25 Shortlisted Startups Battle for Spots in the HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge Grand Finale
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 | 基于人造钻石晶圆的新一代半导体 |
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 | 全家庭看护健康系统 |
Upgrade Biopolymers Ltd | Upgrade Biopolymers through Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation |
南京筑领科技有限责任公司 | 南京筑领科技有限责任公司 |
深圳市俄中博医医疗科技有限公司 | CPRS细胞氧感知心肺健康系统 |
神农智能制药 | 神农智能制药 |
神诺威生物医药科技有限公司 | 靶向全新衰老细胞表面抗原的针对老年代谢疾病的治疗性疫苗 |
高瞻创新科技有限公司 | 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