HKU startups take top three prizes in Hong Kong contest

By Daniel Okafor

The University of Hong Kong said three of its startups swept the top three awards at the 2026 Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest — Hong Kong Chapter (MiCHK).

HKU named DiamNEX Limited Champion, NeuroHarbor Limited First Runner-up and Sharpsight Limited Second Runner-up.

According to HKU, the chapter drew a record 170 local innovation projects. The sweep placed three technically different businesses above the rest of that field.

HKU said all three teams will represent the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at the national-level final in Guangzhou at year-end. They will face winning teams from regional chapters worldwide.

What did DiamNEX develop?

Founded by Professor Chu Zhiqin, Associate Professor in HKU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, DiamNEX developed what HKU described as the world’s first edge-exposed exfoliation technology for fabricating flexible, ultrathin diamond wafers.

According to HKU, the process reduces production costs to one-thousandth of previous levels. The company is therefore pitching a manufacturing improvement, rather than another finished electronic product.

HKU identified high-power electronic devices, quantum computing and next-generation radio-frequency systems as application areas for the technology.

The mechanism centers on wafer production. An exfoliation process produces flexible, ultrathin diamond wafers, and HKU links that output to the stated one-thousandth cost reduction.

How does NeuroHarbor shorten neurological analysis?

NeuroHarbor Limited earned First Runner-up. Founded by HKU alumna Dr Yazhou Zhao, the startup built an AI-powered platform for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases, according to HKU.

HKU said its core product is AI EEG analysis software already integrated into clinical workflows at leading hospitals in China.

The software reduces analysis time from several hours to under 30 minutes, HKU said. Local deployment supports data privacy, giving hospitals control over where the analysis takes place.

The clinical proposition has three parts in HKU’s account: existing workflow integration, a substantial reduction in analysis time and a local data architecture.

Integration addresses where the software enters hospital work. The shorter processing time addresses clinical speed, while local deployment addresses privacy.

What is Sharpsight’s rehabilitation model?

Sharpsight Limited took Second Runner-up. HKU alumnus Dr Xu Zhimin founded the startup to transform neurorehabilitation for people with stroke and other neurological conditions.

Its Computational Embodied Therapy platform combines action observation, motor imagery, multimodal sensing and personalised training in a closed-loop approach, according to HKU.

HKU said healthcare and research institutions across Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland have adopted the platform.

The four components give the product a broader proposition than a single rehabilitation tool. HKU presents them as parts of one closed-loop treatment model rather than separate services.

The stated deployment footprint already spans Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, placing Sharpsight’s operations on both sides of the border.

What does the Hong Kong chapter unlock?

MiCHK is jointly organised by three bodies, according to HKU:

• Digital Policy Office of the HKSAR Government
• China Centre for Promotion of SME Development of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
• China International Cooperation Association of SMEs

The organiser mix places a government innovation policy office alongside national SME-development and international SME-cooperation bodies. Each contestant therefore entered a process designed to connect local innovation with institutional and commercial networks.

MiCHK also provides a direct competitive route from Hong Kong to the national final. The record 170-project field supplied the immediate benchmark; the Guangzhou contest supplies the next one.

Dr Paul Wang, Director of HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core, said the results demonstrate the University’s commitment to translating research into real-world impact.

He said: “Within HKU's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, the University serves as a ‘coral reef’ — offering a relatively safe and supportive environment in which early-stage innovation seeds and talent can take root and grow.”

“We look forward to leveraging this opportunity to accelerate connections between HKU startups and Chinese mainland investors and industry partners,” Wang said.

Wang’s comments place the contest result within a broader commercialisation effort. The three businesses span wafer manufacturing, clinical diagnostics and neurorehabilitation, giving HKU distinct routes into mainland partnerships.

The year-end Guangzhou final is the next shared deadline for all three teams. Beyond that contest, Wang said HKU wants to turn the Hong Kong sweep into stronger connections with Chinese mainland investors and industry partners.