Citi Presents IdeaPOP! 2026 | Turning In-depth Mentorship Into a Competitive Edge

Last Saturday, we hosted our first-ever Deep-dive Day for IdeaPOP! 2026, and the energy was electric! We were thrilled to see students actively asking questions and working tirelessly to polish their proposals.

Deep-dive Day was created with a clear goal: to go beyond online mentoring and provide an intensive, face-to-face environment where students and mentors can exchange ideas. It helps students grow faster and think deeper. Nearly 300 students returned with optimized plans, ready to pressure-test their ideas and refine their strategies ahead of the Quarter-final Pitch. Together with the Kick-start Day held in February, the students have attended 12 mentorship sessions, which have fully prepared them for the exciting next stage.

Throughout the day, our 56 mentors from the business, technology, and social sectors worked side-by-side with students, challenging them to sharpen their problem statements, improve their problem-solution fit, and communicate their vision with greater clarity, evidence, and conviction.

The growth in the students' plans and the quality of their thinking was incredible to witness. It shows that when students put their minds to real, complex challenges, the creativity that emerges is truly inspiring.

A huge thank you to our sponsor, Citi, for their unwavering commitment to developing Hong Kong's next generation of changemakers.

We also extend our immense gratitude to our social partner organizations for grounding these innovative ideas in real-world challenges and making the entire experience richer and more meaningful:

Bridge AI
Hong Kong PHAB Association 香港傷健協會
Mind HK 香港心聆
The Jade Club

We can't wait to see these ideas evolve at the Quarter-final Pitch on April 18 and discover which solutions will help shape the future!