The ninth edition of Start-up Express, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded its Final Pitching Day today, with 10 winning start-ups emerging from a field of 20 finalists. The winners span sectors including smart city solutions, green tech, and health tech, signaling a 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 and social impact, while Homing Therapeutics Limited received the My Favourite Start-up Award.
The 10 winning start-ups will next participate in a series of local and overseas business events organized by the HKTDC, which provides 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 the growth of start-ups by actively providing platforms that help them raise market visibility and expand into Chinese Mainland and international markets, further promoting Hong Kong’s strengths as an international innovation and technology hub.
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. We champion Hong Kong’s brightest startups by connecting them to the world to scale and succeed.”
The 10 winning start-ups are 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 majority operate in smart city solutions, alongside ventures specializing in green tech, health tech, and med tech, highlighting the increasing diversity of innovation and technology solutions and their growing adoption across industries and everyday applications.
This year’s Final Pitching Day attracted more than 200 industry participants, including investors and business leaders. Booths were set up to enable finalists to showcase their businesses to attendees, fostering networking and collaboration. Judge Jimmy Tao, Chairman of the Hong Kong Startup Council, commended the start-ups for embracing emerging technology trends, noting that the number of start-ups in Hong Kong reached a record high last year, increasing 11% year-on-year to 5,221, reflecting the city’s growing appeal to global entrepreneurs.
The HKTDC also highlighted the success of previous winners. Taranjit Singh, Chief Technology Officer of Entoptica, a 2025 winning start-up and the world’s first to apply quantum technology to vision science, said: “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.” He added that participation in CES 2026 in the United States, a trip led by the HKTDC, enabled the company to establish connections with potential partners and successfully sold two prototype products at US$100,000 each.
Beyond local start-ups, the HKTDC runs Start-up Express International, launched in 2022, which has attracted start-ups from around the world over four editions, including participants from Chinese Mainland, Australia, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the UAE, and the US. The fifth edition will be held during Entrepreneur Day in December this year, providing winning overseas start-ups with support to establish a presence in Hong Kong and leverage the city as a gateway to explore opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and international markets. More information is available at the Start-up Express portal.
