Stellerus Technology Limited (StellerusTech) CTO Wei Fan Xu was recently featured in an exclusive interview by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) on the “Business Connect” website’s Start-up Voices column. Selected as one of the Top 10 winners of the HKTDC’s “Start-up Express 2024,” StellerusTech benefits from HKTDC’s media exposure, industry connections, and international market expansion support, accelerating its global development.

Wei Fan Xu, CTO of StellerusTech, stated that the company is involved in building a multimodal remote sensing satellite constellation and developing an environmental monitoring and disaster forecasting system.

In recent years, extreme climate events have frequently occurred, posing serious threats to lives and property worldwide. Therefore, it is urgent to develop effective climate governance solutions using technology. StellerusTech, a start-up under the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), led by its founding team, launched the first Earth environment remote sensing satellite in Hong Kong’s higher education sector. Using satellite data, the company has built an autonomous AI platform to analyze disaster risks, carbon emissions, and other conditions, assisting governments and industries in implementing climate risk management.

Founded in 2023 with support from HKUST, StellerusTech uses artificial intelligence and satellite data as core technologies. It participates in building a multimodal remote sensing satellite constellation and has developed an environmental monitoring and disaster forecasting system. Following the launch of HKUST’s satellite “HKUST-FYBB#1” from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu last August, which successfully transmitted the first batch of Earth environmental monitoring remote sensing data from space, the company’s intelligent climate technology service platform officially commenced service.

Wei Fan Xu, co-founder and CTO of StellerusTech, pointed out that compared with other global regions, Hong Kong has actively promoted digital transformation for many years, supported by strong research capabilities. Various smart solutions have gradually been applied across different industries. However, few Hong Kong companies use new types of data such as satellite data to provide intelligent solutions for smart disaster management, climate risk, and carbon emissions. To fill this market gap, the company has reached a cooperation agreement with HKUST to input proprietary data from the “air-space-ground” sensing network into its self-developed AI climate technology platform, analyzing and predicting climate disaster risks such as typhoons, landslides, floods, and carbon emissions.

The company is based in Hong Kong and focuses on research and development as well as market expansion. Currently, it provides climate disaster risk management services to local public and private sector clients, helping them better manage key infrastructure assets and risks, while striving to expand coverage in the Hong Kong market.

Meanwhile, the company is negotiating project implementation plans with mainland China’s public and private power grids and actively exploring the establishment of R&D and business centers in mainland cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the Greater Bay Area to pave the way for expanding mainland and overseas markets. Regarding overseas markets, the team intends to cooperate with public and private institutions in Belt and Road countries such as Indonesia and Saudi Arabia to provide intelligent meteorological service solutions.

“Start-up Express” Top 10 Finalist — Building Global Business Networks

Wei Fan Xu believes that to go further, the company must first develop a comprehensive marketing and promotion strategy to raise awareness among the public, enterprises, and government about satellite data application technologies. Therefore, introduced by HKUST’s Knowledge Transfer Office and Entrepreneurship Center, StellerusTech participated in the HKTDC’s “Start-up Express 2024” and became one of the ten winning startups with its cutting-edge climate technology (ClimaTech) solutions.

“The competition gave us the opportunity to present our technology to startups and judges from various industries. The most memorable part was exchanging ideas with other startups during the matchmaking workshops. We also gained a deeper understanding of Hong Kong’s startup and tech ecosystem during the competition,” he said.

In addition, with support from the “Start-up Express” team, StellerusTech participated after the competition in the “High-Quality Development Cooperation Conference between Jiangsu and Hong Kong” and the “Belt and Road Summit” organized by HKTDC in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. These events helped them understand Jiangsu provincial government’s aerospace technology support policies, explore business development opportunities in mainland China, and meet many potential clients and partners from Belt and Road countries, preparing for comprehensive international market expansion.

Wei Fan Xu smiled and said they will actively prepare for global expansion: “StellerusTech will participate in the ‘Think Business, Think Hong Kong’ promotion event held in Jakarta, Indonesia, in January. We will also leverage HKTDC’s global network to connect with potential clients from Belt and Road markets in the Middle East and Central Asia.”

Looking ahead, the company will continue investing resources in technology upgrades, including AI technology for satellite data processing and analysis, and core satellite payload development. It is also assisting HKUST in independently developing a greenhouse gas observation payload, planned for installation on China’s space station, jointly participating in efforts to mitigate climate change.

Source: Hong Kong Trade Development Council website
Link: https://goo.su/i6TPU3P