The finals of the second 928 Challenge will be held at the Lotus Room, World Trade Center Macau, on 29 October (Saturday), from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. The entrepreneurial competition is organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), the City University of Macau (CityU), and other higher education institutions in Macao, mainland and overseas. This year’s edition will incorporate both an online and in-person element to engage audiences worldwide. All academic members, students, and the general public are welcome to join via video conference.
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The 256 teams have completed the two-week online boot camp led by a group of 35 experts with international backgrounds from eight different time zones across nine countries. During the lectures, the guest speakers shared knowledge of the business environment, market strategies, and business opportunities in China and Portuguese-speaking countries. They provided valuable advice on business proposals to help the teams develop more promising entrepreneurial projects to attract investments.
Eventually, the eight best university teams and eight top startups are shortlisted for the finals this week and will present their business proposals to the jury panel on the stage.
The 928 Challenge aims to consolidate Macao's role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. The competition builds an entrepreneurial ecosystem that helps students broaden their horizons, further global connections, and bridges start-ups and investors. This year's edition was held under a different structure: one dedicated to university students and a new track open to the participation of start-up businesses to attract more participants. It has engaged students and start-ups from the two sides to propose business ideas for new ventures based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, injecting fresh energy into the markets.
According to Prof. José Alves, Dean of the Faculty of Business of CityU and co-founder of the 928 Challenge, “this edition has brought together all local universities, which shows that the education sector understands the importance of the ‘Macao platform’ and confirms that all are working to increase the entrepreneurial capacity of young generations.”
He pointed out that Macao’s role as the platform mobilized support from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, China, and Portuguese-speaking countries. “Going forward, we hope to turn the Macao platform into a global network with impact,” said Prof. Alves.
After the competition, the organizer will arrange business matching sessions between winning teams and potential investors to explore forward-looking marketing strategies, preparing the projects to access markets.
The top three winning teams will share a prize of MOP 70,000, as well as a MOP 30,000 cloud service prize, sponsored by Chinese technology company – Alibaba. This year’s sponsors include Galaxy Entertainment Group, ISA TanTec, Alibaba Cloud, KNJ Investments, Companhia de Electricidade de Macau S.A. (CEM), Banco Nacional Ultramarino, Millennium BCP, Moxlink Technology Group Ltd, CESL Asia, C&C Lawyers, MdME Lawyers, and Fidelidade Macau.
Join us via zoom conference: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84759230504. See you this Saturday, 29 October!
For details about the 928 Challenge, please visit https://928challenge.org/.
