The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a research university whose faculty and alumni have seeded multiple notable startups in China's venture capital landscape, particularly in hard tech and AI. Per a 2023 piece by 暗涌Waves, HKUST professor Li Zexiang was instrumental in bridging academia and Shenzhen's industrial ecosystem as far back as the late 1990s, when Shenzhen government officials recruited HKUST researchers to collaborate with local enterprises . The university's 3D printing lab ranks among China's top facilities in additive manufacturing, employing hybrid CNC and 3D printing technology . More recently, HKUST's chief vice president Guo Yike praised Style3D's breakthrough in flexible material modeling as "absolutely world number one" on a CCTV program in June 2025 . Spinouts with HKUST roots include Micro-LED chip designer Raysolve, founded in 2019 by a core team from HKUST's electronics department , and aerial robotics startup Differential Intelligence Flight, whose R&D team draws partly from the university alongside peers like Zhejiang University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences . HKUST also appears as a founding council member of the Global Tech Industry Alliance alongside Yunqi Capital, IDG Capital, and Alibaba's entrepreneur fund .