PolyU honours outstanding 2025 PolyVentures startups, collaborating with industry to build an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Through its unique PolyVentures startup ecosystem, the University supports startups and nurtures a new generation of entrepreneurs that are eager to tackle societal issues with innovative solutions. On 15 January, the University hosted the “PolyU x BOCHK International Future Challenge Grand Final Awards Ceremony cum PolyVentures Awards Presentation”, recognising the outstanding PolyVentures startup teams of 2025. The event also featured a ceremony marking a generous donation by the Dr Winnie Tang Frontier Technology Development Fund, and the signing of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Gobi Partners and Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Technology Group Co., Ltd, joining hands to drive technological innovation. A concurrent showcase of 15 outstanding startup projects was also held, demonstrating the vibrancy and strength of PolyU’s comprehensive innovation and technology ecosystem.

Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, remarked, “As an innovative world-class university, PolyU is dedicated to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, providing comprehensive support for academics and researchers to translate research outcomes into societal benefits. We are deeply grateful to Dr Winnie Tang for her unwavering support of the University’s research development, which continues to drive the growth of PolyU’s innovation ecosystem. We also appreciate the support of our industry partners. The collaboration between PolyU, Gobi Partners, and Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Technology Group Co., Ltd will further strengthen the University’s investment and startup incubation network, contributing to the advancement of research and innovation in Hong Kong and the Nation.”

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, remarked, “Leveraging PolyVentures, our signature startup ecosystem, PolyU provides comprehensive support for startups, spanning incubation, nurturing and financing. Last year, PolyU teams garnered over 150 awards in local and international innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, including globally renowned events such as the Consumer Electronics Show, HICOOL Global Entrepreneur Summit and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.” He added that more than 5,300 undergraduates participated in startup and entrepreneurial activities in 2025, further demonstrating the vitality and strength of PolyU’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

At the PolyVentures Awards Presentation ceremony, PolyU honoured startups that received support in 2025 from the PolyU Micro Fund, PolyU Angel Fund (formerly the TSSSU-O), PolyU Angel Fund (TSSSU+), PolyU Entrepreneurship Investment Fund, and the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme. To date, PolyU has supported over 600 startups, including two listed companies and three unicorns.

PolyU builds partnerships with stakeholders across various sectors, pooling resources to drive innovation and technology development in Hong Kong and in the Nation more broadly. Dr Winnie TANG, Founder and Chairman of Esri China (Hong Kong) Limited, has been a staunch supporter of PolyU’s research development, donating a culmulative total of HK$10 million to the University. Her contributions have supported Proof of Concept projects, research translation and frontier breakthrough research, continuously advancing key PolyU research areas such as advanced manufacturing and anti-ageing technology, and facilitating the translation of research outcomes.

During the event, Dr Winnie Tang, together with Sr Paul TSUI, CEO of Esri China (Hong Kong) Limited, presented the donation cheque from the Dr Winnie Tang Frontier Technology Development Fund to Prof. Jin-Guang Teng and Prof. Christopher Chao. Dr Tang expressed her admiration for PolyU’s perseverance and strength in research innovation and knowledge transfer, stating, “By supporting proof-of-concept activities and cutting-edge research, we aim to help more promising research outcomes leave the lab and transform into innovative solutions with long-term value for society and industry, as well as to nurture more talents in research and entrepreneurs with an international perspective.”

PolyU also signed an MoU with Gobi Partners and Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Technology Group Co., Ltd. Witnessed by Mr CHEW Fook-aun, PolyU Council Member and Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Investment Fund Sub-committee; Prof. Christopher Chao; Mrs Ann KUNG, Advisor to the Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the BOCHK Charitable Foundation; Mr WANG Jun, Deputy CEO, Bank of China Group Investment Limited; Mr Thomas G. TSAO, Co-founder and Chair of Gobi Partners; Dr Winnie TANG; Mr Chibo TANG, Managing Partner, Gobi Partners; Mr Alex WONG, Director of King Link International Investment Limited; and Ms ZHANG Yi Shu, Director of the Office of School-Enterprise Cooperation, Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Aerospace Equipment Intelligent Manufacturing Co., Ltd, the MoU was signed by Ms Amylia CHAN, Interim Director of PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship; Mr Fred LI, Managing Director of Gobi Partners; and Mr Benjamin PAK, Managing Partner, ATI HongKong LLP (representing the Hong Kong branch of Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Aerospace Equipment Intelligent Manufacturing Co., Ltd).

Mr Fred Li commented, “This is a highly meaningful strategic cooperation agreement between an Asian venture capital fund and a top-tier university. PolyU’s considerable experience in hard-tech R&D complements our fund’s strengths in industrial incubation and capital empowerment perfectly. We look forward to joining hands to foster the next generation of hard-tech startups, turning cutting-edge innovations into tangible outcomes and injecting new impetus into global industrial upgrading and social progress.”

The collaboration will support the development of PolyU startups and PolyU‑developed technologies through venture capital investment, regional partnerships in Asia and entrepreneurship education. The partnership will focus on two core objectives: exploring investment opportunities among PolyU startups, and leveraging the resources and networks of all three parties to help PolyU startups enter core Asian markets, foster business collaborations and enhance brand exposure. PolyU, Gobi Partners and Xi’an Aerospace Investment (Chengdu) Technology Group Co., Ltd also plan to co-organise a wide range of innovation and entrepreneurship education activities to further strengthen the PolyVenures startup ecosystem.

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