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
CORRECTING and REPLACING Netskrt to Showcase Media Over QUIC Work with Oracle at IBC 202611.9.2026 00:45:00 EEST | Press release
Please replace paragraphs 8 and 10 with the new paragraphs. The updated release reads: NETSKRT TO SHOWCASE MEDIA OVER QUIC WORK WITH ORACLE AT IBC 2026 Netskrt and Oracle to demonstrate end-to-end MOQ delivery and discuss the future of low-latency live streaming Netskrt, an independent content delivery network built for high-concurrency streaming events, today announced that it will showcase its work to advance Media Over QUIC (MOQ) at IBC 2026, taking place Sept. 11-14 at RAI Amsterdam. As part of the event, Netskrt will demonstrate with Oracle how independently operated CDN infrastructure can participate in a coordinated MOQ delivery path designed to bring live media closer to viewers. MOQ is an emerging IETF effort designed to support low-latency media delivery at scale, with live streaming among its primary use cases. Its relay-based architecture enables media to move through distributed infrastructure closer to audiences, creating new possibilities for reducing latency while effic
Rajant and Nokia Announce Collaboration to Deliver Integrated Networking Technology and Distributed Edge AI Platform for Mission-Critical Enterprises10.9.2026 21:28:00 EEST | Press release
Rajant Corporation and Nokia announce a collaboration to integrate Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh® networking technology and Cowbell distributed computing AI platform with the Nokia Cognitive Operations platform, a ruggedized multi-access edge AI platform for mission-critical operations. This collaboration will deliver unique benefits to unify mission-critical connectivity, distributed edge intelligence, and cognitive operational capabilities for mining, ports, public safety, oil and gas, defense, and other industrial sectors operating in demanding environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910577329/en/ Rajant Kinetic Mesh® + Rajant Health Cowbell distributed edge AI platform bring resilient connectivity and intelligence to mission-critical operations. “By collaborating with Rajant, Nokia is bringing together our Cognitive Operations platform with proven Kinetic Mesh networking to deliver resilient, intelligent
The LYCRA Company Makes NSC Safety Congress & Expo Debut10.9.2026 20:45:00 EEST | Press release
The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced its inaugural exhibition at the NSC Safety Congress & Expo, being held September 14-16 in Indianapolis. The company also marks the North American debut of its “FIBERS THATWORK” portfolio of innovative solutions for workwear, uniforms, and protective apparel. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910402207/en/ The LYCRA Company will debut its FIBERS THAT WORK portfolio at the NSC Safety Congress & Expo in Indianapolis, highlighting fiber technologies engineered to enhance comfort, durability, visibility, and protection in workwear and protective apparel. "Comfort is fundamental to workwear performance," said Tara Maurer-Mackay, product category director, branded specialty products at The LYCRA Company. "Our innovations help workers adapt to changing conditions throughout the
Turning Up the Heat: ProAmpac Helps Power Circle K’s Flamin’ Hot ® Boneless Chicken Wings Launch10.9.2026 19:12:00 EEST | Press release
ProAmpac, a global leader in flexible packaging and material science, is proud to announce its role in supporting Circle K's launch of Flamin' Hot® Boneless Chicken Wings, created in partnership with PepsiCo/Frito-Lay. Designed to address key challenges in hot food packaging, ProAmpac's custom fiber-based tray helps maintain food quality, improve shelf appeal, and enhance the consumer experience. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260910495607/en/ Flamin' Hot Chicken Bites Circle K sought a better way to merchandise its Flamin’ Hot® Boneless Chicken Wings while addressing several performance challenges, including heat retention, moisture loss, and grease resistance, while extending hot hold time. ProAmpac responded with a custom tray designed specifically for the recipe and portion size, demonstrating its flexibility in meeting unique customer design and performance requirements. Working from PepsiCo’s initial br
Record Currency Management wins new FX Alpha and Frontier Market mandates10.9.2026 18:30:00 EEST | Press release
Record Currency Management Ltd (RCM), a subsidiary of London-listed Record plc (Record Financial Group), is pleased to announce that it has been awarded two new mandates of strategic importance – an FX Alpha mandate and an FX Frontier mandate. RCM is the UK currency management arm of Record Financial Group, the London-listed specialist investment group managing over USD 122 billion of assets on behalf of institutional clients worldwide. Record’s client base comprises pension funds, foundations, sovereign institutions and other asset managers, with whom the Group has built long-standing relationships through its focus on bespoke investment and risk management solutions. Headquartered in London, Record has offices in Hamburg, Zurich, Zug, New York, and Hong Kong. For institutional investors, currency can represent both a source of risk and a potential source of differentiated returns. Live since 2012, Record’s FX Alpha strategy aims to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns without cap
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