929 Challenge

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929 Challenge

929 Challenge competition, building bridges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries

929 Challenge is the largest startup competition between China & Portuguese-speaking countries hosted by the Forum Macao.
929 Challenge is a Gateway for to access Key Market Opportunities arising from the Macau Platform which aims to foster business cooperation between Portuguese-speaking countries (PSC) and China. The 929 Challenge is a program managed by the Association of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Macau - China, and PSC. The competition is hosted and co-organized by the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao). Teams participate in a 2-week Bootcamp to get insights and knowledge about China, Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guiné Bissau, Guine Equatorial, São Tomé & Principe, and East Timor.

18/09/2026

We were glad to have joined the Protechting 8.0 cohort during their visit to , at the 澳門青年創業孵化中心 .

We shared a brief overview of the Greater Bay Area innovation ecosystem.

Thank you to MYEIC, Fidelidade and the Protechting for the invitation. We wish every success to this year’s cohort 💪🚀

17/09/2026

World No. 1. Right here in our region. 🌏

Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou ranks first in WIPO’s 2026 global innovation cluster ranking, retaining the top spot for a second consecutive year—ahead of Tokyo–Yokohama and San Jose–San Francisco.

The ranking measures international patent applications, scientific publications and venture capital deals where research, invention and investment come together.

Based in Macau, we’re proud to call the Greater Bay Area our home.

A region worth watching. And getting to know.

11/09/2026

We’re now on RedNote (Xiaohongshu) 🇨🇳

Part social network, part marketplace; RedNote is where trends start and buying decisions get made in China.

Follow us on both RedNote and WeChat

#小红书

10/09/2026

This week, we attended the opening ceremony of 🇭🇰HKSTP’s Co-Development & Investment Conference, bringing together startups, investors and industry partners to help companies secure investment, develop technologies together and bring them to market.
It was great to reconnect with existing partners and meet new founders.

One of the keynote speakers, former Chief Economist of the Singapore Government Prof. Tan Kong Yam, discussed how China’s growth model is shifting from reliance on an expanding workforce, investment and infrastructure towards technology and higher productivity.

He explained how city clusters support this shift by connecting neighbouring cities’ strengths in research, industry and investment. Closer collaboration between universities, businesses and investors can help translate research into commercial products, with startups drawing on expertise, funding and manufacturing capabilities across the region.
For startups, closer connections across the region can help improve access to funding, development partners and customers.

Thank you to HKSTP for the great event and bring all stakeholders together.

09/09/2026

🇧🇷 This Monday we joined the celebrations of Brazil's National Day in Hong Kong, hosted by the Consulate-General of Brazil. Thank you for the invitation and the warm welcome.

Two weeks ago the 929 Challenge team was in Florianópolis at Startup Summit, meeting Brazilian founders and Ecosystem partners. This Monday we were discussing that same trip with Brazilian representatives here in the Greater Bay Area.

The opportunity spans sectors such as AI and deep tech, fintech, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, new energy; and goes beyond market access: prototyping, sourcing, R&D partnerships, pilot projects.

Applications for the 6th edition are open until 10 October, free of charge, for startups from all nine Portuguese-speaking countries. 👉 www.929challenge.org

03/09/2026

🇲🇴 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟵𝟮𝟵 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

The program connects 9 Greater Bay Area cities, 2 Special Administrative Regions, and 9 Portuguese-speaking countries.

This December, we bring 16 finalists to Macau. Flights, hotel and transport fully covered. Then 10 days across Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:
🎓 Online bootcamp, 12–24 October, with more than 100 mentors
🗣️ Sessions run in Portuguese and English
✈️ The top 16 finalists travel to Macau fully sponsored, including flights and hotel
🎤 929 Summit at the AIE Expo, Venetian Macau on 3 December, with business matching and speakers
🏆 Finals on 4 December. USD 40,000 in prizes across winners
🏙️ A 10-day Soft Landing in Macau, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou
Founders use the Soft Landing for prototyping, sourcing, manufacturing and R&D partners.

Two categories: Startups and Universities. Open to founders in Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor-Leste.

You don’t need to be ready for China. You need to find out if it’s worth it.

🤝 Co-organised with Forum Macau and the Sino Lusophone Association for Sustainability. Supported by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau of Macau.
👉 Applications close 10 October. Free to apply: www.929challenge.org

31/08/2026

929 took part in Startup Summit, one of Latin America’s largest startup and innovation events, held in 🇧🇷 Florianópolis from 25 to 28 August.

We joined from Macau as one of 22 international delegations, alongside partners from Portugal, Canada, Spain, Germany, Nigeria and beyond.

Across the week, 929 Challenge:

• Joined the Tech Tour across Sebrae/SC, Founders House, Sapiens Parque, ACATE and others
• Took part in the International Speed Mentoring with startups selected through the Sebrae Startups network
• Hosted our 929 Challenge booth throughout the Summit
• Joined Global Connections alongside ApexBrasil, FINEP, ABStartups, ACATE etc.
• Spoke on the panel “Beyond the Obvious Markets: Asia and Africa as New Frontiers for Innovation”

Throughout the week we presented Macau as a gateway to the Greater Bay Area, and the opportunities it offers companies looking to enter the Chinese market.

Thank you to Sebrae for the invitation and the warm welcome in Florianópolis. 🚀

30/06/2026

929 was honored to be part of today’s unveiling of the Macau International Science and Technology Industry Center, and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the center as one of its ecosystem partners.

A natural next step for the 929 Challenge as we continue connecting startups from Portuguese-speaking countries and the Greater Bay Area with real opportunities in Macau.

Grateful to be part of this journey from day one. 🙏

16/06/2026

🚀 Today at the Macao Technology & Innovation Competition for Lusophone and Hispanic Countries.

We are happy to support this competition as a strategic partner for the third consecutive year, and even happier to share that two 929 Challenge winners made it to the finals through fast track and delivered outstanding results:

🥇 Phycolabs — 1st Place
🥉 Complear — 3rd Place

Congratulations to both teams. This is what the 929 ecosystem is about.

Good luck to both teams.

08/06/2026

Launching the 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟗𝟐𝟗 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞! 🚀
We just held our Press Conference for the 2026 edition. We want to thank our co-organizers, sponsors, and partners. They make this project possible every year. Our goal is to be a steady bridge for founders across China and Portuguese-speaking countries.
Updates for this year’s press conf:
• A New Venue: Our Summit and Grand Finale will move to the AIE Expo at Cotai Expo. This gives our startups direct exposure to industry professionals.
• The 929 Acceleration Program: We want to help you after the competition ends. This new program offers market entry guidance and expert mentorship.
• New Connections: new partnerships within the Greater Bay Area and Portuguese speaking countries.

📅 Key Dates:
• 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧: End of this week!
• 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: October 9, 2026.
• 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩: October 11–15, 2026.
• 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐞 & 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭: December 3–4, 2026.

We look forward to welcoming the next cohort of entrepreneurs.
👉 stay tuned: www.929challenge.org

Address

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+85362392527

Website

http://www.929challenge.org/

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