Build East:
Agentic AI Demo Day and Tour
Build it. Demo it. Get in the room.
Get your AI project in the spotlight at our invite-only Build East Pitch Event. Showcase your AI build to a room of investors and industry peers from around the world including a delegation from Saudi Arabia, HKSTP, and Animoca Brands leadership, on the eve of LEAP East.
7 July 2026 (Tues)
13:00-18:00
Hong Kong Science ParkApplications close on 22 June 2026
Agentic AI builders in Hong Kong, we're looking for you.
We're searching for the latest ideas and builds in the field of agentic AI. Whether you are a solo builder, scrappy early-stage teams or a funded startup, are all welcome. We evaluate what you have built, not the size of your team.
What you get if selected
Eight teams take the stage. Here is what it comes with.
A stage that matters
A 10-minute slot on the day to demo the product in front of Animoca Brands leadership, HKSTP leadership, and Saudi Arabia delegation in town for LEAP East. This is a room that opens doors.
Cognition Credits
Every team that demos receives 888M inference tokens* upfront to keep building and improving the demo before 7 July 2026. A 7.7B token pool is shared on the day. The team that impresses takes the largest share.
* Every team will receive Cognition Credits equivalent to the amount of inference tokens shown.
Warm introductions
Meet Saudi Arabia investors and AI ecosystem leaders in Hong Kong. Get introductions into Animoca Brands' network of 600+ portfolio companies.
Direct line to the Investment Programme
Every team that demos enters fast-lane evaluation for the US$10M Minds Investment Programme. The strongest demos go directly to the Animoca Brands Investment Committee for funding consideration. This is not a guarantee of investment, but the Committee makes its own call. It is a real, warm path into the Programme.
The Animoca Brands and HKSTP co-sign
By demoing, you put your name on a stage backed by two of Hong Kong's most recognised institutions in tech and web3. That credibility carries beyond the day itself.
Pitch preparation support
A dedicated prep session with the Minds DevRel team ahead of your pitch. We work with you on your story, your demo, and your ask so you walk into the investor room ready.
Marketing support throughout the event
Be part of the event marketing recap with distribution across Animoca and HKSTP channels post events.
Anyone building on agentic AI in Hong Kong is eligible to join.
Solo builders, scrappy early stage teams, and funded startups are all welcome. We evaluate what you have built, not on the size of your team.
You qualify if:
Hong Kong
You are based in or operating from Hong Kong.
Agentic AI
You are building a real agentic AI product, not just an AI feature bolted onto something else.
Minds as the core
Minds is your core platform layer.
HKSTP tenants
Four of the eight demo slots are reserved for HKSTP tenants. Tick the tenant box in the form.
Selected teams commit to two days.
In person
3 July 2026
Animoca Brands HQ, 28/F Landmark South, 39 Yip Kan Street, Wong Chuk Hang
Practice and evolve your pitch with the Minds team. We'll help you tighten up your presentation, your demo, your investor proof-points, and prepare for Q&As. We'll also confirm what will happen on the day, the running order and more so you walk in ready to go. This is where we will confirm the final lineup.
The Main Stage
7 July 2026
Hong Kong Science Park, 15:00 to 17:30
Take the stage in a full room of investors, Saudi Arabia delegation, HKSTP and Animoca Brands leadership, followed by networking. This is where real conversations start.
Teams that can attend both the 3 July and 7 July sessions will be given priority for Demo Day.
Timeline application to the main stage.
Being part of Build East also provides eligibility for the Minds Investment Programme. Both programmes are running concurrently.
- 8 June2026Applications open
- 22 June2026Applications close
- 26 June2026Eight teams selected
- 29 June2026Lineup and speaker bios published
- 3 July2026Pitch prep at Animoca HQ. Final lineup confirmed.
- 7 July2026Build East Demo Day at Hong Kong Science Park
Build East is a door into something bigger
The Minds Investment Programme is Animoca Brands' US$10M initiative to back the strongest builders shipping on Minds. It's always open and there's no deadline.
Build East is the fastest, highest visibility path into that Investment Programme right now. Hard dates. A live stage. A room full of investors who can make things happen.
By applying to Build East, two things can happen. You could be selected for Demo Day on 7 July which puts you in front of investors. Even if you do not make it to the final eight, your submission enters fast-lane evaluation for the Minds Investment Programme regardless. Either way, you are in front of the people who decide.
Fast-lane evaluation means your submission is prioritised for review and, if it meets the requirements, you will be put forward to the Animoca Brands Investment Committee. Being put forward is not a guarantee of investment. The Committee makes the final call on its own timeline.
5 things that we look for in each team
Every team is judged on the same five criteria, weighted as below. The judging panel is led by Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands.
Product conviction
Does this solve a real, urgent problem? Show us users, traction, or momentum. A working product in real hands beats a beautiful deck every time.
Minds as the core
Does Minds sit at the platform layer, not bolted on as a feature? Multi-agent workflows, persistent memory, shareable agents. We can tell when it's genuinely at the core.
Execution speed
Does your shipping pace match your ambition? We back teams who turn ideas into working software in weeks, not teams who spend quarters writing roadmaps.
Value path
Does this have a credible path to a real business? Show us a model, a moat, a reason this compounds. We look for the line from demo to durable value.
Hong Kong and Asia angle
Does your team and product connect to Hong Kong and the wider Asia opportunity? Your local context is not a footnote, it is part of the story.
Hong Kong is ready for this.
Yat Siu
Co-founder and Executive Chairman
Animoca Brands
Hong Kong combines builder density, capital depth, and global connectivity in a way that makes it uniquely well suited to become a leading hub for the agentic era. Build East offers a timely platform for Hong Kong builders to connect with global investors.
Apply today
Apply today by filling in the application form. We're looking for teams who have built on Minds or who are genuinely building towards it.
Applications close 22 June 2026, 23:59 HKT. Selected teams must be available on both 3 July, the prep session at Animoca HQ, and 7 July, the demo day. Building agentic AI in Hong Kong is the only hard prerequisite.