Ignite, Innovate, Inspire

IdeaPOP! is a startup pitch competition for all secondary school students in Hong Kong. If you are eager to get creative, train your innovation and entrepreneurship spirits, and hoping to gain startup pre-incubation experience beyond classroom, IdeaPOP! is the journey for you!

All entering teams will have the chance to undergo a series of mentorship and training workshops that guide them to build a business proposal and present a pitch deck professionally, before pitching in front of industry experts.

Result Announcement
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Creativity
Unleash your inborn creativity and initiate a social-minded business solution
2. Societal Value
Solve pressing problems and drive positive societal development in innovative ways
3. Collaboration
Learn to communicate effectively and collaborate with your teammates for a joint objective
4. Practice Over Theory
Integrate your knowledge into real life to develop practical solutions to societal problems
5. Confidence
Build confidence by deepening your startup idea with your mentors and pitching in front of a panel of industry veterans
6. Problem Solving
Apply critical thinking and innovative approaches to resolve complex issues and drive positive outcomes
WHAT’S NEW IN 2024
NEW
5 Social Categories
Each category has a dedicated NGO/Social Enterprise Partner to provide more insights
5 SOCIAL CATEGORIES
5 SOCIAL CATEGORIES
NEW
Revival Pitch
A second chance to fight for a finalist’s spot
COMPETITION MECHANISM
Revival Pitch
NEW
Enhanced Timeline
More flexible interactions with mentors
Timeline
Enhanced Competition Timeline
5 SOCIAL CATEGORIES
Animal Welfare
Animal Welfare
Education
Education
Elderly Care
Elderly Care
Environmental Protection
Environmental Protection
Local Cultural Preservation
Local Cultural Preservation

Gain valuable insights by watching our captivating Social Workshop video, where our partners share the pressing social issues they have discovered and the transformative actions they are taking.

WATCH NOW
TIMELINE
Oct 21, 2023
Social Workshop
WATCH NOW
Nov 1, 2023 – Jan 8, 2024
Application
Jan 22, 2024
Shortlisted Team Announcement
Feb 1 – Apr 12, 2024
Online Mentorship & Resource Hub
Apr 13, 2024
Semi Pitch
Apr 20, 2024
Revival Pitch
May 4, 2024
Final Pitch


COMPETITION MECHANISM
Social Workshop
Open to all secondary school students (Public)
Application
Shortlisting
80 Teams
Online Mentorship
80 Teams
Leading 8 Teams
Semi Pitch
80 Teams
Final Pitch
10 Finalists
Next 12 Teams
Revival Pitch
Top 2 Teams
CHAMPION
HOW TO APPLY
01
Form a group of 5 with 4 students & 1 teacher advisor from the same school and register your team via the “APPLY NOW” button.
02
Choose 1 from 5 Social Categories, identify a social challenge in your selected category, and set a clear problem statement together with an innovative solution to solve the problem.
03
Consolidate all the points and submit a 4 to 5-minute video OR 10 to 15-slide PowerPoint presentation to the link you will receive after registering your team to complete the whole application process.
Judging Criteria
Shortlisting
Social Impact 30%
Creativity and Innovation 30%
Feasibility 20%
Clearly Present Your Idea 20%
Pitching
(Semi Pitch, Revival Pitch & Final Pitch)
Social Impact 30%
Creativity and Innovation 25%
Business Feasibility and Sustainability 25%
Pitch Performance 20%
Prizes
Champion
Action Camera x 4
1st Runner-up
Video Streaming Platform Gift Card HKD1000 x 4
2nd Runner-up
Book Coupon HKD500 x 4
Top 4 Teams
VR Immersive Experience Ticket
IdeaPOP! Trophy and Certificate
Excellence in Innovation Award
Excellence in Presentation Award
Certificate of Achievement
Top 10, 20, 40, 80
Certificate of Participation
FAQ
It is a statement of a present issue or problem that you would like to timely tackle with a solution.
If your idea is related to one of our social categories (“Animal Welfare”, “Education”, “Elderly Care”, “Environmental Protection”, “Local Cultural Preservation”), and your plan is commercially viable and sustainable, your business idea will be qualified.
If you are interested in learning more about the 5 social categories, we recommend watching the social workshop video where our five NGO/Social Enterprise partners provide introduction of their respective sectors and share their valuable views and insights about each category.
Students are encouraged to use their native or their most confident language throughout the IdeaPOP! journey. They can use Cantonese, Mandarin, English or a mix of these, for verbal pitching, and Chinese or English in their visual aids, including but not limited to presentation deck or video.
Yes.
Yes.
First, click this link and fill in your team details on the form. Then, you will receive an email stating the requirement of your submission (format, maximum file size etc.) and a link for you to submit your video or presentation deck. After submitting the materials through the link, you will receive a confirmation email that indicates the completion of your application process.
No, you just need to submit either one of them to participate in the competition.

You cannot revise the submitted video / presentation deck directly on the system. However, you can click the submission link and submit a revised version before the submission deadline. We will take the latest version of the submission from each entering team.

All participating teams will be randomly assigned into 1 of 4 divisions, each division will be supervised by a corresponding group of mentors. You can make a total of 4 mentoring bookings, with the same or different mentors within the pool of mentors in your division.
Based on the feedback from past participants, a Revival Pitch has been newly introduced in IdeaPOP! 2024. The top 8 teams in the Semi Pitch will automatically advance to the Final Pitch, while the next 12 ranked teams in the Semi Pitch will have an additional opportunity to participate in the Revival Pitch and compete for the remaining 2 finalist spots.
All mentors will serve as judges for Semi Pitch.
For Revival Pitch and Final Pitch, the teams will be evaluated by a judging panel comprising of industry experts, investors, and startup experts, from local and global startup and enterprise communities.
Apart from the Top 4, participating teams will be given a certificate according to their highest ranking in the competition.
Teams’ accomplishments in different stages are recognised. Please refer to below for the minimum requirement for each tier of “Certificate of Achievement”.
  • Top 10: Teams that enter the Final Pitch
  • Top 20: Teams that enter the Revival Pitch
  • Top 40: Ranked among top 40 teams based on their Semi Pitch performance
  • Top 80: Teams that are shortlisted and participated in the Semi Pitch
All other teams will receive a "Certificate of Participation" to acknowledge their effort in preparing and submitting qualifying materials (a 4- to 5-minute video or 10- to 15-slide presentation deck) for evaluation.

The special awards will be presented to teams who excel in the respective judging criteria at the Semi-Pitch:
Excellence in Innovation Award: “Creative & Innovative Idea”
Excellence in Presentation Award: “Presentation Performance”

These certificates and awards aim to celebrate teams' participation, innovation, and presentation skills demonstrated throughout the competition. If there are any arguments regarding the certificate/ranking , SEED Foundation reserves the right to make the final decision.
Our Partners
Title Sponsor
Sponsor
Supporting Organization
NGO/Social Enterprise Partners (no particular order)
RESULT ANNOUNCEMENT
SOCIAL WORKSHOP VIDEO
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