Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem reached a new milestone as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) announced the 10 winners of the ninth edition of Start-up Express at its Final Pitching Day. The winning start-ups, which span sectors including smart city solutions, green tech, and health tech, highlight the increasing diversity and commercial viability of innovation in Hong Kong. The event, which attracted over 200 industry participants including investors and business leaders, underscores the city’s growing appeal as a destination for entrepreneurship and investment.
Among the winners, BioZein Technology Corporation Limited received the ESG Award for its commitment to sustainability, while Homing Therapeutics Limited was honored with the My Favourite Start-up Award. The 10 winning start-ups will now participate in a series of local and overseas business events organized by the HKTDC, designed to help them build capability, explore markets, and find business and funding partners. The HKTDC has long been committed to fostering start-up growth, providing platforms to 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 their visibility, making connections, finding new partners and investors and seizing opportunities and markets previously out of their reach.” She emphasized the HKTDC’s role in championing Hong Kong’s brightest start-ups by connecting them to the world.
This year’s finalists demonstrated strong integration of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies into practical applications, according to judge Jimmy Tao, Chairman of the Hong Kong Startup Council. “The quality of participating start-ups continues to improve year after year. Many of this year’s finalists have successfully integrated artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies into practical applications, demonstrating strong commercial potential,” Tao said. He noted that 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.
One of last year’s winners, Taranjit Singh, Chief Technology Officer of Entoptica, shared his experience of how Start-up Express helped the company secure funding and expand its network. “Start-up Express provided valuable opportunities to connect with investors and industry mentors, helping us secure funding to advance clinical trials and expand production capacity,” Singh said. He added that participation in CES 2026, a trip led by the HKTDC, enabled the company to establish connections with potential partners from Shanghai, Japan, and the United States, and to sell two prototype products at US$100,000 each.
In addition to promoting local start-ups, the HKTDC is strengthening exchanges between Hong Kong and overseas start-up ecosystems through the Start-up Express International program, which has attracted participants from 11 countries since its launch in 2022. The fifth edition will be held during Entrepreneur Day in December this year. For more information on the winners and the program, visit the Start-up Express website: https://portal.hktdc.com/startupexpress/en/.
