HICOOL 2026 Singapore Leg Concludes, China's Largest Entrepreneurship Platform Deepens China-Singapore Ties with Second Consecutive Year

SINGAPORE, June 19 (Bernama) -- China's largest international entrepreneurship platform is setting its sights on Singapore, positioning the city-state as its gateway to Southeast Asia. HICOOL 2026 Global Startup Competition wrapped up its Singapore leg on June 4-5 at NUS, drawing nearly 40 teams from China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India, France, Switzerland, Germany, and beyond. HICOOL has run its Singapore leg for two consecutive years, enabling Singapore's innovation ecosystem and China's industrial landscape to empower each other — creating a genuine two-way flow of technology and markets.

The Singapore leg is a critical component of HICOOL's “dual-hub” strategy: founders validate research in Singapore, then access China's manufacturing ecosystem and vast market through HICOOL, using both cities as springboards for global expansion. Nearly 40 teams pitched for a spot in the Beijing finals — and a top prize of RMB 2 million (USD 275,000). But founders say the real value lies not in the prize money, but in the connections and resource matchmaking. If you're a Southeast Asian deep-tech founder looking for a channel into China — or a Chinese founder exploring regional expansion — HICOOL wants to be your matchmaker. For Singapore-based founders, HICOOL provides a trusted, low-risk entry point into the Chinese market.