HKSTP’s First-Ever Virtual Elevator Pitch Competition 2020 Opens New Investment and Partnership Opportunities for Global Startups
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) held its annual Elevator Pitch Competition 2020 (EPiC) virtually for the first time to unveil new and exciting pitching, investment and partnership opportunities as global startups face a challenging business landscape. US-based biotechnology startup, Mi Terro, topped other finalists to be crowned champion and claimed the top prize at the competition today.
HKSTP’s annual flagship event this year expanded to a week-long virtual programme. It garnered a great response with over 77,000 live views at today’s pitching competition. This year, EPiC attracted 476 entries from 37 countries and cities across five continents. A total of 170 contestants from 31 different markets entered the semi-final round, with nearly 70% of them coming from overseas.
Mi Terro, champion and winner of the Smart City category, is a company that upcycles and re-engineers protein food waste into plastic and cotton alternative fibres for the fashion, medical and packaging industries. The three Tech Category Winners, including UK-based AI & Robotics startup Arctoris, Philippines-based fintech startup PearlPay, and Portugal-based health technology startup RUBYnanomed, showcased their full potential as innovators in the competition.
Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said: “This year’s successful staging of the 5th EPiC is a clear sign of our determination to provide a platform of unmatched opportunities to startups around the world to showcase their innovations and demonstrate their entrepreneurial spirit. The week-long programme is also a show of strength and resilience for Hong Kong’s rapidly-growing innovation and technology ecosystem which propels startups and their ideas to success in Hong Kong, Asia and beyond.”
Since inception in 2016, EPiC has drawn a huge number of international startups to make a live one-minute elevator pitch to leading investors and judges at the International Commerce Centre (ICC), the tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. This year, our contestants switched modes to present their innovative business ideas, with a one-minute video pitch submitted to simulate the signature 60-second elevator ride.
The top ten finalists were given another opportunity to face the judges in a three-minute live pitch and two-minute Q&A, before announcing the overall champion, who took away a cash prize of US$100,000 while each of the category winners received a cash prize of US$10,000 and all ten finalists won US$6,000 each.
The competition marks a major progression for startups who gained valuable exposure among investors and industry leaders in their ongoing entrepreneurship journey. To further bolster the growth and development of local and overseas startups, this year’s EPiC provides a wider array of business opportunities to explore and acquire better understanding of the investment landscape in the region with the upcoming “Global Matching” programme from 9 to 12 November and the “Investment x Corporate Innovation Conference” on 13 November.
List of Winners
|
Award |
Company Name |
Market |
||
|
Champion and Tech Category Winner – Smart City |
United States |
|||
|
Tech Category Winner – Artificial Intelligence & Robotics |
United Kingdom |
|||
|
Tech Category Winner – FinTech |
Philippines |
|||
|
Tech Category Winner – Health Technology |
Portugal |
|||
|
Other Top 10 Finalists |
Australia |
|||
|
|
Hong Kong |
|||
|
|
United States |
|||
|
|
Hong Kong |
|||
|
|
Denmark |
|||
|
|
Hong Kong |
About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyse innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.
Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering. We enable science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by our R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services. We also offer value added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.
Technology businesses benefit from our specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by our three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. 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/20201106005290/en/
Contact information
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Sarah Poon
Tel: +852 2629 7015
Email: sarah.poon@hkstp.org
Edelman
Janice Wong
Tel: +852 2837 4775
Email: Janice.Wong@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
Xsolla Integrates MVola as a Payment Method to Enable Instant, Card-Free Payments for Gamers in Madagascar’s Mobile-First Market4.12.2025 22:00:00 EET | Press release
Xsolla, a global video game commerce company that helps developers launch, grow, and monetize their games, today announced that MVola, Madagascar’s number one digital wallet, is now available as a payment option for players across the country. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204268075/en/ Chris Hewish, President of Xsolla Madagascar is a fast-growing, mobile-first market of 32 million people, where digital wallets are the primary driver of daily transactions. MVola, recently licensed as a digital bank, has established itself as the leading wallet in the country, with over 10 million users and powering more than 1 billion transactions annually. By adding MVola as a payment method to its portfolio, Xsolla removes the friction of card payments, enabling players to pay seamlessly with a trusted local method they already know and use every day. Key benefits of the MVola integration include: Instant confirmations
Board Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner ® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software for Fourth Consecutive Year4.12.2025 19:14:00 EET | Press release
Board, the leading Enterprise Planning Platform, today announced that it has been named a Leaderin the2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software. This marks the fourth consecutive year the company has been positioned in the Leaders quadrant. The Board Enterprise Planning Platform integrates planning processes across the enterprise, enabling strategic, financial, and operational planning with near-real-time analysis and data sharing. Board’s unified approach to planning has driven strong adoption across financial and operational planning in the manufacturing, consumer packaged goods (CPG) and retail sectors. “We are proud to once again be named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Financial Planning Software,” said Jeff Casale, CEO of Board. “To Board, this recognition reflects our continued commitment to helping organizations unify strategic, financial, and operational planning within a single platform, and empower teams to plan continuously, make confident dec
UAE Unveils $1bn Yemen Energy Rebuild, Signalling New Opportunities for European Renewables and Grid Partners4.12.2025 19:04:00 EET | Press release
The UAE has announced a $1 billion package to help rebuild Yemen’s electricity sector, a move that analysts in Europe say could open new avenues for European renewable-energy firms seeking entry points into high-impact stabilisation projects across the Middle East. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204476712/en/ UAE unveils $1bn Yemen energy rebuild, signalling new opportunities for European renewables and grid partners (Photo: AETOSWire) According to the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the decision was disclosed during the UAE’s participation in the first Yemen National Energy Conference (YFNEC 2025) recently. UAE’s Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Hamad Al Zaabi reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy in Yemen, addressing longstanding grid challenges and strengthening public–private partnerships to stimulate future investment. The country’s renewed intervention arrives as Europe ac
LambdaTest Elevates Mudit Singh to Co-Founder as the Company Accelerates Its Next Phase of Growth4.12.2025 18:00:00 EET | Press release
LambdaTest, a leading GenAI-native quality engineering platform, today announced the promotion of Mudit Singh to Co-Founder. This move recognizes his contributions in shaping the company's growth, strengthening its global brand, and driving product adoption across key markets. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204685161/en/ Mudit Singh, Co-Founder and Head of Growth, LambdaTest Mudit joined LambdaTest in 2017 and has been instrumental in building the company's marketing engine, product-led growth initiatives, and community programs. Under his leadership as Head of Marketing and Growth, LambdaTest expanded its enterprise footprint, launched high-impact campaigns, and became a trusted partner for thousands of development and QA teams worldwide. "Mudit has been part of LambdaTest's story since the early days. His elevation to Co-Founder recognizes the impact, ownership, and leadership he has demonstrated through
Rigaku Launches XTRAIA MF-3400, a Measuring Instrument for Next-generation Semiconductors4.12.2025 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Rigaku Corporation, a global solution partner in X-ray analytical systems and a group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; CEO: Jun Kawakami; hereinafter “Rigaku”) has launched the XTRAIA MF-3400, an instrument used in semiconductor manufacturing processes to measure the thickness and composition of wafers. The XTRAIA MF-3400 will significantly enhance productivity in the rapidly growing semiconductor market by enabling high-accuracy evaluation of materials essential for mass production of next-generation memory chips and high-speed AI devices. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251204537975/en/ XTRAIA MF-3400 As generative AI and data centers continue to expand, demand is rising for high-performance, energy-efficient semiconductors capable of processing vast volumes of data. Consequently, semiconductor structures are becoming more complex, delicate, and three-dimensional, with a
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