10 Winners Selected at 9th Edition of Start-up Express, Highlighting Smart City and Green Tech Innovations

The ninth edition of Start-up Express, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded its Final Pitching Day with 10 winning start-ups emerging from the competition. The winners span sectors including smart city solutions, green tech, and health tech, reflecting growing momentum among Hong Kong start-ups in translating innovative technologies into practical applications. The ESG Award was presented to BioZein Technology Corporation Limited for its commitment to sustainability, while Homing Therapeutics Limited received the My Favourite Start-up Award. The winning start-ups will participate in local and overseas business events organized by the HKTDC, providing opportunities to build capability and connections, explore markets, seek business and funding partners, and enhance brand awareness.

The HKTDC has long been committed to fostering start-up growth by providing platforms that help them raise market visibility and expand into the Chinese Mainland and international markets. HKTDC Assistant Executive Director Anna Cheung said: “When we launched Start-up Express in 2018, we had one simple goal: to help Hong Kong start-ups grow and flourish. Since then, we have supported 80 start-ups in building capacity, enhancing visibility, making connections, finding new partners and investors, and seizing opportunities. We champion Hong Kong’s brightest startups by connecting them to the world to scale and succeed.”

The ten winning start-ups include Alpha AI Technology Limited, BioZein Technology Corporation Limited, GABES Limited, Hay-koze Limited, Homing Therapeutics Limited, Muuse Limited, O-Spheres Limited, PetWell HK Limited, PregnaSense Co. Limited, and Pyramid AI Limited. The HKTDC will arrange exposure opportunities for the winning teams to interact with potential investors, buyers, and partners, helping them expand their business networks in local and global markets.

Jimmy Tao, Chairman of the Hong Kong Startup Council and a judge, said: “The quality of participating start-ups continues to improve year after year. Many finalists have successfully integrated artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies into practical applications, demonstrating strong commercial potential. Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem has flourished, with the number of start-ups reaching a record high of 5,221 last year, an 11% increase year-on-year.”

Start-up Express helps start-ups expand markets and commercialize innovation. Taranjit Singh, Chief Technology Officer of Entoptica, a winning start-up from the 2025 edition, said the program provided valuable opportunities to connect with investors and industry mentors, helping secure funding for clinical trials and production capacity expansion. Participation in HKTDC events, including CES 2026 in the United States, enabled the company to establish connections with partners from Shanghai, Japan, and the United States, and successfully sold two prototype products at US$100,000 each.

In addition to promoting local ventures, the HKTDC launched Start-up Express International in 2022 to attract overseas start-ups to establish a presence in Hong Kong. The fifth edition will be held during Entrepreneur Day in December 2026, providing winning overseas start-ups support to leverage Hong Kong as a gateway to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and international markets. The HKTDC continues to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international innovation and technology hub.