HKSTP
13.1.2023 13:25:39 CET | Business Wire | Press release
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has partnered with world-leading innovation platform, Plug and Play, to call on ambitious startups and entrepreneurs around the world to join the seventh Elevator Pitch Competition 2023 (EPiC 2023), one of the biggest pitch events in Hong Kong. The final entry deadline for the Competition has also been extended to 20 January 2023.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230113005179/en/
HKSTP CEO, Albert Wong, joins Plug and Play CEO, Saeed Amidi, to promote HKSTP’s EPiC 2023, calling all startups in the world to come to Hong Kong for a scale-up opportunity of a lifetime. (Photo: Business Wire)
This offers local and global startups the chance to join the combined HKSTP and Plug and Play eco-systems to launch their potential innovations onto the global stage. Interested parties on two technology tracks (FinTech and PropTech) only need to submit a 2-min video introduction to make a potentially life-changing decision. 50 shortlisted semi-finalists will have the golden opportunity to be considered by HKSTP Venture Fund for direct investment of up to US$5 million as well as market expansion support in Asia and beyond, plus the chance to win a cash prize of US$60,000 if crowned champion.
As the world’s leading accelerator, Plug and Play will leverage its global network to organise international competitions in Asia, Europe and Northern America throughout February to bring in overseas startups to the April final in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong provides the ideal platform to expand into the vast Asian market, being a gateway to both Mainland China and Asia. 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.
Albert Wong, CEO of HKSTP, said: “This year, our flagship event EPiC is set to be the biggest and best-ever as we partner with world-renowned Plug and Play, elevating the investment platform to a truly global level. This collaboration cements HKSTP and Hong Kong as a unique global launchpad to rapidly scale up innovators on their growth journey, while achieving our mission to propel success and advance Hong Kong's I&T development.”
Saeed Amidi, CEO of Plug and Play, said: “Partnering with HKSTP on EPiC is a major step forward in our mission to harness the huge Asia opportunity to build the world’s leading innovation platform. We are partnering with changemakers like HKSTP to build a unique innovation ecosystem by connecting the brightest minds with world-leading corporations, VC firms, universities, and government agencies across multiple industries.’’
EPiC 2023 will take place at the iconic sky100 venue atop Hong Kong’s tallest building, International Commerce Centre, to create a genuine elevator pitch experience for startups.
Who can apply:
- Tech startups that are less than 10 years old
- Ideas should focus on one of the TWO technology tracks: FinTech and PropTech
Applications will close on 20 January 2023 at 23:59 (Hong Kong time).
Please visit the website (https://epic.hkstp.org/) for more information on EPiC 2023.
About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has for 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 three unicorns and Hong Kong’s leading R&D hub with over 12,000 research professionals and over 1,200 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 re-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.
About Plug and Play
Plug and Play was established in Sunnyvale, California - a region within the renowned Silicon Valley. Although officially founded in 2006, the early stages of the business could be traced back to 1998. The company contains business functions, including tech investment, corporate innovation, and innovation space. Plug and Play now has 50 regional offices in over 30 countries and regions worldwide. With nearly 20 years of experience in early-stage tech investment, Plug and Play has successfully invested in and incubated numerous big tech companies, including PayPal, Google, Dropbox, LendingClub, Guardant Health, Rappi, N26, Honey, etc. It has invested in over 1,500 startups and accelerated over 17,000 programs globally. Each year, Plug and Play provides open innovation services for over 500 world-leading corporations through over 1,000 matchmaking activities with cutting-edge technology companies.
Formally established in 2016, Plug and Play China currently has 3 regional innovation hubs in Beijing (China HQ), Shanghai (Plug and Play Innovation Hub - Yangtze River Delta Area), and Shenzhen (Shenzhen Innovation Center). Plug and Play China also provides open innovation services in Nanjing, Wuhan, Wuxi etc.
There are 4 main business functions across Plug and Play China’s innovation platform including corporate innovation, city innovation, tech investment, and innovation space.
It has built China's leading international innovation ecosystem and created a multi-dimensional open innovation platform that includes corporations, startups, universities and research labs, government agencies, venture capitalist firms, and city innovation partners.
Since 2016, Plug and Play China has engaged with 100+ industry-leading corporations, accelerated over 1700 startups, and has invested in over 150 startups including ApplyBoard, AutoX, Flexiv, ZiFiSense, ROBOTICPLUS.AI, INGEEK, Hexaflake, Authing, Yours, etc.
Please visit www.pnpchina.com for more information.
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/20230113005179/en/
About Business Wire
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
Swedish Court Further Reschedules Delivery of Judgment in PriceRunner Vs Google Antitrust Case24.6.2026 20:55:00 CEST | Press release
Klarna provides investor update Klarna Group plc (NYSE: KLAR) wishes to update investors that the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm, Sweden (Patent- och marknadsdomstolen) has again postponed publication of its judgment in the antitrust damages proceedings brought by PriceRunner, a Klarna subsidiary, against Google. The Court has rescheduled publication of its judgment from June 26, 2026 to July 1, 2026 at 13:00 CET. As with the Court's two previous notifications, the rescheduling is a procedural decision by the Court and relates solely to the timing of the judgment delivery. In its notification, the Court cited high workload as the reason for needing additional time to finalize the judgment. No inference about the outcome should be drawn from it. Important Notice The outcome of the proceedings is inherently uncertain. No assurance can be given that PriceRunner will succeed on liability or quantum. Any award would be subject to appeal by Google, to sharing arrangements with former P
Vertex Energy Announces 6,000 bpd Group III Base Oil Expansion Project24.6.2026 16:00:00 CEST | Press release
Vertex Energy, Inc. (“Vertex” or the “Company”) today announced it is advancing a project at its Mobile, Alabama refinery to produce crude-derived conventional Group III base oils through the Company’s existing hydrocracker and related processing infrastructure, providing lubricant manufacturers and blenders with an additional domestic source of high-quality Group III supply. The project is designed to add an incremental 6,000 barrels per day of conventional Group III production capacity and support production of 4 cSt, 6 cSt, and 8 cSt Group III base oils using an existing crude-derived hydrocracked vacuum gas oil stream produced at the Company’s Mobile, Alabama refinery. Combined with the Company’s existing re-refined Group III base oil production, this additional capacity is expected to make Vertex the leading Group III producer in North America. Vertex has completed preliminary design work and has procured a high-pressure lubricants hydrotreating unit. The Company plans to start pr
Taktile Secures $110M in Goldman Sachs-led Series C to Power AI Transformation in Financial Institutions24.6.2026 15:30:00 CEST | Press release
Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives backs Taktile as a leading enabler of AI-driven efficiency and performance gains in banks and insurers. Taktile, the leader in AI transformation for financial institutions, today announced its $110 million Series C fundraise. Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led the round, with participation from Balderton Capital, Index Ventures, Tiger Global, Y Combinator, and Dig Ventures. Taktile Fast Facts Taktile enables banks and insurers to transform into AI-native organizations that are increasingly powered by autonomous agents. Demand for Taktile accelerated in 2025, as AI models became capable of automating high-stakes decisions that previously required hours of manual work—from underwriting business loans and assessing claims to catching financial crime. Customers automate and optimize decisions with Taktile by combining its financial services expertise and product built for sector-specific AI use cases. One of the world’s largest insur
New MetLife Study Reveals a 72% “Confidence Gap” in Ability to Recover from Life's Setbacks24.6.2026 15:25:00 CEST | Press release
Multinational study finds preparedness, early life experiences, and community support play a critical role in building resilience and confidence, reinforcing MetLife’s purpose. Sports, education, and mentorship at a young age shape long-term confidence and resilience. MetLife and MetLife Foundation are supporting initiatives like the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund to expand access to education and sports programs for youth in communities worldwide, supporting their future success. A new multinational study from MetLife reveals a striking “confidence gap”: while most adults describe themselves as resilient, their confidence drops by 72% when faced with real-life setbacks. The Confident Pathways Report, conducted across the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Mexico, was designed to better understand how confidence is built and sustained throughout life. The findings underscore the role of opportunity, preparedness, and support in building confidence - factors that help people
StatLab Launches CytoPath Disc, Advancing Standardized Cell Block Preparation Worldwide24.6.2026 15:08:00 CEST | Press release
Simple, user-friendly product enables effective cytology cell concentration without complex steps, integrating seamlessly into existing pathology workflows. StatLab Medical Products, a leading global developer and manufacturer of pathology supplies and equipment, today announced the global launch of the CytoPath Disc, an innovative cell block preparation technology designed to standardize and simplify cell block preparation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260624368623/en/ Developed as an alternative to traditional cell block methods, which convert concentrated cells suspended in fluid into a paraffin-embedded format for slide-based evaluation, the patent‑pending CytoPath Disc offers a more streamlined and efficient approach. The CytoPath Disc absorbs concentrated cells within a simple, sponge-like matrix, which is then processed, embedded, stained, and sectioned using standard histology workflows. Traditional
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