From August 26 to 29, 2026, the HICOOL 2026 Global Entrepreneurs Summit was grandly held at the China International Exhibition Center (Shunyi Hall) in Beijing. As China’s premier comprehensive international talent event centered on a startup competition for global talents, this year’s summit attracted over 600 exhibitors from more than 40 countries and regions, with tens of thousands of attendees. The event brought together world-renowned investment institutions, corporate innovation centers, university research institutes, international innovation organizations, and unicorn companies.

Astra Optics Limited, as one of the representative enterprises of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), joined the delegation from CUHK’s Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO) to attend the summit. The CUHK exhibition group presented nine cutting-edge science and technology innovation projects at Hall E2, covering deep-tech fields such as biomedicine, new energy, advanced manufacturing, and artificial intelligence. Astra Optics’ “Ultra-Fast 3D Two-Photon Lithography System” project was prominently featured among them.

I. Booth Showcase: Bringing Micro-Nano 3D Printing Out of the Lab

Throughout the summit, the Astra Optics booth continuously showcased the company’s core technologies and commercialization achievements to visitors, investors, and media representatives.

Astra Optics’ core technology is built upon over a decade of research accumulation at CUHK. To address industry pain points—such as the slow speed, numerous stitching defects, and high costs of traditional two-photon lithography, as well as the reliance on expensive masks, slow iteration, and bulky equipment of traditional UV lithography—the company has independently developed a DMD high-speed modulated line-scanning technology. This technology employs a full-line laser focal array for continuous scanning parallel direct writing, replacing traditional single-point sequential processing. It improves processing efficiency by 1–2 orders of magnitude under the same power while maintaining sub-micron precision and seamlessly integrating with automated production lines.

The company’s industrial-grade two-photon line-scanning 3D nano-printer offers significant advantages over international counterparts in key metrics such as printing speed, resolution, and cost. The related technological achievements have been published in Science and selected as one of Nature magazine’s “Seven Technologies to Watch in 2024.” The technology has also received the 2023 Falling Walls “Scientific Breakthrough of the Year” award (Engineering & Technology) and the 2024 Bank of China (Hong Kong) Innovation and Technology Award. At the exhibition, numerous industry players and investment institutions engaged in in-depth discussions with the Astra Optics team on application areas including micro-optics devices, photonic wire bonding (PWB), and co-packaged optics (CPO).

II. Stage Pitch: Showcasing Ultra-Fast Nano-Manufacturing to Global Entrepreneurs

On the afternoon of August 27, the HICOOL University Innovation Stage hosted the “CUHK Innovation Ecosystem & Deep-Tech Showcase” special pitch session. Mr. David Wong, Head of the Knowledge Transfer Office at CUHK, first delivered a keynote speech introducing CUHK’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The nine selected projects then took the stage one by one.

Mr. Charudatta Datar, CEO of Astra Optics, delivered a pitch on behalf of the company, systematically presenting the company’s technological principles, product portfolio, and commercialization roadmap. From long-term exclusive licensing of core patents and a U.S.-patented line-scanning system, to a three-pronged business model combining equipment sales, printing services, and joint development; from delivering equipment to leading domestic universities and securing orders, to the strategic vision of collaborating with industrial laser equipment manufacturers to expand into the consumer electronics supply chain—Mr. Datar articulated Astra Optics’ mission: to transform micro-nano additive manufacturing from a slow, lab-bound technology into a fast, cost-effective, and scalable industrial production tool.

We sincerely thank the HICOOL organizing committee and the CUHK Knowledge Transfer Office for providing this invaluable platform. Following the pitch, multiple investment institutions proactively reached out to initiate preliminary discussions on financing and collaboration. The event also provided an excellent opportunity to connect with outstanding startup projects from CUHK and around the world, fostering cross-disciplinary exchanges and potential partnerships.

III. Visit to Huairou: Experiencing the Innovative Pulse of China’s National Science Center

Following the pitch on August 27, Astra Optics joined all CUHK delegates on the “Huairou Science and Technology Tour” organized by the summit hosts.

The delegation first visited the Innovation Hall of the Huairou Comprehensive National Science Center to gain an in-depth understanding of the center’s strategic positioning, construction achievements, and development roadmap. They then visited DuoField Low Temperature Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd., a first-prize winner at HICOOL 2025, for an on-site inspection of the company’s technological advancements. The group also toured the exhibition hall and laboratories of the Brain Cognition Function Map and Brain-like Intelligence Cross-Research Platform. In the evening, the delegation arrived at the Huairou Science City Industrial Transformation Demonstration Zone, where they received a park overview and visited Beijing Yunhan Xingchi Laser Technology Co., Ltd.

This visit provided us with valuable insights into Beijing’s systematic layout in basic research infrastructure, achievement commercialization mechanisms, and industrial ecosystem development. It also offered practical references for Astra Optics’ future industrialization and partnership expansion in Mainland China.

Closing Remarks

The HICOOL 2026 journey has come to a successful close. This participation was not only a comprehensive showcase of Astra Optics’ technological capabilities and commercialization progress but also a significant step in the company’s integration into the global innovation network. Looking ahead, Astra Optics will continue to leverage the profound research foundation of CUHK, operating from Hong Kong, reaching into Mainland China, and expanding globally. We are committed to establishing line-scanning laser manufacturing as the performance benchmark in micro-nano 3D printing and becoming the optical core of next-generation industrial laser production equipment.

We look forward to collaborating with more industry partners, research institutions, and investment organizations to jointly shape the industrial future of micro-nano manufacturing.