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
Rehlko Integrates WB Power Services into its UK and EMEA Platform, Expanding Lifecycle Capabilities for Mission-Critical Power16.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rehlko, a global energy resilience leader delivering innovative solutions across industrial energy systems, powertrain technologies, and home energy applications, today announced that its UK business, formerly WB Power Services, has been fully brought onto the Rehlko platform, strengthening the company’s UK and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) operating model and expanding its ability to deliver end-to-end lifecycle solutions for mission-critical power applications. The move aligns the former WB Power Services’ long-established UK capabilities – including engineering, installation, commissioning, and long-term service – with Rehlko’s broader platform. It represents an important step in scaling consistent, high-quality delivery across priority markets as demand accelerates in data centers and other mission-critical environments. Customers increasingly require partners that can deliver reliable, repeatable solutions across the full project lifecycle and over long operating horizons
EcoOnline and J.S. Held Partner to Strengthen Business Resilience Amid Broadening Workplace Risk16.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
EcoOnline, a leading provider of safety and sustainability software, today announced a global strategic alliance with J.S. Held, a consulting firm specializing in risk advisory and mitigation. The partnership helps organizations strengthen operational visibility and readiness in the face of broadening workplace risk by pairing EHS (environmental, health, and safety), crisis management, and lone worker software with J.S. Held’s field advisory expertise. From risk awareness to operational readiness EcoOnline’s 2026 Global Workplace Safety Report highlights a risk environment increasingly strained by disconnected systems and processes, with 49% of workers having experienced a workplace accident or illness, and 74% saying more digital tools would make them feel safer at work. EcoOnline and J.S. Held’s partnership will strengthen customers’ digital readiness and response across three critical, connected areas of operational risk: EHS management: 77% say an unsafe workplace could lead them t
Moody’s Brings Its Decision-Grade Intelligence to Amazon Quick16.6.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Moody’s Corporation (NYSE: MCO) today announced that its connected intelligence is now available in Amazon Quick – a personalized, proactive AI assistant – through a dedicated Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. The integration gives customers operating in Amazon Web Services (AWS) direct access to ratings and research from Moody’s Ratings, as well as Moody’s curated data on more than 600 million public and private entities, including firmographics, ownership, financials, macroeconomic forecasts, economic data, and news sentiment. “Delivering decision-grade intelligence wherever financial professionals work is how we help our customers stay ahead as agentic AI reshapes financial workflows,” said Cristina Pieretti, Head of Digital Content and Innovation at Moody’s. “With Amazon Quick, our customers can now connect directly to Moody’s connected intelligence within the agentic AI workspace they are already using, bringing trusted, explainable data on entities, exposures and risks where d
G+D Launches AI Hub in Montréal to Advance Secure AI for Critical Infrastructure16.6.2026 14:30:00 EEST | Press release
Global SecurityTech company Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) today announced the launch of its AI Hub in Montréal. Located at Mila, the hub is at the heart of G+D’s Global Center of Excellence for AI. It will develop AI solutions for security-critical environments, including authentication, cybersecurity for digital infrastructures, secure payment and transaction AI, and group-wide internal AI projects — where security, privacy and regulatory compliance are paramount. G+D has invested approximately 40 million CAD (€25 million) in Canada over the past decade in infrastructure, security modernization, and digital transformation and will invest over 80 million CAD (€50 million) in the new AI Hub over the next five years, supporting around 60 AI specialists, researchers, and product specialists. First projects already started include AI-enabled insights on eSIM anomalies, AI tracking and logistics solutions, and a banking assistant. G+D selected Montréal for the hub because of its strong AI ecosyst
Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 Delivers a Smarter, More Immersive Entertainment Experience16.6.2026 14:01:00 EEST | Press release
Today Lenovo™ introduced the Tab Plus Gen 2, the next generation of its tablet created for the increasingly fluid ways people move between media consumption, multitasking, and shared experiences. With upgrades spanning audio, visuals, versatility, and intelligent features, it expands the role of the tablet across a broader range of activities and environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260616736263/en/ “Entertainment today isn’t tied to a single place or routine,” said Tony Chen, Vice President of Tablets, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “People are moving seamlessly between work, travel, and downtime, and they expect their devices to move just as naturally with them. With the Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2, we created a device that keeps up with that rhythm, giving users the freedom to enjoy content on their terms.” Sound That Fills the Space Whether watching movies, streaming shows, or listening to music, us
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