What is UniVenture Program?

Co-founded by Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD) and Entrepreneurship Center (EC) in 2025, HKUST UniVenture Program is an incubation program for supporting student-led start-ups arising from our entrepreneurship education program in HKUST and reflects its dual focus on university education and venture capital support. It is intentionally structured as a closed loop entrepreneurship education and incubation pathway that links classroom learning, project development, and commercialization with ongoing curriculum, mentorship as well as ecosystem support. In the Program, we will offer full incubation supports and services to the start-ups, including:

  • Seed Grant ($150k per startup team) donated by Henderson Land Development Company Limited.

  • Prioritized Investment Opportunities offered by the Investment Partner. Our first investment partner -GPTX Investment Management Limited will invest HKD $750k equity per selected startup to accelerate its growth.

  • Deliciated coaching from in-house professional faculty and staff

  • Mentorship from industry experts

  • Investment matching with renowned investment funds

  • Supply chain resources in Greater Bay Area

  • Professional services

Participation in the Program will result in HKUST UniVenture Limited becoming a shareholder of the selected startups.

Eligibility

  • Startup companies* (Startups) :
    (1)    founded or co-founded by HKUST students;
    (2)    registered in HKSAR, or other places recognized by HKUST, for less than one year at the time of application; and
    (3)    at least 51% owned by HKUST students (the majority of ownership by HKUST members must be retained during the incubation period) 
    *Startups must be registered businesses at the time of program admission. 

  • The current Cohort UV26-01 is only open for students from ISD

APPLICATION

Please submit the following documents via the Online Application Form (HERE) with the following documents:

  • Application form (HERE)
  • Pitch Deck (up to 20 pages)
  • Link of team members (Excel) -template (HERE)
  • Copy of Student/ Staff ID Card of ALL HKUST team members

Assessment Criteria

  • Problem and Solution (20%)
  • Market and Competition (20%)
  • Team (20%)
  • MVP and Validation (20%)
  • Business Model (20%)

Program TIMELINE

Important dates of the upcoming Cohort UV26-01 are as follows:

  • Application deadline: May 12, 2026
  • Panel Assessment: May 29, 2026
  • Result Announcement: June, 2026
  • Program Start Date: June, 2026


For enquiry, please email to univenture@ust.hk