Entrepreneurship Challenge 2025

From Vision to Venture

We are excited to announce the commencement of the HSUHK Entrepreneurship Challenge 2025 (E-Challenge)! This year, the E-Challenge is jointly organised by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the Master of Science in Entrepreneurial Management (MSc-EM) Programme Office of the School of Business.

The competition aims to inspire and empower aspiring student entrepreneurs to turn innovative concepts into actionable start-up plans. Under the theme "Empowering Young Innovators," E‑Challenge provides a platform to pursue your ideas and kick-start your start-up journey. We welcome all HSUHK undergraduate and postgraduate students to join this business plan competition. Form a team and get ready to showcase your talents!

We encourage aspiring young talents who have innovative business ideas to participate in the E-Challenge. The winning teams will receive a cash prize, seed funding, invaluable mentorship, and co-working space to kickstart their entrepreneurial journeys.

In addition, winning teams will receive a fast-track opportunity to either the HSUHK x HKSTP Co-Ideation Programme (5^th Cohort) or the Cyberport Creative Micro Fund (CCMF), which offers cash funding of up to HK$100,000—an added chance to turn their dreams into reality.

Eligibility

All current HSUHK students are eligible to participate in the E-Challenge. Participants must form teams of 2 to 6 members.
Students from other Hong Kong tertiary institutions are welcome to participate. However, the team leader must be a current HSUHK student.
Each student shall enroll in one team only.

Submission Requirements

All competing teams must submit their complete application via the online registration form by the deadline of 23 Apr 2025 (Wed), 12:00 noon. A full submission must include a one-minute business concept pitch video, a business concept statement, and the required materials for the showcase session. Please note that any late submissions will be considered only at the sole discretion of the organisers.

(a) One-Minute Pitching Video
Submit an engaging elevator pitch video that clearly and concisely presents your business concept within the one-minute time limit.

Format Requirements:

Video Length: Maximum 1 minute (any content beyond this will not be considered)
Language: English or Chinese
File Name: Your team's name (Video)
File Format: MP4
File Size: Under 200MB
Resolution: 720p or higher

(b) Business Concept Statement Requirements

Coverage:

Identification of the opportunity (i.e., the need, problem, or market gap)
Introduction to the business concept
Project innovativeness: description of innovative elements and their social/technological/commercial impact
Proposed business model (including target market, target revenue, and expenses streams)
Team competency – management team and relevant network

Format Specifications:

Cover Page Must Include: Team Name, Project Name, Mission and Vision, Objectives, Names and backgrounds of team members
Maximum Length: 3 pages (including cover, appendices, diagrams, and tables)
Language: English or Chinese
Paper Size: A4
Font Size: 12 points
File Name: Team name_Business Concept Statement
File Format: PDF
Header: Team name must appear in the top right-hand corner

All participating teams must provide their showcase content in the designated section of the E-Challenge application form in either English or Chinese. The required information includes:

A 150-200 word description of your business concept
A prototype photo (if available)
Team member profiles: Names, institutions, and majors
Upcoming plans (in point form)
Contact information (e.g., social media accounts, email, or other relevant means)

The showcase content of the finalist teams will be featured at the exhibition during the HSUHK Entrepreneurship Day 2025.

Others
Access valuable startup resources from the HSUHK Library

Judging Process

A panel of adjudicators will shortlist up to five teams to advance to Stage 2. The shortlist will be announced on the CIE website .by 9 May 2025 (Fri) on the CIE website.

Shortlisted teams are required to develop their idea into a comprehensive start-up business plan, to be presented in a live presentation format. No written business plan submission is required. To ensure fairness, significant alterations to the original business nature or core concept are not permitted at this stage.

Prior to the final presentation, the CIE will arrange for each shortlisted team to be paired with a mentor, who will provide guidance on refining and enhancing their business plan.

Detailed arrangements regarding the final presentation will be communicated in due course.

Final Round Presentation

Shortlisted teams will present their start-up business plans at the final round of the competition, scheduled for the Entrepreneurship Day (E-Day) in early June 2025. On the day, the E-Challenge finalists will pitch their business plans to a judging panel comprising experienced entrepreneurs, senior executives, and potential investors.

Each team will be allotted 10 minutes for their presentation, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session. While not all team members are required to present, all must attend and participate in the entire event.

The E-Challenge 2025 awards will be announced during the final round, following the panel discussion and judging deliberations.

Timeline for E-Challenge 2025

Date	Programme
26 March 2025 (Wed) 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm	Briefing and Mixer Session of E-Challenge 2025
11 April 2025 (Fri) 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm	Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talk supported by HKAI Lab
23 April 2025 (Wed) 12:00 noon	Deadline for application and submission of the One-minute Pitching Video, the Business Concept Statement and showcase contents
9 May 2025 (Fri)	Announcement of the shortlisted teams for the final round on the E-Day
26 May 2025 (Mon) 12:00 noon	Deadline for the shortlisted teams to submit one-page overview to CIE.
3 June 2025 (Tue) 12:00 noon	Deadline for the shortlisted teams to submit presentation materials to CIE.
5 June 2025 (Thu)	HSUHK Entrepreneurship Day (E-day) and Final round of E-Challenge E-Challenge finalist teams are qualified to compete in My Favourite Start-up Idea Award and Technological Innovation Award.

The Organising Committee reserves the right to modify the schedule and adjust the notification periods.

Awards and Benefits

All participants that successfully submit a complete application, including both the business concept statement and pitching video, will receive a Certificate of Participation for E-Challenge 2025.

The awards for the winning teams are as follows:

	Cash Prize	Seed Fund
Champion	HK$30,000	HK$50,000
1^st Runner-up	HK$20,000	HK$30,000
2^nd Runner-up	HK$15,000	HK$20,000
My Favourite Start-up Idea Award	HK$5,000	N/A
Technological Innovation Award	HK$5,000	N/A

Fast-Track Opportunities
- The Champion, 1^st Runner-up, 2^nd Runner-up, and winners of the My Favourite Start-up Idea Award and Technological Innovation Award will receive a fast-track opportunity for the HSUHK x HKSTP Co-Ideation Programme (4^th Cohort), subject to meeting HKSTP's entrance requirements (providing access to funding of up to HK$100,000).
- The Champion, 1^st Runner-up, and 2^nd Runner-up will receive a fast-track opportunity for the Cyberport Creative Micro Fund (CCMF), subject to meeting Cyberport's admission criteria (providing access to funding of up to HK$100,000).
CIE Pre-Incubation Programme
Winning teams will gain automatic entry into the CIE Pre-Incubation Programme, which includes:
- Use of the CIE co-working space for one year
- A series of start-up training workshops
- Networking events
- Mentoring from experienced practitioners
Award Certificates
Certificates will be awarded to the Champion, 1^st Runner-up, 2^nd Runner-up, My Favourite Start-up Idea Award, Technological Innovation Award and all Finalist teams.Important Conditions:
- A team may only accept one fast-track opportunity, choosing either the HSUHK x HKSTP Co-Ideation Programme or the Cyberport CCMF.

Seed Fund

Seed funding will be disbursed to awardees on a reimbursement basis. Recipients must submit valid proof of expenses (e.g., receipts or invoices) to the CIE for all allocated funds.

The seed fund must be used exclusively for the award-winning business concept presented in the E-Challenge. Any significant changes to the business plan or team composition must be reported to and approved by the CIE before further funds are disbursed.

All awardees are required to sign an agreement with the CIE, committing to the prudent, efficient, and exclusive use of the seed fund for the approved project.

Technological Innovation Award

This award recognises finalist teams that effectively integrate technology and innovation into their business concepts. Eligible teams must demonstrate technical expertise and the ability to apply technology to enhance their products or services.

Judging Criteria:

Innovativeness
Technological Viability
Potential Impact
Commercial Feasibility
Sustainability

Judging Process:

The award will be judged by the E-Challenge 2025 final round adjudicators. Results will be announced during the final competition round at the HSUHK Entrepreneurship Day (E-Day).

My Favourite Start-up Award

All finalist teams of the E-Challenge are eligible for this award. The winning team will receive a cash prize of HK$5,000.

Judging Criteria:

The award will be judged based on the idea's appeal to the general audience, the clarity and effectiveness of its presentation, and its creativity and originality.

Judging Process:

During the E-Day voting session for this award, a QR code will be displayed to enable participants to cast their votes using their mobile devices. The team that receives the highest number of valid votes will be declared the winner.

Rules and Regulations

The team leader must be a current student of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He/She will serve as the primary contact and responsible for ensuring the team submits all necessary information as requested by CIE, by the stated deadlines.
Each student may only join one team. Any student found participating in multiple teams will result in the automatic disqualification of all affected teams.
No change of team composition will be permitted after registration is complete, except under exceptional circumstances approved by CIE.
Previous winning teams (2018-2024) are not permitted to compete with the same business idea.
By submitting their video, teams grant CIE the right to broadcast their presentation or distribute it to third parties for competition purposes.
All submissions must be the team's original work. Plagiarism will result in automatic disqualification.
Submissions must not contain any unauthorised use of copyrighted materials or content violating HKSAR laws. All external sources must be properly referenced.
The elevator pitch video must not infringe any third-party rights (including logos, music, or intellectual property).
Videos must not contain obscene, violent, pornographic, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate content.
All participants must abide by the HSUHK Entrepreneurship Challenge 2025 rules and regulations. CIE retains the right to determine final participation qualifications.
Participant contact information may be shared with co-organisers, partners, and sponsors for identity verification, certificate issuance, prize distribution, and service provision.
CIE reserves the right to modify competition details without prior notice and disqualify any team violating competition rules or spirit.
The Organising Committee's decisions are final, including the right to reject applications and interpret, amend, or supplement these guidelines.

Final Round Adjudicators

Panel Chair Mr Raymond Chu		Associate Director, University Collaborations & Entrepreneurship HKSTP
Mr Jeremy Lok		Manager of Smart Living Cyberport
Mr Teddy Lui		CEO HKAI Lab CCO Alibaba Entrepreneurship Fund
Dr Patrick Mok		Assistant Professor Department of Arts and Design, HSUHK
Mr Neil Shih		Co-founder define CLEAN

Important Notes

By submitting the application to CIE, the teams agree to share their information with CIE for publicity and communication media in HSUHK. For materials that are highly confidential and proprietary, the team should make a special note to the CIE for the special handling of such information.

By submitting an application, all teams grant CIE, HSUHK, and its partner organisations permission to use their submitted materials and event-related photos/videos for promotional and communication purposes through official channels.

Teams are responsible for identifying any confidential or proprietary information in their submissions and must notify CIE for special handling arrangements.

All promotional media may be shared with co-organisers, strategic partners, sponsors, and supporting organisations associated with the event.