25 Shortlisted Startups Battle for Spots in the HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge Grand Finale 

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The 2024 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge (Innovalley), organized by the HKU Institute for China Business and HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core, recently closed its applications on June 21, 2024, to an overwhelming response. This year, the competition received a total of 256 projects from six major regions, including Hong Kong, overseas, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. Compared to the previous edition in 2023, there was a remarkable 212% increase in participation, showcasing the vibrant landscape of technological innovation. 

The extensive array of projects in fields such as Digital Technology, Sustainability, Manufacturing, and Biotech truly underscores the depth and potential of innovative ideas emanating from this competition. Furthermore, the 2024 edition’s inclusion of overseas startups, with over 30 applications from 13 countries including USA, UK, Japan, Germany, India, South Korea, Spain, and Italy, highlights the event’s global appeal. The participating startup teams boast graduates from prestigious universities, including HKU, Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, Columbia, NUS, Tsinghua, Peking University, Fudan, and others. This international representation significantly enhances the challenge’s value and prestige, embodying the spirit of cross-border collaboration in techno-entrepreneurship. 

As we eagerly await the Closed Door Regional Pitching event on July 27, 2024 at the University of Hong Kong, where these finalists will compete for 7 spots in the Grand Finale, the anticipation for groundbreaking innovations and transformative ideas continues to grow. 

 

The top 25 teams, listed below, have been arranged in alphabetical order by their company names: 

 

Company Name  Project Name 
Air To MC2  Maisotsenko Cycle, M-Cycle 
Asiabots Ltd  Omni Channel AI Customer Service 
Chemmino Biotechnology Ltd  Innovative UV-Vis-NIR Spectral Sensor for Point-of-care Testing for Healthcare Monitoring 
Cookie Langs Inc  AI-Driven 1:1 Language Tutoring Platform 
Dayta AI  Cyclops 
DiagnoVEX Therapeutics Ltd  Targeting Nidogen-1 as a Novel Therapuetic for Human Cancers 
Diamontronics Ltd  基于人造石晶的新一代半 
E-Sense Innovation & Technology Ltd  Next Generation Biomedical Imaging System for Vital Organ Health Assessment 
Graphity Ltd  Graphity AI 
Libpet Tech Ltd  Libpet 
Lifespectrum Technology  “Inflammeter”-Digital Biosensing for at-home Health Monitoring 
Meat the Next  Growsome O Tiga Milk 
Micro Hydrogen Inc  Adaptive Variable-Cycle electrolyzer 
Mindplus AI Ltd  Vision+ 
Re-Block  Re-Block 
Skybotics Technology Ltd  Contact-based drone for light construction operations 
Sodaz Ltd  Milkful LactoVirens Synthetica 
Tax4wealth   TaxbotGPT.ai 
ThingX  全家庭看健康系 
Upgrade Biopolymers Ltd  Upgrade Biopolymers through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation 
南京筑科技有限任公司  南京筑科技有限任公司 
深圳市俄中博医医科技有限公司  CPRS胞氧感知心肺健康系 
智能制  智能制 
威生物医科技有限公司  靶向全新衰老胞表面抗原的针对老年代疾病的治性疫苗 
高瞻新科技有限公司  微型防抖云台 

 

The Grand Finale of 2024 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge, set to take place on January 11, 2025, at the University of Hong Kong. This event will serve as a platform for the brightest minds to showcase their innovative ideas through on-site roadshow presentations. 

The organizing committee has invited esteemed industry experts, renowned entrepreneurs, venture capital institutions, and other professionals to evaluate the participating projects. The final scores will determine the award-winning teams in both the startup and growth divisions, recognizing the champion, first runner-up, and second runner-up with corresponding prizes. 

Following the intense competition and the announcement of winners, an award ceremony will be held to celebrate the achievements of these pioneering techno-entrepreneurs.  

Lastly, we would like to extend our gratitude to all participants who applied for the challenge. Your active involvement in this initiative plays a pivotal role in fostering collaboration, promoting technological innovation and industrial development, enhancing international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, and accelerating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. 

More information about this challenge, please visit: https://icb.hku.hk/en/innovalley