Three HKUST start-ups - Ephod Intelligence Limited, PanopticAI Limited and Qupital Limited - have been listed in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2023. These HKUST  start-ups cover Biotechnology & Healthcare and Finance.

Both Ephod Intelligence and PanopticAI are HKUST Entrepreneurship Fund portfolio companies and incubated with HKUST investment. 

Ephod Intelligence, co-founded in 2020 by HKUST alumni Peter Zhou(SENG, 2009), developed an AI-powered analytics platform for fundamental research analysts to validate their investment ideas and monitor the equity market.

Founded in 2020, PanopticAI developed an award-winning camera-based health and wellness monitoring solution that can read vital signs like heart rates and blood pressure in 30 seconds by detecting subtle changes in a person's skin colouration caused by changes in blood flow. 

Qupital, founded by HKUST alumni Winston Wong(SENG, 2014) in 2016, connects merchants in Hong Kong and mainland China selling goods on overseas e-commerce platforms with professional investors for financing. The startup claims to have so far disbursed more than $1 billion to over 10,000 vendors on Amazon, eBay, Lazada and other marketplaces, with a default rate of under 0.1%.

Forbes Asia received over 550 nominations for the final 100 selections from 13 Asia-Pacific countries and territories, representing 11 categories, including biotechnology and healthcare, e-commerce and retail, and finance. This year’s Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list spotlights small companies and startups that are targeting underserved markets or applying new technologies, from generative AI to blood-based cancer diagnostics.

For the “Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list”, please visit: Forbes Asia 100 To Watch 2023