Beyond the Classroom: Building Teams and Turning Ideas into Reality
HKUST’s business competitions give students opportunities to tackle real-world challenges, work across cultures and disciplines, and develop the skills to turn innovative ideas into entrepreneurial opportunities.
In an increasingly competitive local and international business environment, students benefit from early exposure to real-world challenges. Alongside classroom learning, hands-on experience is highly valued in today’s commercial world.
The HKUST Entrepreneurship Center and the University's School of Business and Management bridge the gap between classroom learning and business practice through competitions that help aspiring student entrepreneurs sharpen their skills, expand their networks, and develop their ventures.
Among these initiatives, one of the University’s longest-running entrepreneurship competitions helps participants turn promising ideas into viable ventures.
The HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition
Co-organized by the HKUST Entrepreneurship Center and the Sino Group, the annual HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition was launched in 2011. It gives aspiring entrepreneurs opportunities to evaluate their business models, present their solutions, and connect with potential investors and industry partners.
This year’s competition welcomed students in two tracks. The HKUST Track is open to all full-time and part-time students, postdocs, alumni, researchers, faculty, and staff from any department within HKUST, as well as startups adopting HKUST-licensed technology.
The International Student Track is open to all students from non-local universities worldwide. The students do not have to focus on business per se and are encouraged to develop technology- and innovation-driven businesses.
The 2026 competition attracted a record-breaking 390 teams from 24 countries and regions. The Grand Final featured 15 teams whose innovative solutions spanned a range of fields, including health technology, generative AI, smart buildings, and green energy management.
Prof. Nancy IP, President of HKUST, remarked at the awards ceremony, “This competition empowers our students, researchers, alumni, and aspiring entrepreneurs to turn innovative ideas into practical solutions that address societal needs.”
In the HKUST Track, the Refined Motor Co. received this year’s Platinum Award as champion for its Modular EV Conversion Solution. The technology can be fitted to conventional fossil-fuel vehicles, converting them into electric vehicles.
Speaking to Boundless, Mr. Angus LAW, Managing Director of the company—and a 2016 graduate of HKUST’s Department of Mechanical Engineering—described the competition as a valuable opportunity to showcase the company’s proprietary technology and highlight its latest milestones.
“This platform offers a focused environment to communicate our vision, validate our roadmap, and build early relationships with potential backers,” he said.
Syntrak received the Silver Award as second runner-up for its project to enhance skiing performance through smart motion-capture apparel and live AI coaching. Mr. Matthew LEE, Founder and CEO of Syntrak, who is expected to graduate from the HKUST School of Business and Management in 2027, told Boundless that the competition gave his team direct access to judges, investors, and fellow founders. Most importantly, it connected the company with potential manufacturing partners.
He said, “Hong Kong is an exceptional place to build, giving founders and anyone who dares to dream a real chance to pursue it. Its startup ecosystem has many institutions, like HKUST, Cyberport and HKSTP, through which early-stage founders can access funding and mentorship and build credibility faster than many expect.”
Building Business and AI Capabilities
Alongside supporting venture development, other HKUST competitions help students build the collaborative, analytical, and technological capabilities needed to tackle complex business challenges.
The HKUST MBA Program and the Entrepreneurship Center recently co-organized the AI Hackathon and Symposium in collaboration with the Erasmus AI Society and the Maastricht AI & Tech Network (MAIN), with support from Hong Kong Talent Engage.
This flagship event brought together 550 students from 16 universities across Asia and Europe this year to explore AI innovation, requiring entrants to develop an AI application in response to an industry brief. The task was particularly challenging because 60% of participants identified themselves as AI novices when they registered.
In addition, this year’s International Case Competition, launched by the School of Business and Management in 2003, brought together students from 12 leading universities spanning Europe, Southeast Asia, and the US to tackle real-world business challenges through cross-cultural exchange and innovative thinking.
Drawing on cases from the financial services and aviation sectors, participants used “mini-case” and “main-case” rounds to develop forward-looking strategies that applied AI to address evolving customer expectations and emerging industry trends.
From Knowledge to Action
By turning knowledge into action through practical learning, mentorship, industry networks, and commercialization support, HKUST equips students with the skills to work across cultures and disciplines, respond to industry feedback, and communicate the commercial value of their ideas.
These experiences prepare participants to develop viable ventures, expand their professional networks, and contribute confidently to the business world.
For detailed scopes and award recipients of the competitions, please see:
• HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2026 Concludes
• HKUST International Case Competition 2026 Concludes Successfully
• Hong Kong AI Summit 2026 Hackathon and Symposium
