The Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC) recognized 505 new gazelle enterprises in 2025, with significant growth in sectors like integrated circuits, AI, and biomanufacturing. These companies saw their combined revenue jump by 34.4 percent year-on-year, showing robust growth.

Gazelle enterprises are defined as small- and medium-sized tech companies that have successfully navigated the "valley of death" and entered a phase of rapid growth. OVC has cultivated a total of 2,043 such firms, with 27 growing into publicly listed companies and eight into unicorns, significantly boosting the region's high-quality development.

Their rapid growth has created numerous high-quality jobs. Over 830 gazelle enterprises have generated more than 22,000 positions, accounting for over 20 percent of the zone's new employment. 

The 2025 data reveal that the average R&D investment intensity of OVC's gazelles reached 25.8 percent, three times the provincial average. They secured over 2,700 invention patents, accounting for 24 percent of the total authorized patents for small and medium-sized enterprises in Hubei province.

OVC’s gazelle enterprises have been actively exploring emerging sectors, with over 110 companies involved in cutting-edge fields like general AI, humanoid robots, advanced semiconductors, and future displays.

Nearly 300 locally settled gazelle enterprises have been expanding globally, with operations in regions such as Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. They have moved beyond product exports to establish R&D centers, overseas manufacturing plants, and engage in cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Looking forward, OVC will continue to optimize its innovation ecosystem, leveraging support from the government, enterprises, capital, and talent to help more gazelle enterprises achieve rapid growth in the global tech innovation wave.