HKSTP Crowns Overall Champion Skyland Innovation at EPiC 2023 Pitching Competition Beating Over 610 Global Startups
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
HARMAN to Acquire ZF’s ADAS Business23.12.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
HARMAN International, a global leader in automotive technology and lifestyle audio, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) business of ZF Group, comprising leading automotive compute solutions, smart cameras, radars and ADAS software functions. The transaction is valued at €1.5 billion. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251223683768/en/ Mathias Miedreich, CEO of ZF Group; Young Sohn, Chairman of the Board of Directors, HARMAN and Senior Advisor, Samsung Electronics; and Christian Sobottka, Chief Executive Officer and President, Automotive Division, HARMAN, sign a definitive agreement for HARMAN to acquire ZF’s ADAS business – strengthening HARMAN’s leadership in software-defined vehicles and advancing a unified safety-to-experience platform for automakers worldwide. A
Meilleurtaux Enters Into a Definitive Agreement to Acquire Peasy, Creating the #1 Financial Services Champion for Household Finances in Belgium23.12.2025 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Meilleurtaux, a leading omnichannel financial services brokerage platform in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg backed by Silver Lake, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Peasy, a leading omnichannel broker for household finances in Flanders. Together, Meilleurtaux and Peasy will form a scaled and unified platform designed to serve Belgian households across the full spectrum of their financial needs, including mortgage credit, consumer credit and insurance. This acquisition creates a national Belgian champion that combines Peasy’s local market leadership in Flanders through key brands such as Hypotheek.winkel and Verzekeringen.be, together with Meilleurtaux’s established presence in Wallonia. It represents a further milestone in the international expansion of Meilleurtaux, which first entered the Belgian market through the acquisition of MiD Finance in 2023, and supports Meilleurtaux on its continued path to becoming a leading pan-European financial
Comera Financial Holdings, Part of Abu Dhabi’s Royal Group, and SC Ventures Announce Strategic Collaboration to Explore Innovation in SME and Beyond23.12.2025 07:05:00 EET | Press release
Comera Financial Holdings, part of Abu Dhabi’s Royal Group, and SC Ventures signed an MoU announcing a strategic collaboration to jointly explore new opportunities designed to strengthen the SME segment. The initiative reflects a shared vision to advance technology-driven financial solutions that align with the UAE’s economic priorities and support sustainable development across key sectors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222001568/en/ Akhtar Saeed Hashmi, Managing Director & Group CEO of Comera Financial Holdings, and Alex Manson, CEO of Standard Chartered Ventures, sign an MoU announcing a strategic collaboration. (Photo: AETOSWire) Through this collaboration, Comera Financial Holdings and SCV have outlined several areas where their combined expertise can create significant value for businesses. A major focus will be on financial solutions tailored for corporates with extensive SME networks. These may in
Lattice to Showcase its Latest FPGA Technology Innovations at the International VLSID Conference23.12.2025 02:55:00 EET | Press release
Lattice Semiconductor (NASDAQ: LSCC), the low power programmable leader, today announced its exhibition plan for the upcoming International VLSID Conference taking place January 3 – 7, 2026 in Pune, India. As part of the event, Lattice Senior Vice President of Research and Development Pravin Desale will deliver a keynote presentation exploring the market dynamics and trends that are positioning low power FPGAs at the forefront of technological advancements. Lattice will also have track sessions and panel discussions on low power FPGAs and AI from edge to cloud, and technology demonstrations with industry partners focused on advanced automotive and robotics applications. Who: Lattice Semiconductor What / When (GMT+2): Lattice Demo Showcase (Major Stall #B1), Jan 5 – 7 Keynote Jan. 5, 10:30 – 11 a.m. at Main Auditorium “Powering the Future – How Low Power FPGAs are Shaping Tomorrow’s Tech Landscape” by Pravin Desale, Head of R&D, Lattice Semiconductor Track and Panel Discussions Jan. 3,
First Cessna SkyCourier Delivered into Mexico, Expanding Air Freight Capabilities for FlexCoah22.12.2025 19:13:00 EET | Press release
The first Cessna SkyCourier in Mexico was recently delivered to cargo transportation provider FlexCoah for use by the company’s aviation subsidiary, Altair. The aircraft — a freighter variant — will expand the company’s air freight capabilities throughout the country. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222890759/en/ First Cessna SkyCourier delivered into Mexico, expanding air freight capabilities for FlexCoah (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation) The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. “The Cessna SkyCourier’s combination of reliability, payload capacity and mission flexibility makes it a powerful asset for operators looking to scale their operations while maintaining cost-efficiency,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “The delivery of the Cessna SkyCourier to FlexCoah reflects the aircraft’s growing role in tran
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