Startup from HKUST(GZ) wins CES Innovation Awards 2025

From Jan 7 to 10, the 2025 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), a world-renowned event focusing on technological innovation and consumer electronics, took center stage in Las Vegas, the United States.

In the "Most Powerful Tech Event in the World", "LLM-driven digital friends and communities for you" developed by Yuanhuo Technology (Guangzhou) Co Ltd, a start-up founded by faculty and students from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), clinched the prestigious CES Innovation Awards 2025 in Artificial Intelligence, beating out nearly 4,000 competitors.

Yuanhuo Technology was not only the sole enterprise from the Chinese mainland to win this award in the AI field but also one of the youngest award-winning companies. This eight-month-old start-up, founded in May 2024, now stands among world tech giants like Samsung, AMD, HP, Qualcomm, Dell, and Bosch.

Professor Lionel NI, President of HKUST(GZ) with the award-winning team and some of their mentors.

As part of the first group of outstanding companies to emerge from HKUST(GZ), Yuanhuo Technology was co-founded by three students from the Red Bird MPhil (RBM) Program of 2023 – Junwei LI (Data Science and Analytics Thrust), Dawei XIONG (Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship Thrust) and Cekai WENG (Data Science and Analytics Thrust), as well as Professor Lei CHEN and Assistant Professor Jing TANG from Information Hub.

The company, founded with the initial intention of providing "technology-driven solutions to 'meta' problems", was seeded from the project-based training of the College of Future Technology RBM Program, nurtured with the support from the "Bridge Program" initiative, and grew under the guidance of faculty members including Kaishun WU, Lei CHEN, Xun WU, Jing TANG, and Jinni ZHOU. Finally, with incubation support from HKUST(GZ)'s Entrepreneurship Center, Yuanhuo Technology made its debut on the global stage.

The founding team of Yuanhuo Technology: Dawei XIONG (first from left), Junwei LI (second from left), Jing TANG (third from left), Lei CHEN (second from right), Cekai WENG (first from right)

Professor Hui XIONG, Associate Vice-President (Knowledge Transfer) of HKUST(GZ), attended CES as a representative of HKUST(GZ) and accepted the award on behalf of Yuanhuo Technology. He said, "This recognition not only affirms our university's innovative strength and technological ecosystem but also fully demonstrates the systematic success of HKUST(GZ). It's a testament to the collaborative efforts across all departments of our university."

The 2025 CES attracted over 140,000 attendees, with more than 4,500 companies exhibiting, including 323 Fortune Global 500 companies. The CES Innovation Awards, organized by the Consumer Technology Association, celebrate exceptional design and engineering achievements across 33 categories of consumer technology. Entries are evaluated by an expert panel of media professionals, designers, and engineers, with criteria encompassing innovation, engineering realization and functionality, aesthetics, and design, ultimately selecting the most innovative products.

The award-winning project of Yuanhuo Technology, "LLM-driven digital friends and communities for you", is an innovative solution blending software and hardware. Simply put, it is an "AI-based entity" which enables companion-style communication and learning experiences across various scenarios, and is compatible with mobile, web, desktop, holographic cabinets, and hardware devices, seamlessly integrating into everyday life.

This solution uniquely combines advanced AI large language models (LLMs) with multi-terminal intelligent agents, making it ideal for environments such as campuses and communities. It facilitates real-time interaction, integrates external networks and proprietary knowledge bases, and offers cross-platform compatibility through rapid deployment. Moreover, holographic display technology greatly enhances user engagement, unlocking potential in fields such as education, marketing, and mass consumption. Additionally, equipped with multimodal capabilities and multi-agent task management, it acts as a digital companion, providing consistent and personalized support.

It is reported that 13 startups nurtured by HKUST and HKUST(GZ) participated in the CES 2025. Among them, HKUST-founded company, Vidi Labs Limited, also won the CES Innovation Awards 2025 for its wearable visual aid devices designed for the elderly and visually impaired.

Spark of entrepreneurship: From nearly dropping out to building a startup

The story of Yuanhuo Technology began with three students who were wage earners before deciding to return to school.

"In early November 2024, when we stumble upon the CES Innovation Awards 2025 email in my inbox, we realized that our startup project had been recognized. For the first time, we felt we could stand alongside global tech giants," recalled the team members. Even now, they remain awestruck at the memory of their win. However, just 14 months earlier, shortly after starting their studies, they were filled with confusion and anxiety.

The three students in the Red Bird Maker Space.

"To be honest, I even thought about dropping out at that time," said Junwei LI, recalling his early days at the RBM Program." The program initially gave us a lot of freedom, but it also amplified our anxieties." LI had worked alongside Dawei XIONG in the same office building before both decided to quit their job and join the RBM Program at HKUST(GZ), XIONG added, "I think this has a lot to do with the discipline we developed from work. In the workplace, everything is goal-oriented, and we only had to meet our KPIs. However, in our first semester here, we were in a phase of free exploration, which left us feeling a bit lost."

Amid this confusion, they met fellow classmate Cekai WENG, who had also returned to school to embrace the technological revolution. The three of them hit it off immediately and decided to channel their confusions into motivation for starting a business!

"We suddenly realized that failure was not something to fear. At HKUST(GZ), the school fosters an 'everything is possible' ethos. We could fail, even fail repeatedly, but the university would always give us the opportunity to start fresh."

Defining direction: Choosing 1 viable project out of nearly 20 ideas

"From AI Xinqing, Yuanlai Feixun, Muscle Coach, and text2paper to Tata AI", they seemed to have endless ideas. Benefiting from the interdisciplinary teaching philosophy of RBM Program, during their first semester, the team leveraged HKUST(GZ)'s vast resources to prepare themselves for entrepreneurial challenges. "In our Interdisciplinary Design Thinking Course, our project mentor, Prof. Jinni ZHOU, cultivated our user-centric thinking. We quickly learned to embrace failures, and understood the real needs of users, constantly iterating our project achievements," LI said, reflecting on the experience of gradually honing in on their entrepreneurial direction. Through endless attempts, they found their calling– addressing inequities in education through artificial intelligence.

Red Bird Project Team: Cekai WENG (first from left), Jinni ZHOU (second from left), Junwei LI (third from left), Chunming MA (third from right), Dawei XIONG (second from right), Wenqi ZHENG (first from right)

Driven by a thirst for knowledge about AI technology, they participated in the Red Bird Project "Metaverse Course and Workshop Platform" founded by the Dean of the Information Hub, Prof. Lei CHEN, and Assistant Prof. Jing TANG from the Data Science and Analytics Thrust. Through the Metaverse Joint Innovation Lab, they embarked on their entrepreneurial journey. At the lab, the team conducted countless trials and errors, exploring technical solutions and market demands. They tried nearly 20 product ideas, sharing product prototypes immediately in the teacher-student chat group to gather feedback, and repeatedly testing and validating with user feedback.

During the critical period in their exploration for a technical direction, Prof. Lei CHEN shared one of his past failures. Years earlier in Hong Kong, he had designed a chatbot using deep learning models for the police department in Hong Kong to handle non-emergency assistance for the elderly. However, the lack of emotional connection, as well as precise and fast responses, left the elderly feeling cold and isolated. "AI must not only have technical precision but also a human touch," CHEN advised. This insight deeply resonated with the team. In an era dominated by LLMs, where most people emphasized mastering and taming LLMs, Yuanhuo Technology set itself apart by striving to bring AI LLMs closer to people, allowing those who may not know how to properly prompt them or find it difficult to learn AI tools to experience AI technology that feels alive and human-like.

The founding team discusses the project with Prof. Jing TANG.

How do you train LLMs to be more "alive"? The three founders encountered several technical bottlenecks in the early stages. "Our model's initial response time was nearly 10 seconds, and various updates were also sluggish," they recalled. Fortunately, with the technical guidance and advice of their academic mentors, the model was improved, and the response speed was improved by a remarkable 3.3-fold, making their product viable for market entry.

With ideas and technology in place, during the school admission season, the team launched Tata AI, a chatbot assistant that took the campus by storm and gained popularity among students, faculty, and prospective applicants to HKUST(GZ). The product became the prototype for Yuanhuo Technology's award-winning product at CES. After six months of continuous optimization and iteration, the "soulful AI companion" amazed the CES jury.

  • Dean of Information Hub, Prof. Lei CHEN I believe that an interdisciplinary background can bring different perspectives and creativity, which is more conducive to the practical application of technology. Many of my non-computer science students often provide me with unexpected research insights and ideas. Pure "code-focused engineers" may be the most easily replaced roles in the AI era. The barriers to mastering computer technology are no longer insurmountable. Students with user-centric thinking can better use AI tools to closely integrate technology with human needs, emotions, and social situations, meeting market demand.

  • Data Science and Analytics Thrust of Information Hub, Assistant Prof. Jing TANG Many of my students come from other disciplines. As long as they are willing to learn, within a year, they can acquire a certain level of research capability in data analysis and artificial intelligence. At HKUST(GZ), the students' academic background is not a limitation. The most important task is to guide students to learn how to use artificial intelligence tools to make the most of their interdisciplinary strengths, which is also my responsibility as a teacher.

  • Data Science and Analytics Thrust of Information Hub, Junwei LI, a student of Red Bird MPhil Program Interdisciplinary learning and cooperation are very important to me. Many of my ideas come from observing, listening, and learning from my peers. Leveraging each other's strengths and blending different perspectives, we can bring concepts to life. From a macro perspective, external business cooperation is similar to interdisciplinary cooperation. You must learn to put your ideas into others' minds and turn their funding into a resource. Achieving mutual benefit is really not easy, but it is indeed a skill that must be honed.

  •  Innovation, Policy and Entrepreneurship Thrust of Society Hub, Dawei XIONG, a student of Red Bird MPhil Program From my personal experience, the core of interdisciplinary collaboration is not to require everyone to become a polymath like Leonardo da Vinci. It's about helping students from different academic fields find opportunities and ways to effectively cooperate, so as to better equip us to address the "wicked problems" of a rapidly evolving and increasingly complex world.

  • Data Science and Analytics Thrust of Information Hub, Cekai WENG, a student of Red Bird MPhil Program I quickly learned new technology using AI tools as needed for the project. When faced with more complex problems, I consulted with teachers and classmates from different fields. Generally, technical issues can be resolved within a week. This learning model of quickly finding solutions to project-derived problems is very beneficial for our team in advancing entrepreneurship.

Building a bridge: From "0" to "1" in entrepreneurship

The Bridge Program team: Zhuoyun LIU (first from left), Caiyi CHEN (second from left), Dawei XIONG (third from left), Wen YOU (fourth from left), Cekai WENG (fourth from right), Dicong QIU (third from right), Junwei LI (second from right), and Dong LU, head of the Lab of Future Technology (LFT) and Associate Professor of Practice (first from right).

In July 2024, the Bridge Program, planned by Vice-President (Teaching & Learning) Professor Jingshen WU and operated by the LFT, was officially launched. Under the program's guidance, the three founders of Yuanhuo Technology successfully transitioned from students to entrepreneurs, benefiting from professional mentorship and abundant resource support.

The project team discussion

"As long as we have an entrepreneurial dream, there are always have funds, equipment, professional guidance, and various resources available here (the Bridge Program), along with bi-monthly project reviews to ensure the team stays on track. In the most recent review, the Bridge Program also invited seasoned investors, technology experts, and industry specialists for feedback and comments, which helped us a lot," said Junwei LI.

The Bi-monthly Review

With the support of the Bridge Program, students have made the leap from "0" to "1". "It truly acts as a bridge, paving the way for us to become entrepreneurs," added Dawei XIONG. Reflecting on the help the Bridge Program provided on their entrepreneurial journey, he felt he benefited tremendously, "We avoided many of the pitfalls that often plague startups." Since July 2024, the first group of 20 RBM Program entrepreneurial projects have joined the Bridge Program to engage in business model exploration, technology development iteration, and entrepreneurial team building. Yuanhuo Technology was among the first cohort.

Breaking into the market: From fantasy to reality

The project-based training of the RBM Program sowed the seeds of entrepreneurship, with guidance from academic and project mentors providing ample nourishment for their growth. The Bridge Program provided critical early support, enabling Yuanhuo Technology to progress to the final stage of the HKUST(GZ) innovation pipeline —the support and acceleration from the Office of Knowledge Transfer's Entrepreneurship Center.

Half-scale companion, applied in teaching assistance and intelligent consultation scenarios

Desktop companion, applied in daily learning and family companionship scenarios

"At first, when the teachers at the Entrepreneurship Center suggested we participate in CES, we thought it was an impossible dream, but they continued to encouraged us," said Junwei LI. "The company had only been established for a few months, and we only had a prototype of the first-generation product. But since the school gave us this opportunity, we must do our best."

Life-size companion, applied in commercial exhibitions and scenic tour guide scenarios

"What we need to do is guide the students' projects out of the greenhouse, face market competition directly, and prepare for advancement from novice to expert." Associate Vice-President (Knowledge Transfer) Prof Hui XIONG explained his reason behind selecting Yuanhuo Technology for the CES Innovation Award 2025. "We selected three distinctive entrepreneurship projects for this year's CES, and Yuanhuo's win didn't surprise me. Because we are currently at a critical moment where large AI models are empowering various industries—that's the right time; HKUST(GZ) has been at the forefront of AI research, offering an unparalleled environment— that's the right place; more importantly, their focus on emotional value and humanistic care provides a fresh path forward for technological advancement, which undoubtedly resonated with the judges— that's the right people."

Looking ahead: Award as a stepping stone

"We celebrated for only two minutes after hearing about the award," said Junwei LI. "Now, we need to focus on market entry and product iteration. Currently, our current goal is to enable the LLMs to not only engage in dialogue but also interact multimodally by recognizing users' expressions and gestures."

Yuanhuo Technology won the CES Innovation Awards 2025 (Artificial Intelligence).

The Deputy Director of the Entrepreneurship Center and Professor of Practice Yu BAI also encouraged the students, "Winning this award is just a small step towards success, and the road ahead is long. Expanding the customer base, obtaining more market feedback, refining and upgrading the product, and doing well with the product and the company are issues that team members urgently need to consider."

Award ceremony and group photo of HKUST's projects.

"Yuanhuo Technology's award has set an example for HKUST(GZ) students, proving that their peers can create entrepreneurial projects that are recognized on the global stage." Prof. Hui XIONG has full confidence in the future of the school's Knowledge Transfer, "With the cooperation and efforts of all departments, I am confident we will see more 'Yuanhuo Technologies' emerge."

Group photo of team representatives

Reflecting on their journey, the founders expressed gratitude. "We're fortunate to be at HKUST(GZ)," they said in unison. "We've gained a deep understanding of the school's spirit of 'Anything is Possible'. Looking back, every step we took, from the RBM Program and the Bridge Program to project mentors, academic mentors, Entrepreneurship Center, Entrepreneurship Association, user group consisting of students and faculty, was made possible by the university's unwavering commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. Without any one of these elements, Yuanhuo Technology wouldn't have achieved this milestone. Currently, with a growing team of four undergraduates and eight graduate researchers, the company is preparing for the future. We hope to adhere to our original dream of entrepreneurship, continue to be driven by technology, and solve the 'meta' problem with the school's support."

Release date
17 Jan 2025
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