9 GBA Cities · 2 SAR · 9 Portuguese-Speaking Countries
China's leading cross-border Startup Event.
9 Cities from Greater Bay area
2 Special
Administrative Regions (MO, HK)
and
9 Portuguese-Speaking
Application Deadline: October 9th 2026
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Building bridges between China and Portuguese speaking countries
What is the 929 Challenge?
The 929 Challenge is a startup
competition that builds bridges between
China and Portuguese-speaking
countries. Since 2021, it has connected
entrepreneurs, investors, and institutions
across the Greater Bay Area, Macau, and
Lusophone markets.
It is co-organised annually by the
Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for
Economic and Trade Co-operation
between China and Portuguese-speaking
Countries (Forum Macau) and supported
by the Economic and Technological
Development Bureau (DSEDT) through
the Industrial and Commercial
Development Fund.
How it works?
Every year, startups and university teams from Portuguese-speaking countries, Macau, and the Greater Bay Area join a two-week Bootcamp to gain market insights, refine their pitches, and connect with mentors. The top 16 finalists travel to Macau for an intensive Soft Landing Program, visiting innovation hubs in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou before pitching at the finals to a panel of investors. The 929 Challenge operates across two categories: Startups and Universities.
The 929 Summit:
The 929 Summit brings together founders, mentors, investors, and ecosystem leaders for a day of keynotes, fireside chats, exhibition showcases, and networking sessions, reinforcing Macau's role as a platform for East-West innovation cooperation.
Our mission:
-
Disseminate knowledge about business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and Portuguese-speaking countries.
-
Develop networking and collaboration between entrepreneurship ecosystems worldwide.
-
Identify startups with potential to scale through Macau's platform between China and Lusophone markets.
70,000+ Attendees
2,600 Startups
120 Speaker & Judges
12+ Countries & Regions
900+ Business Matcing
800+ Media Coverage
Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing
Hong Kong, Macau
Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe,Timor- Leste
00
People's Republic of China
Macao, SAR
Hong Kong, SAR
Angola
Brazil
Cape Verde
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Mozambique
Portugal<br>test
Sao Tome & Principe
Timor Leste
00 +
Worldwide Customers Feedback
Since 1989
Team Registration
Register at 929challenge.org
After registration, you'll be added to our WhatsApp and WeChat groups. Keep an eye on your inbox and our WeChat Official Account, where all announcements are posted.
Bootcamp
Online Bootcamp
Teams will participate in a 2-week online bootcamp from 7pm-9pm to get insights on the business opportunities between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Refine your pitch deck
Mentoring online from industry and academic experts. Mentors will provide guidance and feedback to teams.
Pitch Submission
Pitch Deck
Teams will submit a pitch deck that promotes sustainability and cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Submission
Submit your PowerPoint and 10 minute video presentation of your project.
Finalist Announced
Judging
The best projects will be shortlisted for the finals according to the scores from judges.
Announcement of Finalists
Preparation for travel arrangements to Macau
929 Summit
One day event
Talks, fire chats, one to one meetings, master classes and booths.
929 Finals
Presentation to judges
Selected finalists will pitch on stage to judges with travel expenses and accommodation covered.
From Pitch to Market
Workshops
Hands-on sessions:
funding, pitching etc.
1-2-1 Mentoring
Sit down face-to-face with mentors and peers, giving advice as a conversation, not a lecture.
Pitch to investors
Finalists take the stage and pitch live to investors and the room.
Insights from experts
Industry leaders and investors take on the topics shaping cross-border startups — from VC deal flow to digital economy.
Ultimate experience
Believe in yourself, trust your team members, have faith in your professional mentor, and courageously engage in the whole process — thi...Read More
Ultimate experience
Believe in yourself, trust your team members, have faith in your professional mentor, and courageously engage in the whole process — this is the ultimate experience and training.
Yan Yan Fei
Unlocking new connections
The 929 Challenge was crucial for unlocking many new connections with investors and partners — the team was a fantastic host with a very...Read More
Miguel Pombo
Unlocking new connections
The 929 Challenge was crucial for unlocking many new connections with investors and partners — the team was a fantastic host with a very entrepreneurial and commercial mindset that truly understands the needs of startups.
Miguel Pombo
Mentorship
The 929 provided us with very good mentorship — we learned to prepare and present our project, and gained so much valuable experience af...Read More
Chuxia Deng
Mentorship
The 929 provided us with very good mentorship — we learned to prepare and present our project, and gained so much valuable experience after talking with many experts.
Chuxia Deng
Experiencing Chinese business culture
The 929 Challenge is the best place to be when experiencing Chinese business culture for the first time — the team made everything effor...Read More
Rodrigo Lopes
Experiencing Chinese business culture
The 929 Challenge is the best place to be when experiencing Chinese business culture for the first time — the team made everything effortless, and all Portuguese startups interested in business cooperation with China should apply.
Rodrigo Lopes
Launchpad for our startup
The 929 Challenge was definitely a launchpad for our startup — interacting with members of different calibers and countries was the high...Read More
Launchpad for our startup
The 929 Challenge was definitely a launchpad for our startup — interacting with members of different calibers and countries was the highlight of the experience.
Lina Chzhan
Truly great experience
Truly a great experience for startups that don't have much experience and can gain more experience in networking and pitching events.Read More
Pedro Batista
Truly great experience
Truly a great experience for startups that don't have much experience and can gain more experience in networking and pitching events.
Pedro Batista
Reshaping assumptions of Physcolabs
The program not only met our expectations but exceeded them, challenging and reshaping some of our assumptions about the future of Phycola...Read More
Thamires Pontes
Reshaping assumptions of Physcolabs
The program not only met our expectations but exceeded them, challenging and reshaping some of our assumptions about the future of Phycolabs — the level of networking was exceptional, with multiple opportunities to connect with mentors and ecosystem partners, and the exposure to innovation hubs was inspiring and highly relevant for startups looking to scale.
Thamires Pontes
Fantastic opportunity
The 929 Challenge was a fantastic opportunity to test our ideas in a competitive and supportive environment — finishing third was both g...Read More
Raquel Vaz
Fantastic opportunity
The 929 Challenge was a fantastic opportunity to test our ideas in a competitive and supportive environment — finishing third was both gratifying and motivating, encouraging us to take the next steps with even greater ambition.
Raquel Vaz
More than a trophy
It was a high-impact validation of Complear OS as the essential 'Speed to Trust' bridge for China's most ambitious high-tech exporters.Read More
Maria Costeira
More than a trophy
It was a high-impact validation of Complear OS as the essential 'Speed to Trust' bridge for China's most ambitious high-tech exporters.
Maria Costeira
Transformative experience
The 929 Challenge was a transformative experience that validated our approach to building a scalable circular bio-economy between Mozambiq...Read More
Silvia Mathe
Transformative experience
The 929 Challenge was a transformative experience that validated our approach to building a scalable circular bio-economy between Mozambique and China, significantly strengthened our strategic clarity and credibility, and opened doors to valuable partnerships through high-quality mentorship and a strong international growth platform.
Silvia Mathe
Co-Organizer
co-organizer
Organizers
organizers
Supporting Unit
supporting unit
Seed Partners
seed partners
Media Partners
media partners
Sponsors
sponsors
Ecosystem Partners
ecosystem partners
Sebrae
ACADE
Unicorn factory
MITIC
Supporters
supporters
