Creative minds bud with competition helping to nurture startup projects

This young innovator presents his project on stage in the regional final of Jiangsu Internet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in Wuxi, on July 7. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Pullman Hotel in Wuxi's Xinwu district welcomed some fresh-faced ingenuity on July 7 with 30 internet-based startup projects receiving professional assessment and guidance by a panel of seven expert investors. In total, seven projects made it through to the final stage of the provincial internet innovation and entrepreneurship competition.

The 30 entries had already passed seven stringent qualifying rounds over the past month and had been selected from among 150 road show projects. The internet-related projects were competing for two first prizes worth a handy 50,000 yuan ($7,351) in prize money, as well as three second place prizes, and five third place prizes.

A smart robot for children education created by ZIB, an AI company, is named as the best project of the day. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The best product showcased on the day, which could certainly prove a delight for many parents, is a smart robot geared towards children's education which was created by ZIB, an AI company. By touching its forehead, children can talk to both the robot and their parents which is connected to a supporting app. Users can learn from built in academic courses and set alarms. The handiness, easy of interactivity, and speech recognition makes the robot an excellent market option and goes some way in explaining how it is the first product of its kind globally to break 150,000 in sales volume.