Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) successfully concluded its third “HKMU Hackathon” on 8 January. The two-day competition received an enthusiastic response, attracting over 100 students from various Schools to form teams. With the themes “Smart Digital Property Management” and “Pet Health and Wellness”, the event challenged students to conceive innovative, forward-looking solutions to address real-world industry pain points.
Industry-academia collaboration to nurture innovation
As Hong Kong's first university of applied sciences (UAS), HKMU has consistently demonstrated its ability to adapt swiftly to meet the needs of society and industry, offering education that combines theory with practical applications. In his opening remarks, Prof. Ricky Kwok Yu-kwong, Vice President (Research and Institutional Advancement) at HKMU, highlighted the significance of collaboration between industry and academia in fostering talent.
“HKMU has always emphasised equipping students with an understanding of real-world societal needs while cultivating an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset,” said Prof. Kwok. He thanked industry partners Kai Shing Management Services Limited (Kai Shing) and OneDegree Hong Kong (OneDegree) for their valued support in providing real-world business problems, “allowing our students to step beyond the classroom and enhance their 'workplace soft skills' through an innovation experience in just two days”. He encouraged the students to leverage the competition as an opportunity to develop structural problem-solving skills and to unleash their creativity.
Focusing on real-world industry pain points
The event facilitated close exchange with industry professionals, providing students with an opportunity to solve problems collaboratively within a limited time, applying classroom knowledge to business contexts to enhance their problem-solving skills and confidence. This year's competition focused on two major industry sectors, requiring participating students to develop innovative solutions based on business scenarios proposed by the partners:
- To address the high volume of client inquiries, teams designed virtual concierge or chatbot solutions to reduce staff workload while maintaining service quality and operational efficiency. (Partner: Kai Shing)
- Students utilised an existing app to devise schemes to promote pet health management and insurance, attracting users through community building and interactive features. (Partner: OneDegree)
Presentations showcasing creative results
Following preliminary selections, five teams from each track advanced to the finals, where they presented their proposals to a panel of industry experts and HKMU representatives and answered questions on the spot.
In the “Smart Digital Property Management” track, the championship was awarded to “BLIX”, whose team comprised Anson Ng Ka-nok and Yu Fung from the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, and Dorothy Pang Ching-yi from the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
The team conceptualised a chatbot incorporating “Agentic AI”, featuring a dog mascot named “Wong Choi” to engage users. The system proactively detects user needs, such as booking facilities or making inquiries, and automatically processes them across multiple platforms, including mobile apps, WhatsApp and the web.
Anson described their AI design as a “commander”, capable of precisely identifying various user intentions and deploying the appropriate system functions for immediate support.
In the “Pet Health and Wellness” track, the championship was awarded to the “Pawsitive Vibes” team, comprising Lo Hoi-ying and Chan Pui-ying from the Lee Shau Kee School of Business and Administration, and Leung Chung-ho from the School of Science and Technology. Although first-time participants, the trio stood out with concrete, vivid app functions and promotional strategies.
Reflecting on the process, the team noted that they had revised their proposal multiple times. Hoi-ying said the pre-competition workshop was crucial in helping them understand the importance of identifying a specific “target audience”, which helped them sharpen their focus. Chung-ho added that while AI assists in information gathering, the team insisted on human fact-checking and filtering core information, demonstrating a rigorous approach to problem-solving. They agreed that the experience improved their presentation skills and sparked their interest in participating in future start-up competitions.
The distinguished judging panel were Mr Kevin Chu Kai-ming, Deputy Managing Director of Kai Shing; Ms Ching Chui, Deputy Head of Branding and Marketing Communications of OneDegree; Prof. Calvin Tse Hoi-fat, President of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs; Ms Al Fong Cheuk-yiu, Executive Director of the MakerBay Foundation; and Prof. Kwok.
The winning teams received a cash prize of HK$10,000 each and gained direct entry to the finals of the HKMU “MetroChallenge” entrepreneurship competition. They also have the opportunity to participate in shadow internships or short-term internships offered by the partners, and to represent the University in other local and Greater Bay Area entrepreneurship contests, turning their creative ideas into practical entrepreneurial projects.
HKMU is dedicated to nurturing students on their innovation and entrepreneurship journeys. Through the “HKMU Hackathon”, the “MetroChallenge” entrepreneurship competition, and the “Incubation” and “Angel Fund” under the HKMU Startup Fund, the University has established a comprehensive entrepreneurship support system for students and alumni. For details, please visit: https://www.hkmu.edu.hk/entrepreneurship/.
