The 2026 Boston Annual Pitch Competition of the China Innovation and Investment Conference (CIIC) was held at Hawes Hall, Harvard Business School, in Feb 8th 2026. convening 13 artificial intelligence venture finalists alongside institutional investors, policy leaders, and academic scholars for a disciplined and forward-looking exchange at the intersection of technology and capital. As the opening chapter of CIIC’s 2026 international agenda, the Boston competition reflects the organization’s broader mission: to build structured bridges between frontier innovation and global capital markets.
About CIIC
CIIC is an alumni-organized event hosted by the China Chapter of Investment Industry Harvard Alumni, a Harvard Alumni Association Shared Interest Group. Since its founding at Harvard University in 2020. CIIC has been dedicated to bringing together the world’s leading innovation and investment leaders to explore the endless possibilities at the forefront of technology and business, fostering cross-border collaboration and sustainable development through curated summits, thematic panels, and startup competitions. CIIC has convened a distinguished roster of global leaders spanning economics, public policy, venture capital, and industry.
Within this broader institutional framework, the H-Inno Pitch Competition stands as one of CIIC’s flagship initiatives, connecting more than 600 startups with over 100 global venture capital firms while convening 200+ distinguished speakers, engaging 1.000+ in-person annual participants, and reaching over 100.000 global online viewers. CIIC has grown into a multi-continent platform with programming across Boston, Shanghai, London, Dubai, and Singapore.
“Our objective is not simply to celebrate innovation, but to evaluate which technologies can withstand institutional and market cycles,” said Alvin Tian, Founder and President of CIIC.
2026 Award Recipients
Following a highly selective, multi-stage screening process, 13 ventures advanced to the final round, evaluated against stringent criteria including technological robustness, AI defensibility, market scalability, business sustainability, and capital discipline.
Best Overall AI Innovation
“Capital markets are pricing environmental exposure into enterprise value,” said Song Zhao, President of SEE U.S. “Sustainability is no longer peripheral but directly shapes risk, cost of capital, and long-term competitiveness.
Watabot
Watabot integrates robotics and AI-driven environmental sensing to modernize water quality monitoring systems.
Best Technical Execution
Dynal.AI
Dynal.AI delivers an AI-native social content agent that extends beyond content generation into structured digital reputation management and scalable personal brand infrastructure.
Best Commercial Potential
Vaquita
Vaquita introduced an “Energy-Native Operating System for AI Infrastructure,” addressing one of the AI sector’s most critical bottlenecks: energy constraints in data center expansion.
Best Social Impact
Persephone’s Basket
Persephone’s Basket combines artificial intelligence with cost-effective hardware to deliver real-time crop monitoring and operational insights for small and mid-sized farms.
Other Highlighted finalists included:
Boost Engine Tech
Onsite Copilot
Cayra
SentiEdge
Filyn
Q&Q AI
PiFi
PMP-Copilot (AI + Medical Diagnostics)
Meddcom
Collectively, the participating ventures illustrate the transition of AI from experimental capability toward institutional deployment across infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and financial systems.
Distinguished Judging Panel
Song Zhao
President, Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology (SEE U.S.)
Song Zhao leads SEE U.S., a mission-driven organization focused on aligning entrepreneurship with ecological resilience. SEE U.S. supports founders, investors, and institutions working at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and environmental stewardship. Song also sits in the steering committee of APEA (under APEC).
Kevin Chen
Head of Advisory Services, Electric Power Engineers (EPE)
Kevin Chen brings infrastructure and grid engineering expertise to the panel. Electric Power Engineers is a leading consulting firm supporting utilities and energy developers in modernizing electric grids and advancing clean energy deployment.
Ann Cai
Director, ETHIS
Ann Cai operates at the intersection of AI ethics, sustainability, and business transformation. Through ETHIS, she brings together business, academia, and communities to advance responsible technology deployment.
Lesley Li
Head of Partnerships, Chargeblast
Lesley Li represents the fintech and payments innovation ecosystem. At Chargeblast, she works on fraud prevention infrastructure integrated with global payment processors, helping enterprises reduce chargeback rates and protect merchant payment systems.
Shihao Zhang
Investor, Hyundai Cradle Investments
Shihao Zhang brings deep expertise in robotics, AI infrastructure, and enterprise software with experience at Intel Capital and Hyundai Cradle.
Shawn Kwan
Co-Managing Partner, KungHo Fund
Shawn Kwan leads KungHo Fund, which targets startups expanding into or scaling within the U.S. market, with a strategic focus on technology-enabled businesses across education, commerce, and financial services.
Joe Zhou
Founder & Investor, Boston Angel Club (BAC Capital)
Joe Zhou leads Boston Angel Club / BAC Capital, an early-stage investment fund focused on high-technology ventures, particularly spinouts from MIT and Harvard.
As the 2026 Boston Annual Pitch Competition concluded, CIIC reaffirmed its commitment to advancing disciplined, cross-border collaboration at the intersection of innovation and capital. In an era shaped by technological acceleration and geopolitical complexity, CIIC continues to serve as a steady bridge fostering durable partnerships, strengthening global innovation ecosystems, and shaping enduring futures across continents.
