JUMPSTARTER Global Pitch Competition
The Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund's global pitch competition, aimed at investment rather than trophies: finalists can compete for up to US$5M in investment, plus six months of flexible office at Cyberport Smart-Space, free exhibition space, travel sponsorship and meetings with investment managers. The bar: under US$20M raised to date, entered by a founder or co-founder, contributing to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal, and with Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area in your forward plan. The 2026 grand finale was held on 12–13 March at the HKCEC.
You're the founder of a tech start-up, you've raised under US$20M, you genuinely want Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area in your plan, and you're willing to spend months on the competition path for a shot at a round.
You've raised more than US$20M; or you're not entering at founder level; or you just want a title — the whole process is built around due diligence, not around a ceremony.
- Entry / deadline
- The 2026 grand finale took place on 12–13 March 2026; the next entry window normally opens ahead of the first half of the year — watch the official site
- Who can enter
- Tech start-ups entered by a founder or co-founder
- Hong Kong link
- Must have Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area in the forward plan
- Other conditions
- Under US$20M raised to date; must contribute to at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal
The path: online screening to a top-30 finale
The path runs online screening → top 100 → due diligence → top-30 finale. That due diligence leg is what separates this from an ordinary pitch contest: by then you're being read against investment standards, not presentation standards. Companies whose financials, cap table or compliance don't survive scrutiny usually drop out here.
Four entry conditions, all of them real
- 1
Self-check the four gates
Amount raised, who enters, the SDG link, and the Hong Kong / GBA plan.
Pitfall: Leaving convertibles and SAFEs out of the raised total and crossing the line without noticing.
- 2
Prepare to a due-diligence standard, not a pitch standard
Financials, cap table and compliance documents get opened after the top 100.
Pitfall: Pouring everything into the deck and having no underlying records at diligence.
- 3
Watch for the next edition opening
With the 2026 finale in March, entry and screening run from the second half of the previous year into the new year.
Pitfall: Remembering to enter when the finale hits the news — that's already a year late.
- 01Under US$20M raised and after Hong Kong capital → subscribe for the next edition and write the SDG link into your materials now.
- 02Also want cash → EPiC's prize money is equity-free; the two can be run in the same year.
- 03Serious about those six months at Cyberport → look at Cyberport's own incubation programme; the resources stack.
No entry fee is stated officially. The prize breakdown (specific cash amounts) isn't listed on the official page, so this page records only the stated investment and landing resources. The official page doesn't number editions, so this page uses the year.