The preliminary rounds of the HICOOL 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Competition in the 5G/6G/internet of things/smart city fields hosted by the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (Beijing E-Town), and the AI/robotics fields co-hosted with Haidian district, kicked off on May 12. Numerous innovative enterprises and technology projects gathered in E-Town, showcasing cutting-edge technological achievements and strong innovative capabilities together.

The preliminary rounds of the contest lasted for seven days, featuring rich content and a tight schedule, making it an important platform for showcasing technological innovation, focusing on talent entrepreneurship, and driving industrial development.

From May 12 to 16, the roadshows of 332 preliminary projects in the AI/robotics fields took place in the National Information Technology Application Innovation Park, with an estimated 10 rounds of competition. Over the weekend, 132 projects in the 5G/6G/internet of things/smart city fields competed at the innovation operations center of the high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone with an estimated four rounds of competition.

During the competitions, project settling assessments were conducted. There were also special presentations on the industrial, technological, and talent policies of Beijing E-Town to help participating enterprises gain a deeper understanding of the regional advantages and settling policies, facilitating the follow-up communication with potential partner enterprises.

The HICOOL Global Entrepreneurship Competition is committed to seeking high-quality entrepreneurial projects worldwide and connecting them with the necessary financial resources, policy resources, and office space in Beijing. The competition attracted over 24,000 projects, 16 unicorn companies, and 157 specialized and sophisticated SMEs that produce novel and unique goods and services from 145 countries and regions. The post-competition new financing has exceeded 39.9 billion yuan ($5.52 billion).

As the only national-level economic-technological development zone in Beijing, Beijing E-Town has been seizing opportunities to lay out six major future industries, forming a comprehensive and outstanding future industrial pattern. It has gathered a group of leading enterprises, research platforms, and innovation carriers represented by rockets, intelligent connected vehicles, robotics, and digital creative industries. The industrial development momentum is strong and aligns closely with this year's competition.