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
LabGenius Therapeutics Announces New Collaboration with Sanofi for Multiple AI/ML-driven Antibody Optimisation Programmes4.12.2025 10:00:00 EET | Press release
LabGenius Therapeutics (“LabGenius”), a drug discovery company combining machine learning (ML) and high-throughput experimentation to optimise potential therapeutic antibodies, today announced a second collaboration with Sanofi. This collaboration combines LabGenius’ AI/ML-driven antibody design capabilities with Sanofi’s expertise in the development of therapeutic NANOBODY® molecules to co-optimise proteins for therapeutically valuable properties. Following the success of their first collaboration, LabGenius will apply the EVA™ platform to optimise NANOBODY® molecules for multiple new targets in the area of inflammation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204759388/en/ “We are truly excited about this new collaboration with Sanofi,”said LabGenius’ CSO, Dr. Angus Sinclair. “This partnership serves as strong validation of our platform’s unique ability to tackle complex antibody co-optimisation challenges across
GoWit One: The Unified AI Operating System Set to Revolutionize Commerce & Retail Media4.12.2025 08:09:00 EET | Press release
GoWit, a global AdTech leader in omnichannel Commerce and Retail Media, announced the launch of GoWit One, the unified AI operating system that brings automation, unification, and real-time intelligence into a single ad platform for agencies operating across multiple retailers, channels, and markets. By bringing these three elements into one dashboard, GoWit One addresses the industry's most critical bottleneck: operational inefficiency. The platform enables agencies to manage campaigns across multiple retailers, channels, and markets, reducing manual AdOps workflows by 98%, turning a process that used to take hours into as little as 10 minutes. Solving the “Fragmentation Crisis” Despite the explosive growth of Retail Media, the industry faces a significant hurdle. According to the IAB, 70% of the market still lacks end-to-end AI adoption. Media buyers are currently forced to juggle disconnected networks, compliance rules, and dashboards, leading to manual errors and an inability to sc
Galderma Secures ‘BBB’ Credit Rating With Positive Outlook from S&P Global Ratings4.12.2025 08:00:00 EET | Press release
Galderma Group AG (SIX:GALD), the pure-play dermatology category leader, today announced that S&P Global Ratings (S&P) has assigned the company a ‘BBB’ long-term issuer credit rating with a positive outlook. The rating reflects Galderma’s strong track record of growth and its leading positions across Injectable Aesthetics, Dermatological Skincare and Therapeutic Dermatology. S&P notes the company’s well-established brand portfolio, global footprint, including an expanding presence in emerging markets, and continued investment in science-based innovation. S&P highlights momentum from recent launches, including Nemluvio® (nemolizumab), alongside improving profitability and expanding free operating cash flow. The agency also notes Galderma’s disciplined financial policy, supporting expectations of continued deleveraging over the coming years. The positive outlook indicates that an upgrade could be considered over the next 12–24 months subject to Galderma continuing to deliver profitable g
NTT DATA Announces Six New AI-Powered Cyber Defense Centers to Strengthen Cyber Resilience and Counter an Evolving Threat Landscape4.12.2025 05:30:00 EET | Press release
NTT DATA, a global leader in AI, digital business and technology services, today announced the launch of four next-generation autonomous Cyber Defense Centers powered by AI technologies in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Noida and Mumbai, with two additional centers set to open in Birmingham (UK) in Dec 2025 and Dallas (USA) by Jan 2026. These purpose-built Cyber Defense Centers reinforce NTT DATA’s strategic focus on modernizing cybersecurity for the AI era. They represent a shift from traditional centralized security operations to a distributed, AI-driven, hyper-automated model that learns from past incidents and human expertise to automate, triage and prioritize alerts, accelerate investigations and incident response, contain threats faster and support regional data privacy and cybersecurity regulations. According to Omdia, autonomous Security Operations Centers (SOCs) will become the industry standard within two years, positioning NTT DATA as a leading example of how the industry is evolving
YES Announces Leadership Transition as Rezwan Lateef Appointed Chief Executive Officer3.12.2025 21:24:00 EET | Press release
YES (Yield Engineering Systems), a leading provider of high-performance process solutions for the semiconductor Advanced Packaging market, today announced that Rezwan Lateef has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Lateef previously served as President of YES and has been a key driver of the company’s significant growth, global expansion, and product innovation over the past several years. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251202200541/en/ Rezwan Lateef, CEO of YES. The transition marks a natural progression for the company as it surpasses a key revenue milestone and enters its next phase of scaling with top tier semiconductor and AI computing customers. Rama Alapati, who has served as CEO since 2021, will step into a consulting role to support Mr. Lateef during the transition period and ensure strong organizational continuity. “Rama has played an instrumental role in elevating YES from a promising techno
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