PolyU startup WiseLaw advances to National top 20 in AI competition “Win in AI+”
WiseLaw Digital Technology Limited (WiseLaw), a startup nurtured by the flagship PolyVentures startup ecosystem of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), stood out from the crowd in the second season of “Win in AI+”, a large-scale documentary-style startup investment programme jointly hosted by China Central Television and the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government on 30 June. Outshining more than 1,000 other participating enterprises nationwide, including unicorns and teams led by Chinese and overseas academicians, WiseLaw successfully advanced to the National Top 20. As the only shortlisted Hong Kong enterprise in the Grand Final, it will compete for the title of one of the “Top 10 Chinese AI Startups of 2026” next month. This achievement fully validates the company’s innovation and commercialisation potential, while also showcasing PolyU’s outstanding capabilities in nurturing startups.
Founded by Prof. LU Haitian, Hong Kong Sustaintech Foundation Professor in Accounting and Finance of the School of Accounting and Finance and Director of Mainland Development at PolyU, WiseLaw is Hong Kong’s first technology and innovation enterprise dedicated to developing cross-border legal and compliance AI agent applications. Bringing together distinguished PolyU alumni and technology experts from leading internet companies in the Chinese Mainland, WiseLaw is committed to deeply integrating AI technology with professional legal compliance expertise, providing intelligent legal compliance solutions for global enterprises, financial institutions and law firms.
The company’s core product, “Lawrence”, is a customised AI digital employee for client application in cross-border legal and financial compliance scenarios. Leveraging globally leading large models, a multi-jurisdiction professional knowledge hub and proprietary engineering solutions, it delivers a range of services including legal research, compliance review, contract analysis and risk identification. It also flexibly addresses legal requirements across different jurisdictions, helps enterprises going global and efficiently manages legal risks.
During the competition, Prof. Lu Haitian demonstrated the application of “Lawrence” in legal compliance scenarios and how it enhances the efficiency of cross-border legal services, garnering recognition from the judges.
Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, remarked, “PolyU actively aligns with the ‘AI+’ development strategy outlined in the National 15th Five-Year Plan, leveraging advanced AI technology to drive frontier research, propelling industrial innovation. The University also focuses on nurturing startups, including WiseLaw to translate research outcomes into real-world solutions for societal impact. The project has earned funding support from the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission, demonstrating its research translation excellence and significant potential for industry impact. We look forward to WiseLaw, as the only Hong Kong enterprise shortlisted as one of the National Top 20 in this season’s competition of ‘Win in AI+’, scaling even greater heights in the Grand Final to showcase Hong Kong’s strengths in research and innovation.”
Over the years, PolyU has achieved remarkable success in knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship development. Through the PolyVentures ecosystem, PolyU provides comprehensive support to its startups, having incubated and supported more than 600 enterprises to date. In recent years, PolyU has continuously deepened its strategic positioning in research and knowledge transfer. On one hand, it is moving towards market-oriented innovation research to ensure that research aligns closely with industry needs and societal challenges. On the other hand, it has established a robust network of Mainland Translational Research Institutes and set up incubation centres in both Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. In addition, through the development of overseas innovation and entrepreneurship hubs, PolyU actively supports its startups in cross-boundary and overseas expansion, promoting cross-regional collaboration and expanding PolyU’s international footprint and influence.
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