HKSTP Crowns Overall Champion Skyland Innovation at EPiC 2023 Pitching Competition Beating Over 610 Global Startups
28.4.2023 18:11:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today successfully held its 7th Elevator Pitch Competition (EPiC), naming Hong Kong startup, Skyland Innovation, as the overall 2023 champion, beating over 610 startups from 55 economies around the world. The signature event has partnered with the city’s leading corporations: Cathay, HSBC, MTR Lab, plus global accelerator Plug & Play, to become a true iconic mega event that has hit a global scale.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230428005353/en/
Mr Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP (Centre), alongside EPiC 2023 Top 10 overall finalists. (Photo: Business Wire)
As Hong Kong’s flagship and largest pitching contest, 50 Grand Finale semi-finalists joined the city’s most eagerly anticipated pitch event this year at sky100 at the top of the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon to re-create a real-life 60-second elevator pitch experience.
The EPiC 2023 judging panel of the region’s top entrepreneurs, investors and innovation ecosystem leaders selected Skyland Innovation from Hong Kong, as this year’s overall champion. The winner of the grand prize of US$ 90,000, helps property owners and contractors to coordinate and communicate seamlessly on construction sites through the use of robotics and AI. The local proptech is also a spinoff from the Hong Kong Center for Construction Robotics (HKCRC) within the HKSAR Government backed AIR@InnoHK research cluster located at Hong Kong Science Park.
Along with all 50 semi-finalists, Skyland Innovation also qualifies to be considered by the HKSTP Venture Fund for additional investment deals. If selected, each company can potentially receive up to a maximum investment of US$5 million.
EPiC 2023 competitors were split across the two themes of FinTech and PropTech with FinCrime Dynamics from the UK named as the overall FinTech category winner, and Skyland Innovation Company Ltd named the overall PropTech winner from Hong Kong. This year, Canvasland, a FinTech startup from Hong Kong was also voted by the public as the “My Favourite Pitcher" winner, taking away US$10,000 and 200,000 Asia Miles. The top 10 overall finalists also won US$10,000 each (Full winners and finalists list below).
Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong SAR, said: “Hong Kong has a strong, thriving startup ecosystem with 4000 startups, up more than 50% from 2018. Hong Kong is also a natural gateway to the GBA, which offers tremendous growth opportunities. Successful products and services will surely have an edge in the GBA, the whole of the nation and around the world. I am truly excited to be here at EPiC 2023 where startups strive to make their 60-second pitch truly count. I congratulate all the EPiC 2023 winners and invite startups from all over the world to join us in Hong Kong where the future is built.”
Sunny Chai, Chairman, HKSTP, said: “EPiC 2023 showcases the most exciting innovations from the world’s star-studded next-generation global tech ventures. Together with the Hong Kong Government's solid commitment, as reinforced by the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint, our city provides the ideal platform to expand into the vast Asian market. Hong Kong is also Asia’s world city and a bridge between the mainland and the world, making us a magnet for global innovation talent and enterprises.”
Albert Wong, CEO, HKSTP, said: “This year’s EPiC competition features a record international turnout and shows Hong Kong is truly back with a strong show of unicorns and soonicorns from around the world among this year’s finalists. But EPiC is more than just a competition, it is a prime example of Hong Kong’s unique ability to help startups grow fast and go beyond by providing a network of global investment opportunities and innovation talent to turn cutting-edge science, technologies, and ideas into game-changing solutions."
A magnet for global investors and innovation talent
EPiC 2023 surpassed all expectations, attracting over 610 entries from 55 countries and cities across five continents. Over 75% of contestants come from overseas, a record high proportion of overseas contestants and economies participation since 2016. Startups joining EPiC 2023 can fully leverage the largest I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong and HKSTP’s direct connections to over 1,000 investors and more than 300 corporate partners.
In addition to the EPiC final pitching contest, the 50 semi-finalists have also taken part in the "Grow Beyond Hong Kong" Immersion Programme. This exclusive 2-day programme ran from 25-26 April, immersed the EPiC 2023 semi-finalists directly into HKSTP’s innovation ecosystem. Participants will unlock growth opportunities through educational talks, business matching and networking with leading corporate partners and investors in our ecosystem.
Winners List:
|
Overall Champion |
Skyland Innovation Company Ltd. |
||
|
“My Favourite Pitcher” Winner |
Canvasland Limited |
||
|
FinTech Winner |
FinCrime Dynamics |
||
|
PropTech Winner |
Skyland Innovation Company Ltd. |
||
|
Top 10 Overall Finalists |
FinTech Finalists:
FinCrime Dynamics Homebase Ultipa VoiceAI Technologies
PropTech Finalists:
I2Cool Limited
Mimicrete VoltSafe, Inc. Skyland Innovation Company Ltd. |
Contestants Breakdown:
|
Category |
|
|
No. of applicants |
|
PropTech |
|
|
266 (43%) |
|
FinTech |
|
|
352 (57%) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No. of applicants |
|
Overseas |
|
|
465 (75%) |
|
Hong Kong |
|
|
153 (25%) |
A record high proportion of overseas contestants and economies participation since 2016.
For more information on EPiC 2023, please visit: https://epic.hkstp.org/
About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has for over 20 years committed to building up Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub to propel success for local and global pioneers today and tomorrow. HKSTP has established a thriving I&T ecosystem that is home to two unicorns and Hong Kong’s leading R&D hub with over 13,000 research professionals and over 1,300 technology companies focused on healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies.
Established in 2001, we attract and nurture talent, accelerate and commercialise innovation and technology for entrepreneurs on their journey of growth in Hong Kong, to the Greater Bay Area, Asia and beyond. Our growing innovation ecosystem is built around our key locations of Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong and three modern INNOPARKs in Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. The three INNOPARKs are realising a vision of new industrialisation for Hong Kong. The goal is sectors like advanced manufacturing, electronics and biotechnology are being reimagined for a new generation of industry.
Through our infrastructure, services, expertise and network of partnerships, HKSTP will help establish innovation and technology as a pillar of growth for Hong Kong, while reinforcing Hong Kong’s international I&T hub status as a launchpad for global growth at the heart of the GBA innovation powerhouse.
More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230428005353/en/
Contact information
Media Contact:
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Betsy Leung
Tel: +852 2629 2300
Email: betsy.leung@hkstp.org
Edelman Public Relations
Lisa Tse
Tel: +852 3756 8632 / 6347 2009
Email: Lisa.Tse@edelman.com / Edelmanhkstppr@edelman.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Airgain Expands Public Safety and Utility Connectivity Portfolio with FirstNet, Built with AT&T3.6.2026 00:56:00 EEST | Press release
Airgain, Inc. (NASDAQ: AIRG), a leading provider of advanced wireless connectivity solutions, today announced the continued expansion of its mission-critical connectivity portfolio with FirstNet®, Built with AT&T – America’s public safety network – to support reliable, high-performance communications for public safety agencies, utilities and field operations across the United States. Growing its public safety connectivity capabilities, Airgain recently added the MegaFi 2™ and MegaGo 2™ to its portfolio. As FirstNet MegaRange™ solutions, which use High Power User Equipment (HPUE) technology, the two routers transmit with 6x the power exclusively on Band 14, nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the government for public safety on FirstNet. This helps support reliable communications in remote areas and through signal-blocking materials like glass, concrete and metal. The addition of MegaFi 2™ and MegaGo 2™ strengthens Airgain’s growing AirgainConnect® portfolio, which also inclu
Fi Expands International Footprint to 38 Countries Worldwide2.6.2026 20:25:00 EEST | Press release
Fi, the leader in smart pet technology, today announced a major international expansion, bringing its AI-powered GPS pet wearables and connectivity network to 38 countries across North America and Europe. Fi devices are now available for purchase in 29 markets, including newly added countries such as Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, and Latvia. Through Fi's international connectivity network, customers can also use Fi in Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Turkey, bringing Fi's total coverage footprint to 38 countries. The expansion reflects growing demand from pet owners who want reliable connectivity and health insights, whether they're at home or traveling abroad. "Wherever your pet roams, Fi should work," said Jonathan Bensamoun, Founder and CEO of Fi. "As more pet owners travel internationally and expect seamless connectivity, we're expanding Fi's footprint to help them stay connected to their pets across more of Europe a
XFolio AI Acquires Absolute Payment Solutions to Unify Treasury and Payments for UK Corporates2.6.2026 20:16:00 EEST | Press release
XFolio AI (xfolio.ai), a Paris-based treasury and cash management technology group, has acquired Absolute Payment Solutions (APS) (https://www.absolutepayments.com/), one of a select number of Pay.UK-accredited Bacs service providers in the UK. This acquisition creates an integrated platform spanning Bacs and all payment types, open banking, risk management, and treasury—giving UK corporates of all sizes the tools to manage cash and execute payments in one place. APS’s Bacs accreditation underpins payment services relied upon daily by organisations across both the public and private sectors, from SMEs running payroll and direct debit collections to large corporates processing high-volume payment flows. While enterprise payment platforms often demand significant scale and budget, and lighter solutions trade capability for speed of setup, APS and XFolio together deliver accredited Bacs infrastructure combined with advanced treasury intelligence across SWIFT, API, H2H, and EBICS rails—wit
Amazfit Introduces a New Era of Hybrid Training with Balance 3 and Balance Ultra2.6.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release
Amazfit, a leading global smart wearable brand owned by Zepp Health, today unveiled the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra, the newest additions to the Balance series and the hero watches for Amazfit’s new Hybrid Training System, connecting performance tracking with intelligent training guidance through the Zepp App. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602329170/en/ Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people balancing strength, endurance, recovery, work, stress, and daily life. The devices serve as the engine layer of the connected Hybrid Training ecosystem, capturing how users train, recover, and respond over time. The products were unveiled at a launch event in New York during a panel hosted by leading voices from the fitness and HYROX community. Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people bal
Mouser's Rise of the Robots Program Explores Humanoid Design Considerations2.6.2026 18:19:00 EEST | Press release
Mouser Electronics, Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest electronic components and industrial automation products, today announced the latest installment of its Empowering Innovation Together (EIT) technology series, Rise of the Robots, which explores key technologies behind humanoid robots and their potential for transformation. The series shares how these robots have progressed from simple machinery to critical tools used in caregiving, industrial automation, education, and even in the harshest environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602293561/en/ The latest EIT installment explores the engineering design process, system integration challenges, and the role of legacy infrastructure, safety, and ROI in shaping scalable humanoid robot deployment. While science fiction has long envisioned robots resembling humans, recent advances in sensing, actuation, AI, embedded computing, and pow
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom