By AIT Entrepreneurship Center
3 July 2025: Hong Kong – E3A Healthcare Pte Ltd, a health-tech startup co-founded by Professor Dieter Trau, has won first place at the Startup World Cup 2025 Hong Kong Regional Competition, held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
The win secures E3A Healthcare a prestigious spot in the Global Grand Finale of the Startup World Cup in San Francisco, where it will compete for a USD 1 million investment against top startups from around the world.
Founded to revolutionize early diagnostics and preventive care, E3A Healthcare stood out for its AI-powered jaundice monitoring solution, which provides rapid, home-based screening for at-risk individuals, particularly newborns and the elderly. The technology was praised by judges for its potential to improve healthcare accessibility and outcomes globally.
Professor Trau, who also serves as the startup’s Chief Scientific Officer, has been instrumental in driving the company’s innovation strategy. He is a professor in AIT’s Department of Industrial Systems Engineering, Director of the AIT Entrepreneurship Center, and teaches in the Bio-Nano Material Science and Engineering (BNMSE) and Medical Engineering (MDE) programs. Prior to joining AIT in 2019—where he also served as Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology until 2023 – he held research positions at the National University of Singapore. He earned degrees in Germany and Hong Kong (HKUST), and holds numerous patents in chemistry and biomedical engineering.
“Winning this competition validates our mission to make preventive healthcare smarter, faster, and more accessible,” said Prof. Trau. “It also highlights the value of academic research when translated into real-world impact.”
The regional event was part of HKUST Unicorn Day 2025, which also featured a thought leadership panel on “Hong Kong Tech Blueprint: Cracking the Code from Lab to Global Conquest.” Twelve outstanding startups competed in the regional round, with E3A Healthcare emerging as the top winner.
Although E3A Healthcare is based in Hong Kong, it represents a global collaboration of expertise that includes contributions from AIT. Its success demonstrates AIT’s expanding impact in the international innovation ecosystem and its commitment to nurturing faculty-led startups.
E3A Healthcare will now represent Hong Kong in the Grand Finale of the Startup World Cup, hosted by Pegasus Tech Ventures, later this year in San Francisco
