Call for the Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen"

Since 2014, the World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit has been successfully held for ten consecutive years. In the past decade, the WIC Wuzhen Summit has established a number of brand events such as conference forums, the Release and Presentation of Outstanding Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, the World Internet Conference Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, the Light of Internet Expo, and the Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen".  It has achieved significant success in promoting conceptual consensus, strengthening dialogue and communication, promoting industrial development and facilitating technological innovation, and has become a high-end platform for the shared benefits and co-governance of the global Internet, as well as for the communication and cooperation of the digital economy.

The Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen" is a highlight event of the WIC Wuzhen Summit. By exploring novel technologies, innovative formats and emerging business models in the evolution of the Internet, it has established a significant platform for collaboration in Internet initiatives, technology advancements, skilled workforces, and financial resources. The competition is committed to promoting global cooperation and innovation in the Internet sector, stimulating the vitality of Internet entrepreneurship, gathering young talents in the field, and facilitating high-quality and precise global matchmaking within the global Internet industry, thereby contributing to the vigorous development of the global digital economy.

Exploring Brand Value: Five Years’ Nurturing for Growth

Inaugurated in 2019, the Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen" has been successfully held for five consecutive years. Five years of growth has transformed the competition into a renowned event in the digital economy sector, gradually elevating its influence on a global level. During this period, a total of 4,455 projects from 35 countries and regions have participated in the competition. Among the projects that made it to the finals, 63 secured new financing after the competition, with a total post-competition financing amount exceeding RMB 50.2 billion.

Discovering for Collaboration Opportunities: Gathering Global Experts

For the past five years, big names from various sectors have constituted a great expert panel for the competition. Wu Jianping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Steve Hoffman, angel investor in Silicon Valley, serve as co-chairs of the competition. Experts such as Li Lanjuan, Ding Rongjun, and Li Keqiang, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Li Qianmu, foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and Naser EL-Sheimy, fellow of Canadian Academy of Engineering, form the Advisory Board. In addition, senior investors from well-known investment institutions such as IDG Capital, SBCVC, GSR Ventures, and China Internet Investment Fund also serve as judges. These judges from academia, industry, and investment circles will identify truly promising projects during the competition, not only injecting energy into the future growth of such projects, but also providing valuable opportunities for mutual cooperation.

Discovering Innovative Vitality: Leading the New Trends of the Future

In the past five years, the competition has undergone significant changes. For example, the number of participating projects has grown from a few hundred domestic ones to thousands across the world，and it started with a comprehensive track competition but later divided into different tracks. Besides, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we adopt the innovative approach of "cloud roadshows" instead of competing on the same stage. These changes not only bear witness to the growth of the competition but also reveal the global innovative vitality. Besides of the five major tracks of intelligent connected vehicles, digital medicine, industrial internet, smart IoT, and digital culture, this year's competition will hold special contests for AI+ scenario innovative applications to discover specific scenarios for the AI application, promoting AI empowerment across various industries.

Unveiling Growth Potential: A Thriving Landscape for Exceptional Projects

Leveraging its professionalism and influence, the competition is driving cooperative innovation in the global Internet, nurturing the projects with the potential of "new quality productive forces" with ample room for growth. Among the past winners, 4 winners have grown into quasi-unicorns, 12 have transformed into unicorns, and 3 have successfully gone public.

The registration for the 2024 Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen" is currently in full swing. Excellent projects from the global digital economy sector are welcomed to join the competition. Eligible enterprises can access the special page of the "Straight to Wuzhen" Competition by visiting the "Events" section on the official website of the WIC (https://www.wicinternet.org/). Simply click on "Register" to complete the process. Upon successful registration, your projects will undergo an online review. Following this, semifinals will be held in key cities selected at home and abroad based on local industrial strengths. Qualified projects from the semifinals will compete in the finals held in Wuzhen, where domestic and overseas projects will compete on the same stage. Experts will conduct on-site review and scoring, awarding Grand Prizes, First, Second, and Third Prizes in each track. Winning projects will not only have the opportunity to showcase on the stage during the award ceremony, but also stand a chance to receive various fund equity investments and relevant policy support.

Introduction to Tracks (Special Contests)

1. The AI+ Scenario Innovative Application Special Contests cover four sectors:

2.  The track of intelligent connected vehicles includes in-vehicle chips, power batteries, advanced equipment manufacturing, communication systems, the three-electric system (motor, battery, and electronic control system), smart cockpits, autonomous driving solutions, and vehicle manufacturing, among others.

3. The track of digital medicine includes high-end medical devices, as well as the digitization and networking of information-based diagnosis, treatment and other healthcare services throughout the entire process.

4.The track of industrial Internet covers industrial software; core technologies or solutions related to the device layer, network layer, platform layer, and software application layer, as well as industrial big data security.

5. The track of smart IoT involves high-end software, network communications, smart meters, robots / humanoid robots, and intelligent control systems, or equipment, technologies, or key components and parts featuring sensing, analysis, reasoning, decision-making, and control.

6. The track of digital culture intelligence encompasses animation, games, music, videos, art, design, and the like incorporating technologies such as AIGC and AR/VR. It also includes projects that utilize digital technologies to create or reconstruct cultural application scenarios, for example, digital cultural tourism, digital villages, and others.

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