Three winners emerged from 70 chosen global startups that battled it out in the Grand Finale of this year’s global Elevator Pitch Competition (EPiC) organized by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation on Friday.
Tozero CEO & co-founder Sarah Fleischer was the overall champion and MobilityTech winner. Vincent Choy, co-founder and chief business development officer of Singapore-based Bizbaz won in the Fintech category while Meng Hao founder and CEO of Roboticplus AI won in the Proptech category.
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Paul Chan Mo-po, Hong Kong's Financial Secretary, congratulated the winners. “The Hong Kong Government believes in innovation and technology,” he said at the event.
Last year Hong Kong start-ups exceeded 4,200 – up more than one third over just four years ago. About 25 per cent of them came from outside Hong Kong, Chan said
Last year Hong Kong start-ups exceeded 4,200 – up more than one third over just four years ago. About 25 per cent of them came from outside Hong Kong, Chan said.
“We take a multi-pronged approach to accelerate our development in innovation and technology (I&T). This includes fostering the commercialization of R&D outcomes, and expediting new industrialization, through providing direct government support,” said Chan.
Sunny Chai, chairman of HKSTP, said, “EPiC was never just a competition – more of a concentrated platform for underrated startups uncovering access to investment, partnership and market opportunities, taking unwavering steps towards success.”
According to him, it is also an embodiment of the vision HKSTP holds for Hong Kong‘s I&T scene.
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HKSTP’s annual flagship startup showdown is one of Hong Kong’s mega events, becoming one of the most highly anticipated dates for the information and technology (I&T) community.
In 2024, nearly 80 percent of the semi-finalists were overseas competitors and represented 16 economies, making this eighth edition of EPiC the most international to date
In 2024, nearly 80 percent of the semi-finalists were overseas competitors and represented 16 economies, making this eighth edition of EPiC the most international to date. They were selected from the first-ever regional pitch events held in the innovation hubs of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Singapore, Stuttgart in Germany, and Silicon Valley in California, the United States.
CEO Albert Wong and Eric Or, head of Partnerships and Solutions at HKSTP, talked about how the flagship competition has evolved over the last 8 years and why this year’s edition sets a precedent for EPiC becoming a calendar event in the global startup scene.
This year’s Grand Finale took place at the sky100 observation deck atop Hong Kong’s tallest building, the International Commerce Centre.
Semi-finalists had just 60 seconds to impress the judges with their disruptive innovation, in a genuine elevator pitch experience for all participants. Contestants entered the ICC elevator with judges and ascended from the second to 100th floor — a journey of exactly one minute.
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On offer for winners was HK$45 million targeted investment, an opportunity to compete for up to US$5 million in investment from HKSTP Corporate Venture Fund, and US$240,000 in cash prizes, as well as partnership opportunities.
The participating startups competed across the three categories of FinTech, PropTech, and MobilityTech. The Grand Finale saw the 70 semi-finalists whittled down to 12 finalists — four in each category — then three category winners and one overall champion.
The overall champion Fleischersaid that Asian founders are passionate about building up companies.
Gene Eidelman, a contestant from the United States, said his company Azure Printed Homes develops new technology on building 3D-printed homes from recycled plastics.
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“We started in the US and there's a lot of demand for us. We've been getting inquiries from Europe, Asia, really from all over the world,” he said.
Instead of winning, he said his main goal in the competition was to gain some new customers and investors. “I've already accomplished this, so I feel like I won the when I was out riding the elevator,” Eidelman added.
EPiC’s global growth stands as testament to Hong Kong’s status as a leading international I&T hub that attracts top-tier startups from around the world.
According to EPiC organizers, participating startups can leverage Hong Kong’s largest innovation ecosystem at HKSTP as a springboard to huge market opportunities across Asia and beyond.
