Here in Asia, we’re the first to see the sun rise. We’re the continent with the most people and some of the oldest civilizations in human history.

We’re also home to some of the most innovative hardware startups in the world. From “Startup Nation” Israel to high-tech Japan, Asia is a hotspot for exciting hardware, and it’s about time we had our own hardware competition.

At TechNode, we’re delighted to invite you to this year’s Asia Hardware Battle in Chengdu, where the top 15 hardware startups in Asia will present their products.

Most people know Silicon Valley as the heart of technological innovation, but what most don’t know is how more and more Valley tech giants are buying up technology from Asia. For example, in 2015, Apple acquired Israeli imaging company LinX and their 3D scanning technology, PrimeSense. The year before that, Google acquired an information security company called SlickLogin, also from the “Startup Nation.”

China is starting to see innovative hardware across all verticals: wearables, virtual reality, smart transportation, artificial intelligence, and more. And despite headlines of a winter in the Chinese economy, various tech industries in China are continuing to receive generous financing.

In the virtual reality industry, Noitom Ltd., a motion capture solution provider, and ANTVR, a VR hardware company, received $20 million USD and $300 million RMB in rounds of Series B funding, respectively.

China’s artificial intelligence industry got a nod from Google last October when the tech giant invested $75 million USD in Mobvoi, a speech recognition and natural language processing startup based in Beijing.

China’s UAV industry was especially well endowed with financing in 2015, as DJI, YUNEEC, and EHang all received millions of dollars in funding. Guangzhou-based startup Ehang also wowed everyone at this year’s CES in Las Vegas with their autonomous helicopter drone. Of course, investment money is just the start – what hardware startups do with it will determine their future.

If you’re an early stage, pre-Series A funded startup with an exciting product, we’d love to have you at this year’s Asia Hardware Battle. Not only will you meet hardware startups from all over Asia, you’ll also have the chance to meet investors from top-tier VC firms, like Sequoia Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, GGV Capital, and others.

Online applications are open until the end of February. We look forward to seeing you in Chengdu!

Asia Hardware Battle Timeline

1. Applications accepted: January 11th – End of February
2. Application screening period: March 1st – 5th
3. Finalist preparation period: March 6th – 30th
4. Final Presentation in Chengdu: March 31st

(Note: Due to visa processing, the timelines for Chinese startups and overseas startups are different)

Qualifications

  1. Must be a hardware startup in Asia (see accepted regions below)
  2. Must be early stage, pre-Series A funding
  3. Must have released a prototype already

Regions

  • Mainland China
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Singapore
  • India
  • Israel
  • Taiwan
  • Hong Kong

What We’re Looking For

  • Disruptive companies with innovative technology
  • Companies that haven’t had a lot of media exposure yet

Rewards and Perks

  • Tickets for our “VC Meetup” (50 top tier VC firms )
  • A chance to attend 2016 ChinaBang Awards
  • 15 Finalists have a chance to present on the main stage
  • 15 Finalists will receive tickets to the 2016 ChinaBang Awards
  • 15 Finalists will receive a roundtrip plane ticket to Chengdu and
    hotel lodging for 3 days
  • 15 Finalists will receive feedback from a distinguished panel of judges
  • Media coverage
  • ….and more!

Click HERE to apply!