On September 12, 2025 (local time), the European Round of the 18th Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge was successfully held in London, UK. The event brought together numerous industry leaders and academic experts, including the Head of the Innovation and Development Promotion Center of the Nanshan District Bureau of Science and Technology; Fabian Blake, Vice President of the China-European Union Chamber of Commerce; Maxime Hoze, Associate Director at UBS; Yitian Xu, Chief Solutions Architect at Alibaba Cloud; Dr. Chen Yifan, Associate Professor of Finance and PhD Supervisor at Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia; Prof. John Finch, Professor of Marketing at the Adam Smith Business School and Associate Dean for East Asia Affairs at the College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow; Megan Wang, UK Representative of the China Electronics Chamber of Commerce; and Prof. Carlos Galera Zarco, Associate Professor of Project Management and Business Analytics at The Bartlett, University College London, among other distinguished guests and judges.
The event began with a warm welcome and heartfelt thanks from the Head of the Shenzhen Nanshan Innovation and Development Promotion Center to all guests, participating teams, and corporate partners. She introduced Nanshan District’s exceptional innovation and entrepreneurship environment as well as its robust industrial foundation and provided a comprehensive overview of the 18th Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge. She sincerely invited outstanding entrepreneurs from around the world to seize the historic opportunities offered by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and become part of Nanshan District’s unique innovation ecosystem.
After intense competition, AINOSTICS, an AI-powered neuro-diagnostics solutions provider, won the First Prize. The Second Prize was shared by Allye Energy, an intelligent energy management platform, and Axiom Therapeutics, a machine learning–based covalent drug discovery platform that accelerates physical simulations. The Third Prize was awarded to SPIN Analytics, an AI-based risk modeling and compliance platform; OXVALUE.AI LIMITED, an AI-driven valuation platform; and KHOTT BIOTECH, a company developing innovative wearable devices. These outstanding projects will advance to the Global Finals, which will be held in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, at the end of the year. There, they will compete with top innovators from around the world for the million-dollar grand prize. Winning teams will receive prioritized incubation support from Nanshan District in areas such as funding, workspace, and market access, accelerating their expansion into Chinese and global markets.
As the first overseas event of the 18th Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge, the successful conclusion of the European Round has laid a solid foundation for the upcoming international competitions. The next rounds in Silicon Valley (North America) and Singapore (Asia-Pacific) promise even more excitement.
