Hylife Group launches two international innovation platforms

by CityNews | Thu 3 Jul 2025 10:42 ICT

“Hylife Hackathon 2025” and “Hylife Innovation Excellence Awards 2025”
to drive Chiang Mai towards becoming a city of innovation, offering over seven million baht in prizes and investment opportunities.

Hylife Group officially launches two major international innovation competitions of the year: “Hylife Hackathon 2025” and “Hylife Innovation Excellence Awards 2025.” These initiatives aim to position Chiang Mai as a regional innovation hub and foster a sustainable digital business ecosystem. The program offers over seven million baht in prizes and investment funding, along with opportunities to scale up and collaborate with Hylife Group.

The official press conference was held, led by Mr. Dhanush Ramachandran Nair, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer, together with Ms. Watcharaporn Lin, Executive Director of Hylife Group, along with representatives from both the public and private sectors who play key roles in the country’s innovation and technology industries.

Mr. Dhanush Ramachandran Nair, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of Hylife Group, stated, “The organisation of these two platforms reflects Hylife Group’s commitment to driving Chiang Mai to become the new regional innovation hub. Although the two competitions have different formats, they share the common goal of connecting creative ideas, technology, and business opportunities to elevate the potential of Thailand’s economy in the long term.”

Hylife Hackathon 2025 is an international competition focused on idea generation, solution development, platforms, and software, organised by Hylife Group for the first time. Registration is open from the 16^th of June to the 31^st of August 2025. The primary target participants include software developers, programmers, UX/UI designers, technology students, and startup entrepreneurs. Teams of 3–5 members can register to compete. Sixteen teams selected in the first round will receive training in business strategy, prototype development, and pitch presentation from industry experts. The final round, called the “Prototype Coding Challenge,” will take place on the 18^th-19^th October 2025, at the Chiang Mai Marriott Hotel. The competition focuses on developing solutions, platforms, and software aligned with Chiang Mai’s key industries, including smart living and property technology, smart agri-food and supply chain, smart manufacturing and health products, and smart finance and asset management. The total prize pool exceeds 180,000 baht, along with investment opportunities totaling four million baht for teams that pass due diligence.

Meanwhile, the Hylife Innovation Excellence Awards 2025, now in its second year, continue to focus on promoting innovative products and services in three key industries: real estate, manufacturing, and asset management and debt administration. The competition is open for registration from the 30^th of June to the 16^th of October 2025. The primary target participants are startup entrepreneurs with a registered capital not exceeding one million baht and companies established for no more than three years. Each team must have a minimum of 3 members. The top 12 finalists will advance to the final round held on the 28^th of November 2025, where they will present their business plans to a panel of esteemed judges from the international business and investment community. The awards offer a total prize pool of over 240,000 baht, along with investment opportunities totaling three million baht for those who pass due diligence.

Additionally, the event featured a panel discussion titled “Solving Chiang Mai’s Challenges with Startup Power, Innovation, and Technology” Executives from Hylife Group and its partners shared insights on the role of technology in driving urban and community transformation. The session also provided a platform for knowledge sharing with experts from both the public and private sectors, including Ms. Atikarn Sutthiwong, Innovation Promoter from the Startup Promotion Department, National Innovation Agency, who presented on “Startup Business Opportunities in Chiang Mai.” Mr. Christopher Mosses, CEO of Manow Software spoke on “How Software Developers and Software Houses can stay relevant in the age of AI.” These discussions highlighted the importance of adaptation amidst rapidly evolving technological trends. The event concluded with a networking session that offered opportunities for casual meeting and collaboration among various stakeholders.

Both projects are supported by leading partner organisations across the country, including Chiang Mai Municipality, Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), National Innovation Agency (NIA), Science and Technology Park, Chiang Mai University (CMU STeP), Thai Programmers Association, Manao Software Co., Ltd., and Inside Lanna.

With a clear vision and strong support from its partners, Hylife Group is confident that these two innovation platforms will serve as key drivers to ignite new ideas, create economic value, and firmly place Chiang Mai on the global innovation map.

Those interested can find more details and register at: