HKU ICB
InnoValley 2025
Introduction
2025 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge is jointly organised by HKU Institute for China Business (ICB) and HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core (TEC), with robust support from various partners across the government, academia, and industry sectors. The purpose of the competition is to promote technological innovation and industrial development, strengthen international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation. It does not only focus on the display and exchange of technological innovation, but also focuses on stimulating the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. The competition will invite leading technology experts, renowned investors and investment institutions, and industry leaders from around the world to form a judging panel. They will conduct rigorous evaluation and provide guidance for the participating teams, offering rich resources and support to the outstanding projects. The 2025 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge will be divided into a Start-up Division and a Growth Division, with 5 competition zones including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong (including Overseas). The competition schedule is divided into four parts: Registration and Preliminary Selection, Empowerment, Preliminary Competition, and Grand Finale. Teams advancing from each competition zone will gather at the University of Hong Kong for an on-site showdown to vie for honors. |
APPLY NOW! Click here to apply or scan the QR code below |
Mission Statement
The Organisers (in no particular order)
Organisers:
- HKU Institute for China Business
- HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core
Partners:
- Intellectual Property Department, The HKSAR Government
- InvestHK, The HKSAR Government
- China Unicom Global Limited
- Asia Innovation and Intellectual Property Society
- Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
- Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited
- HKU Technology Transfer Office
- HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy
- HKU iDendron
- HKU Super Angel Network
- HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund – Partners:
Defta Partners
Casstar
Gobi Partners
Innoangel Fund
Beyond Ventures
Everbright Limited
Zhen Fund
Bioworld Ventures
Verge Health
Highlights of the Challenge
- International Perspective: The 2025 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge will not only have strong support from domestic and overseas institutions, but also attract outstanding science and technology innovation projects from all over the world, providing an international platform for participants to showcase and exchange.
- Strong Panel of Judges: The judges are all renowned experts from academia, industry, and investment sectors. They have rich experience and profound professional knowledge and can provide valuable feedback and suggestions for participating projects.
- Abundant Reward Resources: The winners will be awarded with relevant honorary certificates from the University of Hong Kong, but will also receive generous reward resources, including entrepreneurial support and media coverage.
- In-depth Industry Connection: This competition is not only a challenge, but also a platform for industry connection. Through the competition, participants can establish connections with upstream and downstream enterprises, investment institutions, government departments, etc. in the industry chain, and promote the industrialisation and commercialisation of projects.
- Extensive Media Exposure: This competition will provide extensive media exposure opportunities for participating teams, enhance the visibility and influence of participating projects, and bring more attention and support to participants.
Judges of the Grand Finale (updating)
【Triple Helix Sector : Government】
Director of Intellectual Property, HKSAR Government
Mr Arnold Lau
Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion, Invest Hong Kong, HKSAR Government
Prof Herbert Chia, JP
Independent Non-executive Director of HKEX
Director of Hong Kong Genome Institute
Former Venture Partner of Sequoia Capital China
Ex-Vice President of Alibaba Group
Dr Samson Tam, JP
Board Member of The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Former Legislative Council Member (Information Technology)
Chairman of Group Sense Limited
Partner of Hong Kong INNO Angel Fund
【Triple Helix Sector : University】
Prof Stephanie Kwai Yee Ma
Associate Vice President (Research & Innovation), HKU
Board Member of Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation
Prof Reynold C.K. Cheng
Division Head (Computer Science), School of Computing and Data Science, HKU
AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar 2024, 2023
Associate Professor of Architecture Faculty, HKU
Founder & CEO of Llewellyn & Partners Co. Ltd. (LPC)
Dr Alfred Tan
Deputy Director of the Technology Transfer Office at HKU
Prof Mark Greeven
Professor of Innovation and Strategy & Dean of Asia at International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
【Triple Helix Sector : Industry】
Ms Tina Tao
President and Partner of Sinovation Ventures
Sinovation Ventures Investment Committee Member
Dr Edward Tse
Founder and CEO of Gao Feng Advisory Company
Former Managing Partner, China of Boston Consulting Group
Former Senior Partner & Chairman for Greater China of Booz & Company
Dr Norman Sze
Deloitte China Vice Chair
Honorary University Fellowship, HKU
Dr Albert Chan
Founder of Asia Innovation and Intellectual Property Society
Dr Tim Pan
Former Senior Director of Microsoft Research Asia
Mr Sam Wu
Vice President, Entreprise Business Department of China Unicom Global Limited
Dr Richard Ji
Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of All-Stars Investment
Former Managing Director at Morgan Stanley
Mr Bing Wan
Senior Vice President & Head of Strategy & Business Development, Siemens Ltd., China
Ms Yonghua Lin
Vice President and CTO of Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence
Former Director of IBM China Research Lab
Application Period
Application starts from the announcement and ends at 16:00 on 21 May 2025 (HK Time/GMT+8).
Divisions and Eligibilities
The competition is divided into the Start-up Division and the Growth Division. The Start-up Division aims to cultivate the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of startup teams, while the Growth Division focuses on discovering future unicorn companies. This year's competition covers various industry domains, focusing on the frontier and key sectors of innovation and technology, including AI & Digital Technologies, New Materials & Manufacturing, Biotech & Medical Healthcare, New Energy & Green Tenhnologies, and Financial Technologies. The judges will evaluate the projects based on their performance in various aspects, such as technical innovation, market analysis and marketing plan, sustainability, and intellectual property. For the Start-up Division, they will also focus on the creativity of the products and services. For the Growth Division, the technical description of the projects, business model, organisational management and team capabilities, as well as financing strategy, financial planning, and risk assessment, these factors will also be considered.
Start-up Division
- The company or institution to which the participating project belongs must be registered and established on or after 14 February 2023. The projects must have received no more than one round of equity investment from institutions or individuals (including seed or angel investments).
- There must be at least two core team members.
- Applicants must be students, staff, or alumni of the University of Hong Kong, or be nominated by any of the aforementioned individuals.
- Projects must comply with current laws, focus on business model innovation or technological innovation, and possess uncontested proprietary intellectual property rights or key technologies related to the product or technology. They should also exhibit innovation, uniqueness, and potential for commercial development.
- Projects that have previously participated in the University of Hong Kong’s innovation and entrepreneurship competition are prohibited from re-entering this year's contest. Should there be any violation, the Organiser will revoke their eligibility to compete.
- Projects that have placed in the top three in any region's innovation and entrepreneurship competitions on or before 14 February 2025, are not eligible to participate.
Growth Division
- The company or institution to which the participating project belongs must be registered and established before 14 February 2023, and the projects have completed at least one angel investment round or higher, with cumulative funding not exceeding RMB 50 million.
- The participating companies must have at least 10 employees.
- Applicants must be students, staff, or alumni of the University of Hong Kong, or be nominated by any of the aforementioned individuals.
- Projects must comply with current laws, focus on business model innovation and technological innovation, and possess uncontested proprietary intellectual property rights or key technologies related to the product or technology. They should also exhibit innovation, uniqueness, and potential for commercial development.
- Projects that have previously participated in the University of Hong Kong’s innovation and entrepreneurship competition are prohibited from re-entering this year's contest. Should there be any violation, the Organiser will revoke their eligibility to compete.
- Projects that have placed in the top three in any region's innovation and entrepreneurship competitions on or before 14 February 2025, are not eligible to participate.
Language
Chinese or English
Competition Process
The competition schedule is divided into four parts: Registration and Preliminary Selection, Empowerment, Preliminary Competition, and Grand Finale. The overall arrangement of the competition is as follows:
1. Application & Preliminary Selection
(1) Time: Application starts from the announcement and ends at 16:00 on 21 May 2025 (HK Time/GMT+8)
(2) How to Apply: Scan code above to apply or click here
(3) Review of Qualification and Information: After the registration deadline, the competition judges will conduct eligibility review and confirmation for the applied projects.
(4) Preliminary Selection: The Organising Committee of each region will organise the evaluation of the projects and determine the list of projects that will advance to the Prelimary Competition based on the evaluation results.
(5) Application materials:
[Start-up Division]: Application form; Copy of the project leader's ID card/passport, Copy of the highest academic degree certificates; Roadshow presentation PPT; Other relevant materials (if necessary)
[Growth Division]: Application form; Copy of the project leader's ID card/passport, Copy of the highest degree certificates; business plan, Roadshow presentation PPT; Other relevant materials (if necessary)
2. Empowerment
- Techno-Entrepreneurship Theme Workshop + Celebrity Sharing: Invite successful entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts to share their experiences. These sessions will address issues encountered during the development of technology-driven enterprises, covering topics such as technology, industry trends, business models, market strategies, and presentation skills. For more details, please follow updates on the official website and official WeChat account
- Knowledge Transfer Forum: Leverage the rich academic resources of the University of Hong Kong to accelerate the intensity and pace of knowledge transfer, promoting the transformation and application of innovative knowledge into products and services, infusing energy into enterprises and the innovation economy
- Exclusive Pre-competition Coaching: Help participants in identifying project issues and provide optimization suggestions to help improve the quality and competitiveness of their projects
- Entrepreneurial Pioneer Talk: Entrepreneurship experts share their experiences and insights, accompanying the participants throughout the competition
3. Preliminary Competition
- Time: July - August 2025
- Venues: Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong (including Overseas)
- Rules: Offline participation is mandatory, requiring on-site roadshows and oral defenses for participating projects. The Organising Committee will determine the finalists based on the number of applications submitted and the performance in regional competitions
4. Grand Finale
- Time: 17 January 2026
- Location: The University of Hong Kong
- Rules: Offline participation - main participant in the project development are required to conduct the on-site roadshow and oral defense. The Organising Committee will invite industry experts, renowned entrepreneurs, venture capital institutions and other professionals to participate in the evaluation and determines the list of award-winning projects based on the final scores of the projects. The winning projects will be awarded the Champion, First runner-up and Second runner-up prizes, and the Intellectual Property Award and ESG Excellence Award respectively. An award ceremony will be held after the Grand Finale
Special Notice
- The information and materials filled in and submitted by the participants in the process of participating in the competition should be true, legal, complete, and valid, and if there is plagiarism, misappropriation or fraud, the participants shall bear all the responsibilities and consequences caused thereby.
- At any time, if the Organising Committee determines or finds that the participant/project does not meet the entry conditions, it has the right not to approve or reject the participant's application, or cancel the participant's/project's qualification/prize presentation.
- The Organising Committee of the competition does not charge any fees to the participants, nor does it allow any institution or individual to collect any fees in the name of the competition.
- The Organiser of the competition may use the information of the participants and the basic information of the participating projects within a reasonable scope, and the relevant information can be used for reporting, display, publicity, and other activities related to the competition.
- Participants should participate in this competition on a voluntary basis, and if they have any objections to the competition, they can contact the Organising Committee of the competition, or choose to withdraw from the competition, but they have no right to claim compensation from the organising committee for any expenses incurred due to the competition.
- Participants are prohibited from making any political, violent, discriminatory, illegal, infringing, hateful, sexually suggestive statements, comments, or any information materials through the competition, or making any statements, comments, or any information materials that demean, defame, or harm the reputation of any sponsors or partners of the competition or the event.
- Due to force majeure, the Organising Committee has the right to adjust the competition schedule and competition format at its discretion.
- The Organising Committee has the final right to interpret the relevant rules of the competition.
Internationalisation Strategies and Guides
The 2025 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge places great emphasis on the internationalisation strategy of projects. To assist participating teams, we have prepared the following Internationalisation Guides. Please read it carefully and incorporate these considerations into your competition planning.
- International Perspective: Embracing an international perspective entails understanding and integrating global market and cultural nuances into project planning. It involves comprehensively grasping the needs and trends in different countries and regions to formulate strategies and make decisions that cater to diverse market demands.
- International Influence: By creating a strong brand image, participating in international industry activities, and collaborating with international organizations, projects can generate influence and recognition on a global scale. Projects with international influence tend to attract more partners and customers, thereby expanding their global market share.
- International Collaboration: Collaborating with organizations, companies, or individuals from other countries or regions in a transnational, cross-cultural, or cross-industry manner to achieve project goals together. By engaging in international cooperation, projects can share resources, technology and expertise, expand their market reach, and enhance competitiveness.
- International Team: Members come from different countries or regions and have diverse cultural backgrounds, language abilities, and professional knowledge. They can provide diverse perspectives and ideas. Effectively managing international teams is crucial for the success of a project. It requires addressing language and cultural differences, helping team members adapt to a multicultural environment, and creating effective communication and collaboration mechanisms.
All of the above are important factors for thriving achieving success in a globalised and highly competitive business environment. By adapting to various markets and cultures, and collaborating with international partners, our projects are positioned to expand their global market share and achieve long-term success. We look forward to seeing teams combine creativity with internationalisation and showcase outstanding performance in the competition.
News
- Announcement of Finalists Advancing to the Grand Finale of the HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge (HK & Overseas Region) (2 Aug, 2024)
- Join the 2024 HKU International Techno-Entrepreneurship Challenge! Together, we will win the future through science and technology. (HKU Linkedin Page, 18 May 2024)
- 2023 HKU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Challenge results announced (17 Dec 2023)
Last Update: 14 February 2025