XJTLU entrepreneurial competition draws worldwide participation

On 10 April, the fourth Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) Global “Dream-Chasers” Entrepreneurial Competition successfully concluded at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang).

Jointly hosted by Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) and the Administrative Committee of Taicang High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in Jiangsu Province, this year’s competition received 1,170 team entries from 119 universities across 29 countries and regions, marking a new record for participation.

Professor Dijiang Huang, Dean of the School of Internet of Things at XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), said: “When we launched the first competition four years ago, only 60 teams took part. Today, the scale of the event has expanded nearly twentyfold.

“We have welcomed participants from leading universities worldwide, including Harvard University and Stanford University in the US, and the University of Cambridge in the UK. This underscores the steadily growing global recognition and credibility of the competition,” he said.

Professor Dijiang Huang

Professor Huang noted that this year’s 60 finalist teams demonstrated outstanding professional capabilities, resilience and perseverance. XJTLU’s homegrown teams also delivered standout performances, underscoring the strength and dedication of the University’s student innovators and entrepreneurs.

The competition inspires university students to bring forward innovative ideas and identify actionable business projects that deliver tangible social value while also inviting enterprises to participate.

It includes three dedicated tracks: the Creative Idea Track, the Mature Business Project Track and the Enterprise Track.

Focusing on early-stage innovation and entrepreneurship, the Creative Idea Track is designed to encourage university students to engage with social challenges and refine their ideas. The track’s final round offers a total prize pool of 300,000 RMB and evaluates entries based on four core criteria: idea quality, market potential, business model viability, and team composition.

On the final day, the 60 shortlisted teams delivered their on-site pitches. The competing projects covered three major areas: Green and Intelligent Technology, Healthy Living and Cultural Technology, as well as Finance and Business Innovation. These projects spanned cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and robotics, sustainable technology, smart cities, educational technology, and fintech.

After fierce competition, three teams claimed top honours across the event’s three tracks. Winners included the MagIAir Wireless Charging team from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; the team from Tiangong University, China, behind the Smart Navigation Headset for Visually Impaired Users project; and the team from Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, China, with their project “Zhencui Zhima — AI-Powered Hemp Processing Innovators”.

Rong Xia, a PhD student in Mathematical Sciences at XJTLU, led her team to win second prize in the Healthy Living and Cultural Technology track for their project “HPP DoAtlas”.

Rong Xia accepting the second prize on behalf of her team

Xia said: “Our project leverages causal AI for holistic precision medicine. It can compare different clinical strategies, simulate treatment outcomes and answer all sorts of ‘what-if’ medical questions.

“We see this competition as a fantastic platform: it not only provides us with partnership opportunities, but also helps our project gain more visibility at XJTLU.”

Dr Mikhail Zenchenkov, one of the judges for the competition and Head of XJTLU X³ Co-Venture, said the competition offered a valuable learning experience for students.

“It helps students integrate their ideas, refine their concepts into business models, and get feedback through pitching. It also enables students to better understand the skills needed for entrepreneurship, and whether they are heading in the right direction with their projects.

“On top of that, the event creates a platform where international business partners and participants can connect and exchange ideas, allowing us all to explore how to further support student innovation and entrepreneurship,” he said.

Dr Mikhail Zenchenkov

All finalist teams will be awarded certificates and recommendation letters. The competition’s first-place winning teams will gain direct admission to XJTLU X³ Co-Venture for its second-stage incubation, and will also have the opportunity to secure 100,000 RMB in angel investment.

Registration for the fifth XJTLU Global “Dream-Chasers” Entrepreneurial Competition is now open. University students worldwide are welcome to apply.

By Han Zhang
Edited by Katharina Zhu and Vionna Fiducia Theja
Translated by Xueqi Wang