work, and what changes when manufacturing scales.
Co-founded by Agoston Bodo and Bertan Ucar, the program combines international delegation experience with AI and manufacturing research. Bring a real product or investment question and turn what you see into a clearer next step.
01 / INTELLIGENCE IN MOTION02 / THE BUILDING BLOCKS
From prototype to production
Trace the path through components, engineering, manufacturing, and the decisions that make a product possible.
03 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND ITA different point of view
Make space for conversations with local builders and your fellow participants. Compare assumptions. Ask better questions.
02 / THE FIELD PROGRAM
PROPOSED ITINERARYSeven days.
A closer look.
Five core program days, plus arrival and departure.
One route from first impressions to practical decisions.
DAY 01 / 07DAY ONE / ARRIVAL
Get ready for the week ahead.
Arrive in Shenzhen and settle in before the core program begins. Hotel-included passes cover the planned airport transfer and the first of six hotel nights.
A planned itinerary for 30 participants. The five core program days are included in every pass; arrival, departure, and six hotel nights are included in Full Experience passes. Dates, named hosts, and the final schedule will be confirmed before booking.
03 / THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM
Good questions.
Even better company.
The group is part of the experience. We're bringing together people with different perspectives and a shared interest in how AI becomes a physical product.
Founders & builders
Explore the engineering, suppliers, and manufacturing questions behind your next product.
Bring your idea ↗Investors
Develop firsthand context for evaluating physical AI, hardware businesses, and emerging markets.
Sharpen your perspective ↗Operators & product leaders
Understand how teams move from a product decision to a prototype, a process, and a business.
Explore the process ↗04 / THE FOUNDERS
Research meets
cross-border experience.
Two Tsinghua students bringing together AI research, startup experience, and the practical work of connecting people across markets.
CO-FOUNDER
Agoston Bodo
Cross-border business & delegations
Agoston is a master's student in Industrial Engineering and Management at Tsinghua University, with a background in international business. His work at Yingke Law Firm in Beijing and Budapest included executive briefings, market-entry research, and support for international business delegations.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Yingke Law Firm · Beijing & Budapest
Business forums, institutional relations, and cross-border coordination.
WHAT HE BRINGS
Experience preparing delegations, researching markets, and coordinating conversations across languages and business cultures.
LinkedIn Mandarin · HSK 4
CO-FOUNDER
Bertan Ucar
AI research & startup experience
Bertan is a PhD student at Tsinghua University and a startup founder. His research focuses on physics-informed AI and machine learning for quality control in multi-stage manufacturing, alongside work on evaluating bias in large language models.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Manufacturing engineering at Porsche, production-technology research at Fraunhofer IPT, and a Business Analyst Graduate role at McKinsey & Company. Co-author of BiasLab.
WHAT HE BRINGS
A research and engineering perspective on manufacturing systems, AI evaluation, and the questions behind a working product.
Shenzhen Fieldwork is an independent initiative. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Tsinghua University or the organizations listed above.
05 / WHAT YOU TAKE AWAY
Bring a real question.
Leave with a clearer decision.
Arrive with a purpose.
Share a product brief or investment question before the trip. Identify the engineering, supplier, or manufacturing assumptions you want to examine.
Get closer to the work.
Use visits and founder-led debriefs to examine capabilities, quality, lead times, and scale. Connect technical observations to the decisions facing your business.
Turn observations into action.
Build a written action plan with your priorities, open questions, and follow-ups. Keep learning from the delegation as you take your next steps.
06 / PROGRAM FEES
ALL PRICES IN USDFour ways to join.
One shared program.
Join individually or bring a colleague. Choose the core program, or include a six-night hotel stay and airport transfers.
PROGRAM ONLY
Duo Immersion Pass
$9,900USD / person
Two participants booking together
- Five core program days
- Full core program access
- Hotel and airport transfers excluded
PROGRAM ONLY
Individual Immersion Pass
$12,900USD / person
One participant
- Five core program days
- Full core program access
- Hotel and airport transfers excluded
HOTEL INCLUDED
Duo Full Experience
$12,900USD / person
Two participants booking together
- Seven days, six hotel nights
- Full core program access
- Premium hotel and airport transfers
HOTEL INCLUDED
Individual Full Experience
$15,900USD / person
One participant
- Seven days, six hotel nights
- Full core program access
- Premium hotel and airport transfers
Included in every pass
Five days of curated company and manufacturing visits, technical and founder discussions, scheduled lunches and dinners, transport between program activities, English-led coordination, and the delegation community.
Know before you book
Flights, visas, travel insurance, and personal expenses are excluded. Duo pricing requires two participants booking together. Named hosts, hotel details, the final inclusions, and cancellation terms will be provided in writing before payment.
The first cohort is in development. An inquiry is free and does not reserve a place or take a payment.
When is the first program?
The first cohort is in development. Register your interest and share your preferred travel window. Dates and the final itinerary will be provided before you make a booking.
Who is the program for?
Founders, investors, operators, and product leaders with a serious interest in AI, robotics, and hardware. The program is designed with US startup communities in mind; participants from other countries are welcome to express interest.
Do I need a technical background?
You don't need to be a robotics engineer. Bring curiosity, a willingness to engage with the group, and a clear sense of what you want to understand. The program is intended to connect technical and commercial perspectives.
What is the price, and what's included?
Program-only passes are $9,900 per person for two people booking together, or $12,900 individually. Full Experience passes, including six hotel nights and airport transfers, are $12,900 per person for a duo or $15,900 individually. All prices are in USD. Flights, visas, insurance, and personal expenses are excluded. See the four passes for the full comparison.
Which companies will we visit?
The proposed itinerary focuses on AI products, robotics, components, prototyping, and manufacturing. Specific hosts and visits are being arranged and will be named once confirmed. No company partnership is implied by the themes shown on this website.
Is this an official Tsinghua program?
No. Shenzhen Fieldwork is an independent initiative co-founded by Agoston Bodo, a Tsinghua master's student, and Bertan Ucar, a Tsinghua PhD student. It is not a university program and does not imply university endorsement or campus access.
08 / REGISTER INTEREST
See it for yourself.
Tell us about your work and the questions
you'd bring to Shenzhen.
Shenzhen, ChinaDiscussions in EnglishDates to be announced