Baidu Launches Second 'Wenxin Cup' AI Startup Competition with Up to 50 Million RMB Investment

On April 16, Baidu founder, chairman, and CEO Robin Li announced at the Create 2024 Baidu AI Developer Conference that the second "Wenxin Cup" startup competition has officially launched, offering participants the opportunity to receive up to 50 million RMB in investment.

Li's speech theme was "Everyone is a Developer," emphasizing that "AI is ushering in a creativity revolution where developing applications will be as simple as making a short video, and everyone can be a developer and creator."

Li stated that the first "Wenxin Cup" competition attracted nearly 1,000 startup teams, with Baidu providing nearly 100 million RMB in investment to 15 winning teams, along with continuous technical, team, and resource support.

The second competition expands project screening scope, establishes sub-venues, and targets the global market and college students, recruiting innovative teams. As long as the startup direction involves AI-native applications, teams can register on the official website. Baidu has also increased support for entrepreneurs, offering more substantial investment funds, richer business resources, and for the first time establishing a "Special Award" with the highest prize of 50 million RMB in cash and resource support.

The competition officially launched on April 16, with registration open until May 15. It responds to the global wave of AI entrepreneurship, recruiting innovative teams worldwide without restrictions on background, direction, or stage. Participants can receive top technical guidance, strong ecosystem support, and opportunities to interact with Baidu AI experts and top investors on the judging panel.

First, second, and third prize winners will receive investments worth 10 million, 5 million, and 2 million RMB respectively. This year's competition also introduces a "Special Award" for the first time, with winning teams having the opportunity to receive up to 50 million RMB in cash and resource investment.

The competition has also established a YOUNG brand targeting universities, setting up a special venue to attract young AI talent. It offers a prize pool of up to one million RMB and generous participation awards for college participants, along with top-tier mentor guidance, employment support, and rich entrepreneurial resources.

Li noted that "Chinese entrepreneurs and developers are very good at using new technologies to develop applications. I believe Wenxin's large model will become the first choice for Chinese AI entrepreneurs and developers, and more applications will be built on Wenxin's large model. I also look forward to more entrepreneurs and developers joining us to build a prosperous AI ecosystem."

The second Baidu "Wenxin Cup" startup competition is now underway, sincerely inviting aspiring individuals worldwide to jointly build the golden age of AI large models.