AI DRUG DISCOVERY START-UP An HKU-linked start-up to speed up drug discovery by harnessing generative AI to identify and design dual-purpose therapeutic targets and drugs for ageing and age-related diseases such as cancer, has quickly won numerous competitions overseas, government support from Hong Kong and Mainland China cities, and growing interest from venture capitalists in the US and UK. Saint Novel Biotech Ltd was started when PhD (Bioinformatics) candidate Yin Danqing met PhD (Bioinformatics) graduate Li Zhuoxuan in the Lean Launcher programme, a collaboration of HKU’s DeepTech100 and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP). They had been working on separate projects but decided to co-found Saint Novel, attracting scholars from Nobel Prize winners’ labs in the University of Cambridge, University of Washington and Harvard University to join. “Our mission is to develop first-in-class, dual-purpose drugs for ageing and age-related diseases to redefine future medicine. We recognise the immense global challenges posed by an ageing population and the escalating prevalence of age-related diseases, so we are focussing our efforts on groundbreaking technologies, such as generative AI, spatial omics and metabolic programming. Our core team is already well-accomplished, having published over 50 papers in prestigious journals and successfully been admitted to the Incu-Bio programme at HKSTP,” Ms Yin said. GREEN INVESTING Edoardo Francesco Sabatino, a 2023 graduate of the EMBAGlobal Asia programme, founded a Green FinTech start-up that is making significant strides in connecting green investors with renewable project developers. ClimateKick was established during Mr Sabatino’s year abroad at Columbia Business School. The team, comprising members from Europe, USA, and Asia, leverages FinTech to equip investors with tools for assessing and monitoring the financial and sustainability performance of firms, while also facilitating capital access for emerging green projects. Supported by HKU’s DeepTech programme and others, the company initiated fundraising efforts this autumn, with plans for a forthcoming HK$4.5 million round. They were also invited to participate in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s FiNETech series which, among other things, promotes nextlevel collaboration on GreenTech. Mr Sabatino said ClimateKick also tackles greenwashing by rigorously vetting projects and is developing proprietary climate AI models to offer insights to both green project developers and investors. “Our strength lies in our specialised focus on climate investments. We are forging trusted relationships with highly technical developers and transparency-driven investors. Our vision is to evolve into a digital green investment bank that seamlessly matches multiple green project opportunities with investors,” he said. WRITE RIGHT A student-led company is one of the first 11 start-ups admitted to the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy in Qianhai, Shenzhen, where its founders are tapping into a wider market. WeWrites Ltd develops affordable, AI-powered educational tools to help teachers and students with a variety of tasks, such as marking, task management, exam preparation, teacher training, and student tutoring and personalised support. The start-up was founded by second-year students from the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Financial Technology programme – Lucas Martins and Calvin Xu, who earlier received mentorship, networking and other support through HKU’s DeepTech100 programme and iDendron. Their plans are to develop the platform further with such things as handwriting recognition and expand to physical locations for lessons and the publication of books. “The idea for WeWrites came from witnessing the intense competition in Mainland China’s educational landscape, where many talented students struggle with the Gaokao exams,” Mr Martins said. “As a high scorer in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, I wanted to leverage technology to create equal educational opportunities. We now have a team of experienced educators and tech enthusiasts, and we have established partnerships with several Chinese private schools and educational institutions, with more in advanced discussions.” STUDENT INITIATIVES QUALIFLY: PERSONALISING EDUCATION WITH AI A student-led start-up finished in the top eight of the Hult Prize 2024, a global competition that drew 100,000 teams that previously won regional competitions and were selected to represent their country. The Hult Prize is the largest pitch competition in the world run in partnership with the United Nations and challenges youth entrepreneurs to solve pressing issues through social entrepreneurship. The HKU team, QualiFly, is an AI EdTech start-up that disrupts traditional teaching and learning with AI tutors and assistants, providing personalised experiences based on students’ strengths and weaknesses. More than 2,000 users have used QualiFly’s products, which were developed in collaboration with teachers and education technology experts. The team is led by Matthew Chan, a PCLL candidate, and includes final-year student in the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Applied Artificial Intelligence, Jose Abraham, and recent graduate of that programme Kaustubh Nigami, as well as Jason Cheung from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. “Being able to represent Hong Kong and be named a top eight finalist out of 100,000 teams globally has been a significant milestone for us. It has reinforced our belief that AI can enhance education and make it more accessible. The experience has also connected us with a vibrant community of passionate entrepreneurs,” Mr Chan said. Programmes offered at HKU have helped students build up their entrepreneurial capabilities and launch their own start-ups. Introducing the innovative work of Saint Novel Biotech Ltd at the University of Oxford. Edoardo Francesco Sabatino, CEO of ClimateKick, at the pitching competition of the Hong Kong Green FinTech Summit, a flagship event of Hong Kong Green Week. As one of the first cohort of companies at the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy in Qianhai, WeWrites is strategically positioned to expand into the Mainland market. QualiFly was named as a Top 8 Social Start-up in the 2024 Hult Prize Nairobi Global Summit. 40 TECH TRANSFER AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE 41 HKU ANNUAL REPORT 2024
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