On 7 June, the 2025 Ingenuity Lab Competition concluded successfully. Ten selected entrepreneurial teams engaged in a showdown of business creativity, with five ultimately emerging victorious. These teams secured a combined 150,000 RMB in seed funding.

During the high-stakes pitch sessions, each team had limited time to present their business plans before facing incisive questioning from the judges. A panel of industry experts—spanning tech innovation, AI applications, and digital education—evaluated the projects across five critical dimensions: problem significance, innovation & differentiation, product-to-market fit, strength of execution plan, and presentation & storytelling. This year's entries dazzled with their breadth and ingenuity, ranging from medical assistive devices tackling real-world pain points to AI-driven products capitalising on the "she economy" and eco-conscious edible cutlery—each a testament to the brilliance of UNNC’s student creators.

After fierce competition, the awards were bestowed as follows:

Wonderland Mountaineering Team claimed the top prize for exceptional feasibility.

Yutong Hu (Year 3, FAM): "During the summer bootcamp, expert lecturers demystified equity structures and patent strategies, while Mr. Nil dedicatedly refined our pitch deck and business logic."

Reverie Atelier Otome Game Team secured the Second Prize by mastering emotional consumption trends among women.

Qingyi Wang (Year 2, MAM): "We are deeply honored to receive this award along with the ¥35,000 prize. This recognition serves as both validation and motivation for our efforts in developing an indie game on Steam, in alignment with the national policy encouraging game exports. "

Newbie Edible Cutlery Team earned the Third Prize with its dual focus on sustainability and health.

Gilbert Hanli Lim (EIM): "I feel like me and my team have gone through the whole process of ingenuity, including the Summer Bootcamp and we managed to gain a lot of insights and learning materials that also can be used for the future not just for this business that we are doing from the third price money, but also for the future business that we are planning to do as an entrepreneur according to our major."

Handipanda Food IP Team received the Social Impact Prize for outstanding societal value.

Miliang Guo (EIM): "Throughout this journey, I’ve gained so much — from shaping clear business ideas and building logical models, to identifying our market and customers, and creating a product that is not only functional, but emotionally engaging."

PREGTIES Maternity Briefs Team won the Rising Star Innovator Prize for disruptive design.

Yuhang Weng (EIM): "Thanks to the platform provided by the Ingenuity Lab, we've been able to empower the maternal underwear sector with AI technology, creating a more comfortable experience for pregnant women. This award affirms our team's innovation, and we'll continue to deliver warmth through technology, making every pregnancy journey more reassuring."

Notably, all participants underwent an intensive Summer Bootcamp—a crucible for refining their ideas. Here's a snapshot of their transformative journey:

3 June: Chen Zhao, Managing Partner and Executive Vice President of Plug and Play China, delivered a masterclass on MVP prototyping and user feedback loops, leaving students both exhilarated and intellectually challenged. Teams bonded through the marshmallow tower challenge and honed their business validation skills.

4 June: Chen Zhao's hands-on sessions covered market entry strategies and startup finance, introducing tools like financial modelling templates and ChatGPT-powered GTM (Go-To-Market) strategy generators.

5 June: Summer Xin, CEO of Ningbo Nottingham Technology Co., Ltd., demystified legal essentials for startups. Intellectual property strategist Weijie Niu explored high-value patent layouts), while RED CUBE’s VP Yanghan Yu decoded cross-border e-commerce logistics for Chinese brands.

6 June: Nil Larom, Founder of Insaight, trained teams in investor storytelling—dissecting decision-making logic, crafting compelling narratives, and simulating pitch scenarios to captivate potential backers.

7 June: The judging panel providing students with valuable advice and support:

• Danny Bielik, President of the Digital Education Council

• Nil Larom, Founder of Insaight

• Joe Wang, Manager of Li Dak Sum Incubator at UNNC

• Chenglong Sun, Partner of Zhonghuan Capital

• Ziling Huang, Senior Investment Director of Ningbo Phoenix Venture Capital

In an era of uncertainty, UNNC students are scripting a new chapter for entrepreneurship, blending academic rigour, commercial acumen, and social responsibility. As these seeds of innovation take root in the Ingenuity Lab, we await the day they blossom into transformative solutions that reshape our world.