Chinese cities offer up to $720,000 to startups building on OpenClaw

Several Chinese cities are offering free housing, discounted office space, and cash subsidies to attract startups building on OpenClaw. In Wuxi’s high-tech zone, a policy draft posted on the city’s official WeChat account outlines 12 measures to support what developers call “raising the lobster,” the practice of deploying OpenClaw agents to automate tasks.

The draft says projects that build industrial AI applications, such as predictive maintenance or quality inspection systems, could receive rewards of 500,000 yuan ($72,000). Major breakthroughs involving robotics or embodied AI may qualify for subsidies up to 5 million yuan ($720,000).

Startups using OpenClaw may also be eligible for rent-free office space for up to three years and living subsidies for outstanding contributors to the OpenClaw open-source community who start a business in the district for the first time.

China, Wuxi

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