Creative and innovative communities, hubs, clusters and industries are supporting and fostering exchange and innovation. China is often perceived as a model for innovation and economic development, countries from the Global South use China as a role model to learn and cooperate in order to scale up local know-how. In this context, maker and entrepreneurial communities interest- ed in open innovation and development connect and create new ties to implement their vision. An educative project being launched between communities of Addis Ababa and Shenzhen illustrates the mutual benefactory interest and the willingness to exchange on different levels.