Registration now opens for 929 Challenge: Connecting China-PSCs students and start-ups for innovative and entrepreneurial ideas! Deadline: September 30th!
The “929 Challenge,” organized by the Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), guided by the Macao Government Economic and Technological Development Bureau, and hosted by the Association for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Macau — China and Portuguese Speaking Countries, is an international entrepreneurship competition targeting university students and startups in China and Portuguese-speaking countries. The third edition of the competition is now open for registration, with a deadline of September 30th. For interested parties, please register through the official website (https://929challenge.org)!
As one of the partner universities of this edition, the City University of Macau has been actively promoting the implementation and development of the 929 Challenge since its inception. The 929 Challenge aims to leverage Macao’ gateway role to connect business ideas between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, assisting Chinese startups and investors in accessing more international business opportunities. Currently, the 929 Challenge is the largest innovation and entrepreneurship competition between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, with a broad international influence.
The three digitals in the name “929 Challenge” represent the following:
- 9 cities in the Greater Bay Area of China (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing).
- 2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong, Macau).
- 9 Portuguese-speaking countries (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, East Timor, São Tomé and Príncipe).
After the registration period, guest speakers from China and Portuguese-speaking countries will conduct a two-week online bootcamp for participating teams from October 1st to 13th. During the bootcamp, mentors will provide insights into the business ecosystem and environment between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Participating teams are required to submit their fundraising pitch decks before October 16th. After evaluation, eight teams from the startup category and eight teams from the university category will advance to the finals.
The finals will take place in Macao on October 28th, where the qualifying teams will perform live pitches. A panel of judges from academia and industry will select the winning teams from the startup and university categories.
The winning teams will share a total cash prize of USD 20,000 and complementary services provided by Alibaba Cloud. The organizers will also provide match services with investors from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Portuguese-speaking countries for the teams that make it to the final round.
Theme
The theme of this year’s 929 Challenge will continue the themes from the previous two editions. Participating teams are required to integrate their business projects with the themes of “Building bridges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries through sustainability-oriented business.” They are required to present their business proposals to investors and judges in six sectors: cultural tourism, healthcare, fintech, agriculture and farming industry, marine economy, and renewable energy.
Registration
Registration for the competition is open until September 30th. For interested parties, please register through the official website. Each team should consist of 4-6 members, and the competition is divided into the university category and the startup category. Each team can only register for one category. For details, please click here to visit official WeChat account of the competition.
Note: Mobile device registration is currently not supported. Please use a personal computer for registration.
- All members of the university category team should be enrolled students from the same university.
- To ensure smooth communication via email, please do not use QQ email for registration.
- All registration information should be filled out in English.
Source: Student Affairs Office, 929 Challenge
