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
Sagepath Reply Recognized in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies21.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Sagepath Reply, a digital experience agency part of the Reply Group, has been included in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies. This marks the third time Sagepath Reply has been named in the Market Guide, following its previous inclusions in 2023 and 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721481392/en/ Sagepath Reply, a digital experience agency part of the Reply Group, has been included in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies. Gartner, a company delivering actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams, defines strategic website agencies as “service providers dedicated to developing website strategies that deliver relevant digital experiences to external audiences. These agencies bundle their strategic marketing services with an array of complementary offerings to support their clients’ needs around website design, development, search value and co
ClickHouse Announced as Principal Partner & Front of Shirt Sponsor of Fulham Football Club21.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Fulham Football Club is proud to announce ClickHouse, a global technology company specialising in real-time analytics, data infrastructure and AI applications, as its newest Principal Partner and Front of Shirt Sponsor of the Men’s First Team. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721902779/en/ ClickHouse announced as Principal Partner and Front of Shirt Sponsor of Fulham Football Club This multi-year partnership will see ClickHouse take pride of place on the front of the Men’s First Team home, away and third kits. ClickHouse will also feature across Craven Cottage, the Club’s digital channels, matchday assets and a range of supporter-facing experiences throughout the partnership. The Fulham FC home kit will be released on Thursday 23rd July 2026, keep an eye on the Club’s Instagram for updates. Our collaboration reflects Fulham’s continued focus on innovation, performance and delivering engaging experiences for
European Commission Approves Crysvita ® (burosumab) for Infants with X-linked Hypophosphataemia in the European Union21.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Kyowa Kirin EMEA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (TSE:4151), today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved an expansion of the indication for Crysvita® (burosumab) for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH), to include infants from 1 month to 1 year of age across the European Union and European Economic Area. The approval represents an important step forward for infants living with XLH, a rare, progressive genetic disease that can affect skeletal development from an early age. Earlier diagnosis and treatment are considered important in XLH given the potential impact of the disease on skeletal development during infancy and childhood. XLH is a rare, progressive, lifelong genetic disease characterised by phosphate wasting that can impair bone mineralisation from an early age, leading to skeletal deformities, impaired growth and other serious complications. Clinical manifestations of XLH can emerge during infancy and early childhood, with pr
CapVest Completes Acquisition of TSG21.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
CapVest Partners LLP (“CapVest”), a leading New York and London based investment firm, today announces that it has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in TSG Solutions (“TSG”), a European leader in technical services for critical energy infrastructure, following receipt of all necessary approvals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721628079/en/ TSG Headquartered in Paris, France, TSG operates across 30 countries with over 7,000 employees and annual revenues of more than €1.4 billion. The company designs, builds and maintains critical energy infrastructure across Power (HV, MV & LV electrical), Charge, Solar, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Biofuels and Gas & Biogas. TSG’s multi-energy capabilities, deep technical expertise and extensive geographical coverage underpin longstanding relationships with a diverse base of leading energy infrastructure operators, and position the company to capture
Ant International Raises approx. US$1.2 billion in Series A Equity Financing to Boost Cross-border Payments, Agentic Commerce Solutions for Global Businesses21.7.2026 06:00:00 EEST | Press release
Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, today announced the successful closing of its Series A equity financing of approximately US$1.2 billion. Existing investors including Ant Group and Alibaba Group participated in this round, as well as other renowned international investment institutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720424592/en/ Ant International today announced the successful closing of its Series A equity financing of approximately US$1.2 billion. The proceeds will be used to accelerate Ant International’s global expansion and innovation in merchant payment, account management and other inclusive financial services for SMEs and enterprises across the world. Ant International began independent operation in 2024. With main operations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, the company has built an expansive partnership ne
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