This paper compares the management of university incubators in China and France and provides some insights into the way university incubators should be managed to enable the creation of successful start-ups. By analysing the contexts for their emergence in both countries, we assess the similarities and differences between the two systems and provide some explanation for performance differences. This paper makes use of national surveys, of interviews with directors and management staff of university incubators, and the large literature on incubators and the innovation systems of China and France. Although the incubators studied have similar functions, there are differences related to their incubation systems. Chinese and French incubators are similar in terms of nature, structure, objectives, governance and complexity of funding systems, but different in terms of their selection criteria, incubation process, types of services and outcomes.