On August 19–20, the finals and awards ceremony of the 15th China Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Gansu Division) were held in Lanzhou. Gansu Plant-Based Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Shanghai UnicornShell Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., reached the finals with the project "Plant-Based Empty Capsules — Intelligent Coagulation Powders and Modified Plant-Based Materials for Biomedical Applications" (Growth Group), and won second prize in the Growth Group. The organizing committee also awarded the company an investment intent card.

01 Competition Overview

Under the theme "Gathering through innovation, advancing with new quality," the Gansu Division was led by the Gansu Provincial Department of Science and Technology and co-organized by six departments — the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the Provincial Department of Education, and the Provincial Association for Science and Technology — with operations handled by the Gansu High-Tech Innovation Service Center.

Since the event launched, more than 330 enterprises registered. After multiple rounds of rigorous screening, 38 projects advanced to the finals. In the Growth Group, one first prize, two second prizes and three third prizes were awarded amid intense competition. Leveraging the originality and industrialization prospects of its plant-based empty capsule technology, Gansu Plant-Based Innovation stood out among 330-plus entrants and secured second prize in the Growth Group.

02 Investment Intent Card — Capital-Market Endorsement of Technology

Notably, the organizing committee issued investment intent cards on site to three enterprises, including Gansu Plant-Based Innovation. The card signals that the competition's partner investment institutions have expressed clear investment interest in the project — a comprehensive endorsement of its technology strength, business model and market potential.

During the roadshow and Q&A, the judges conducted in-depth evaluation across innovation, industrialization feasibility, market competitiveness and team capability. Gansu Plant-Based Innovation won strong interest from investment judges thanks to the originality of its plant-based empty capsule technology and its ability to deliver industrial-scale implementation.

03 Corporate Background and Technical Breakthroughs

Shanghai UnicornShell is a leading Chinese R&D and manufacturing enterprise for plant-based pharmaceutical excipients. It holds more than 30 domestic and international patents and has obtained U.S. FDA registration, Halal certification, European BRCGS certification, and China NMPA pharmaceutical-excipient associated review/DMF status in 2023.

UnicornShell has built a complete chain from R&D and manufacturing to international sales. As its subsidiary, Gansu Plant-Based Innovation focuses on R&D and industrial application of plant-based new materials for pharmaceutical excipients. The competition project centers on "intelligent coagulation powders and modified plant-based materials" and achieves several key breakthroughs in plant-based capsules:

• Raw-material system innovation: Natural plant-based polymer materials replace traditional animal-derived gelatin, fundamentally eliminating cross-linking and hardening risks and significantly improving the stability and consistency of capsule contents.
• Process breakthrough: Proprietary modification technology optimizes the functional properties of plant-based materials, bringing key indicators — dissolution speed, sealing performance and machine-feeding adaptability — to a front-runner industry level.
• Application expansion: Beyond conventional oral solid dosage forms, the technology extends to high-end nutrition, biologics and modernized TCM, showing the potential for plant-based capsules to move from "alternative" to "benchmark" in the industry.

This technical route aligns with the global "plant-based replacement" trend in pharmaceutical excipients and meets domestic manufacturers' core demand for high-quality excipients under consistency evaluation and associated-review frameworks.

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04 Outlook

The award and investment intent card represent authoritative recognition of Gansu Plant-Based Innovation's technological capability and a key step in its capital-market and industrialization journey. Going forward, the company will continue to deepen innovation in plant-based materials for biomedicine, advance plant-based capsule technology from "domestic substitution" toward "global leadership," and provide green, safe and high-quality excipient solutions for the high-quality development of the pharmaceutical industry.