[Graphic by Zhou Yang/ China Daily]

Guiyang is ready to offer talented troubleshooters and problem solvers entrepreneurship platforms to help them start their own businesses to meet increasing social and market demands.

Chen Gang, Party chief of Guiyang, introduced the platforms at a news conference on March 1 in Beijing to announce the city's "tongker plan" and a nationwide "tongker" competition in Guiyang.

Tongker is a brand new concept proposed by the city of Guiyang, and it refers to a person or team capable of identifying problems in all aspects of life and finding solutions to those problems. The solutions must meet social and market demands.

Chen said, however, people who are good at identifying problems and proposing solutions don't always have sufficient business acumen to formulate a viable business plan for their ideas. This is where "makers" come in. Makers are individuals or enterprises that can help tonkgers convert their ideas into viable business propositions.

Effective entrepreneurship platforms, such as "maker spaces" where potential tongkers can meet makers, and easier access to funding are crucial in helping tongkers start their businesses, according to Chen.

The Party chief said Guiyang will make use of its advantages in the big data industry to offer platforms to, and mobilize social and market resources for, tongker-related entrepreneurship and innovations.

Gao Weidong, deputy mayor of Guiyang, said the city's tongker competition aims to gather potential tongkers from all over the country and match them with makers and investors.

Following the preliminary competition that ended on April 18, a panel of judges selected 30 proposals to advance to the final from the 2,700 submitted candidate proposals.

The final competition will be held on May 29 during the Guiyang Big Data Expo, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday. At the final, the top 10 tongkers, top three proposals and top three tongker makers will be announced.

The competition will also help link tongkers with makers and venture capitalists.

A maker who is interested in a particular tongker's proposal can arrange a meeting with them to discuss possible cooperation.

At the final competition, the top 10 tongkers can team up with their maker partners to present their joint business plans.

According to local officials, the competition is just the first stage of Guiyang's tongker plan, and the city will offer tongkers a "constant" stage.

During the Guiyang Big Data Expo, an online maker space called Guiyang Tongker Dreamwork will be launched, with the aim of connecting more tongkers and makers.