HKUST SZ conference showcases tech, incubation strengths

A total of 10 tech projects competed in the finals of an entrepreneurship competition hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's (HKUST) Shenzhen operations at the Hetao Innovation Center in Futian District on Friday, with the top prize awarded to AI 4 Earth.

Participants, organizers and guests pose for a group photo to mark the finals of the Shenzhen edition of the HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition and the 10th anniversary of Blue Bay at the Hetao Innovation Center in Futian District on Friday. Photos courtesy of event organizer

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Shenzhen edition of the HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, which covers cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, robotics, green and sustainable tech, biotech, and healthcare. A total of 137 teams registered for the event. 

After several rounds of competition, the top three teams were AI 4 Earth, TempSense, and Seekwon. AI 4 Earth leverages AI to address two core challenges in the mining industry: detecting mineral deposits and precisely separating ore from gangue using environmentally friendly, low-cost methods. 

TempSense is dedicated to third-generation ultra-low-power sensing and information-processing chips. Seekwon focuses on spatial life intelligence, enabling non-intrusive monitoring and AI prediction to empower various smart devices.

A contestant presents during the finals of the Shenzhen edition of the HKUST One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition at the Hetao Innovation Center on Friday.

Over the past 10 years, a total of 1,806 projects have participated in the competition, which has selected and cultivated 57 teams with a cumulative estimated value of over 100 million yuan (US$14.05 million) and total financing exceeding 10 billion yuan.

This year marked not only the 10th anniversary of the entrepreneurship competition but also the 10th year since the establishment of Blue Bay, an innovation and entrepreneurship incubation platform established in Shenzhen by HKUST. To mark the two anniversaries, HKUST's Shenzhen operations held a conference alongside the finals to showcase technological achievements arising from its Shenzhen hubs.

More than 500 guests from government departments, higher education and research institutes, enterprises, and investor groups attended the event, during which 40 enterprises from HKUST’s tech ecosystem participated in an exhibition in a dedicated area.

A visitor captures a close-up of a tech device on display at the exhibition area during the conference at the Hetao Innovation Center in Futian District on Friday.

Cheng Kwang-ting, vice president for Research and Development of HKUST, noted that more than 1,900 active startups have been founded by HKUST alumni or are supported by the university, including 10 unicorns and 10 companies that have successfully gone public. 

He said Blue Bay serves as a bridge connecting Hong Kong with other cities in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. Cheng also emphasized that HKUST would further develop collaborative models of science and innovation between Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and other parts of the GBA to contribute to a new round of technological and industrial transformation.

As of September 2025, Blue Bay has incubated 205 projects and filed 2,462 intellectual property applications. It has nurtured 22 national high-tech enterprises, nine Shenzhen specialized and sophisticated enterprises, and one national-level specialized and sophisticated "Little Giant" enterprise.