The Challenge for Intelligent Youth and the National AI + Scenario Application Competition Finals had been held throughout the WAVES New Wave Conference. Multiple youth groups gathered to compete round the chopping – edge eventualities of AI and the digital financial system, demonstrating the technological exploration and implementation capabilities of younger entrepreneurs.
In 2026, AI has totally entered the period of “actors”. When massive – scale fashions, brokers, and embodied intelligence have moved from technical ideas in the laboratory to industrial implementation eventualities in all industries, the civilianization and popularization of AI instruments, counting on the open – supply ecosystem, light-weight improvement instruments, and inclusive computing energy, have constantly decreased the value of innovation and entrepreneurship. A big quantity of younger individuals with desires have gained the alternative to enter the AI monitor.
This has led to new considering in the enterprise capital circle: When AI instruments considerably decrease the threshold for entrepreneurship, how can the new technology of entrepreneurs, who had been beforehand “shut out” by useful resource obstacles, depend on technological dividends to develop into the core new increment of China’s AI trade innovation?
On June seventeenth, the Challenge for Intelligent Youth and the National AI + Scenario Application Competition Finals, hosted by 36Kr and collectively created by the Data and Artificial Intelligence R & D Experimental Center of Renmin University of China, supplied a solution at the Big Data Hall of the Science and Technology Park in Guangzhou University Town. As the core youth IP of the WAVES 2026 Summer Conference, the competitors breaks away from the conventional logic of “emphasizing rankings and neglecting implementation” in conventional competitions, offering a stage for these shining concepts hidden in laboratories, garages, and hundreds of thousands of traces of code to be seen by the world and accelerated by the trade.
From 300 to fifteen:
Selection of excessive – high quality science and expertise innovation tasks by means of the take a look at of time
Since the recruitment for the competitors began, a complete of greater than 300 science and expertise innovation tasks signed up all through the competitors. These tasks coated chopping – edge tracks equivalent to AI brokers, embodied clever {hardware}, and light-weight one – particular person entrepreneurship. Most of the individuals had been from greater than a dozen high home universities and small begin – up groups. After a number of rounds of strict choice and elimination, 15 excessive – high quality groups lastly made it to the finals.
The organizing committee broke away from onerous – line analysis standards equivalent to financing quantity and enterprise scale in the screening course of. Instead, it took whether or not the venture might be carried out and whether or not it may successfully enhance human effectivity with AI as the core yardstick. This set of screening standards precisely suits the present industrial improvement pattern of AI shifting from idea verification to sensible implementation.
When the finals formally started, a grand opening speech ceremony was held on – website. Cai Junbin, the Party Secretary and Chairman of Guangzhou Panyu Information Technology Investment and Development Co., Ltd., talked about the good science and expertise innovation carriers and industrial ecosystem in Panyu. He particularly emphasised the core idea of “AI enhancing humans” on this competitors, and inspired the collaborating youth to remain true to their authentic aspirations and transfer ahead bravely, cheering for all dream – chasers with the phrases “Move forward and don’t look back”.
Lai Hai, the General Manager of 36Kr’s Greater Bay Area firm, mentioned that the competitors goals to find the younger AI forces in the new period. It isn’t just a contest, but additionally a platform for entrepreneurs to attach with the trade and capital. He additionally expressed his gratitude and finest needs to all cooperation companions, judges, and collaborating contestants.
Three – monitor structure
Closely following the present industrial improvement pattern
The setting of the three tracks in the competitors precisely targets the trade ache factors: The agent monitor focuses on the “second brain”, aiming at the improve of private workplace and life effectivity, and responding to the implementation necessities of the whole trade for “AI empowering individual productivity”; the clever {hardware} monitor focuses on the R & D of embodied clever merchandise, becoming the industrial pattern of 2026 being thought to be the first 12 months of massive – scale implementation of embodied intelligence in the trade, and exploring the feasibility of robots and clever wearables breaking by means of the bodily motion boundaries of people; the OPC one – particular person firm monitor focuses on the “super individual”, capturing the new entrepreneurial mannequin spawned by AI – counting on massive – scale fashions and brokers to finish the full – hyperlink operation, enabling a single particular person to realize the enterprise closed – loop that beforehand required a group of greater than a dozen individuals. This can be the underlying logic for the intensive introduction of OPC assist insurance policies in lots of locations in China in recent times.
The finals adopted a ten – minute roadshow system. 15 teams of younger entrepreneurs first accomplished a closed – door roadshow by means of a ten – minute venture presentation + 2 – 3 choose Q&A classes, and the high 3 in every monitor (a complete of 9 finalists) had been chosen. Then, at the side of the unique exhibition space of the “One – time AI Company” at the WAVES Conference, they accomplished on – website actual – state of affairs demonstrations and interactive experiences with the judges. Finally, the winner was decided based mostly on a complete rating of 5 dimensions: innovation, consumer worth, technological maturity, enterprise potential, and group skill.
The competitors jury consists of educational authorities and entrance – line traders. Experts and students from universities equivalent to Tsinghua University, Beihang University, Renmin University of China, and Peking University level out the optimization instructions for the tasks from the underlying technical logic, whereas companions from main establishments equivalent to Shanxing Capital, Baidu Ventures, and Jinqiu Fund choose the progress area of the tasks from the perspective of capital. For the collaborating contestants, this competitors has lengthy gone past a aggressive contest and has turn into a free industrial session and useful resource docking assembly.
The formation of the competitors ecosystem can’t be achieved with out the collaborative building of a number of establishments equivalent to HORWIN Haowai, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association, and Rongyu Youth. Among the many companions, the connection between HORWIN Haowai and the competitors is especially profound, and the two sides share extremely appropriate worth ideas. At the fundamental discussion board of this 12 months’s WAVES 2026, Zhou Wei, the model founder, gave a theme sharing titled “Symbiotic Evolution”, proposing that the iterative improve of expertise can’t be achieved with out the joint participation of revolutionary forces from the whole trade and all circles. This idea occurs to coincide with the core of the competitors, which is to “empower youth and incubate original science and technology innovation”.
Adhering to the improvement idea of symbiotic progress, as a expertise firm established in 2016 and deeply concerned in the international excessive – finish electrical bike trade, HORWIN Haowai has been deeply concerned in all industrial change actions of this convention. From the collision of chopping – edge concepts at the fundamental venue, to the technical exchanges at the offline exhibition space, after which to the in – depth discussions at the night trade salon, the model has all the time been deeply concerned on – website as a senior expertise practitioner. During the change course of, the group shared trade insights based mostly on its years of industrial improvement expertise, and at the similar time listened fastidiously to the revolutionary concepts and exploration practices of the new technology of entrepreneurs, permitting mature industrial expertise and chopping – edge revolutionary considering to mix and encourage one another.
In the chopping – edge science and expertise innovation monitor, the trade pioneers and younger entrepreneurs have already reached a consensus in considering. All events’ forces have converged and built-in right here, collectively constructing a vibrant science and expertise innovation ecosystem. This gesture of transferring ahead collectively additionally constantly accumulates momentum for the lengthy – time period improvement of the whole trade.
Since its institution, HORWIN Haowai has adhered to impartial R & D. Relying on the globally – first 400V full – automobile specification and the totally self – developed IM built-in energy platform, it has achieved the breakthrough technological outcome of “10 – minute charging for 100 – kilometer range”, and has established a foothold in the abroad excessive – finish market. The model’s improvement course of from a begin – up group to a worldwide expertise firm is itself a vivid instance of science and expertise innovation. Also, as a result of it deeply understands the alternatives and challenges on the begin – up path, the model has all the time been involved about the younger {hardware} R & D group and is keen to share its sensible expertise with the collaborating groups, offering implementation references for varied science and expertise innovation tasks, and in the end attaining two – approach empowerment and symbiotic progress between the trade benchmark and the new technology of entrepreneurs.
On – website, the awards had been offered concurrently, and a gaggle of new – technology entrepreneurs who are deeply concerned in eventualities and have commercialization potential stood out.
Outstanding Project Award
Agent
Wu Ye, Co – founder of Shuoyuan Technology
Zhou Xin, General Manager of Pinwu Intelligence
Intelligent Hardware
Zhang Yazhan, CEO of Linggan Robot
Fang Fulai, CEO of Shanghai Yingdun Technology
One – particular person Company OPC
Li Fagui, Project Initiator of Anxun Intelligent Technology
Agent Track
Champion: Zhuang Ziyang, Co – founder of Shenjing Technology
Runner – up: Feng Cheng, CEO of Quxiang Space – Time
Third Place: Huang Qibai, Founder of Nuojing Technology
Intelligent Hardware Track
Champion: Wang Jiawei, Co – founder & Chief Strategy Officer of Lanling Xingtong
Runner – up: Wang Dong, CEO of Easenory
Third Place: Li Guidong, Founder of Yuntong Technology
One – particular person Company (OPC) Track
Champion: Cen Rongkang, CEO & Founder of PulsePixel AI
Runner – up: Wang Zijian, Founder of Zhima Finance
Third Place: Shi Hong, Founder of Taichu Zhinuclear Technology
The winners of a number of tracks took the stage to share their R & D motivations and subsequent implementation plans.
