A Childhood Shaped by Heat
Entrepreneurship often begins with everyday discomforts and recurring painful points in daily life rather than grand ambitions. Growing up in a rooftop unit in Guangzhou, Professor Martin Zhu endured relentless heat during summers where scorching days baked his home like an oven and the retained heat radiated all night. This childhood frustration sparked his obsession with cooling. He wondered how a home could keep cool without energy-intensive air conditioning and high costs?
His search for answers led him to pursue a PhD at the City University of Hong Kong under the guidance of Professor. Edwin Tso. Prof. Tso’s work on building heat management and radiative cooling opened Prof. Zhu’s eyes to cooling as a scientific possibility. Inspired by nature, in particular the Saharan silver ants that reflect sunlight and radiate the heat into space, Prof. Zhu realized that disruptive technologies are often rooted in simple yet profound principles. This drove him to explore cleaner, more scalable, and energy-efficient cooling solutions.
Zhu pursued a PhD at the City University of Hong Kong.
From Research to Tangible Impact
Upon graduation, Prof. Zhu chose to start i2Cool, translating academic breakthroughs into practical solutions for buildings and cities. Hong Kong’s vibrant innovation ecosystem—supported by initiatives like HK Tech 300 and the city’s role in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan—gave him the tools to take this leap. For Prof. Zhu, entrepreneurship was not leaving academia but taking his research to where it mattered most. With increasing extreme heat events, cooling is not just about comfort; it is about energy, health, and urban resilience.
With support from Hong Kong’s government, HKSTP, and partners, Prof. Zhu and his team have refined materials to be cost-effective and practical, moving from prototypes to solutions ready for scalable application and mass deployment. Hong Kong acted as both a testing ground and a global launchpad, enabling the company to secure funding and implement durable, easy-to-apply demonstrations in extreme climates like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
i2Cool has donated materials to improve living conditions in subdivided flats in Sham Shui Po.
While scaling globally, Prof. Zhu is committed to ensuring the technology benefits those at grassroots level. Under his leadership, i2Cool has donated materials to improve living conditions in Hong Kong’s subdivided flats in districts such as Sham Shui Po and rural schools across Southeast Asia, helping families save on energy and reinvest in education. He believes that better living environments should not be limited to the privileged.
Looking ahead, Prof. Zhu aims to make cooling affordable and accessible for all, contributing to China’s 15th Five-Year Plan regarding green, low-carbon transformation and innovative development. Hong Kong remains key to this mission, serving as a global innovation hub that connects academic breakthroughs to the Greater Bay Area’s industrial capabilities and global markets.
To young scholars in Hong Kong, Prof. Zhu emphasizes that every experiment and lesson in the lab is a stepping stone to global impact. He encourages them to use Hong Kong’s unique strengths to create solutions for a more sustainable, resilient future. The world needs them—and it will be better because of them.
Chief Executive John Lee visited the i2Cool booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in 2023.
Professor Martin Zhu, Co-Founder & CEO, i2Cool
Motto: Pursue truth, unified praxis, embody empathy, benefit humanity.
Profile
2018–2022 | Laying the R&D Groundwork
Pursued a PhD at City University of Hong Kong under Professor Edwin Tso, focusing on electricity-free cooling. Transitioned the technology from lab validation to a scalable prototype, paving the way for commercialization
2022 | Launching i2Cool
Co-founded i2Cool with Prof. Tso under the HK Tech 300 programme, securing seed funding and joining the HKSTP incubation programme. Featured in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch
2023 | Market Validation and Early Adoption
Completed angel funding, achieved commercialization, and served over 100 customers across Hong Kong and the GBA, cutting electricity use by over 1 million kWh. Awarded the prestigious USD 1 million Gold Prize at the TERA-Award
2024 | Scaling Deployments Globally
Completed Series A funding, secured RAISe+ support, and began HKSTP Shenzhen operations. Deployed cooling solutions in landmark projects like Dubai Mall, Emirates Palace, and Hong Kong Coliseum
Recognized on the Forbes China 30 Under 30 list
2025 | Manufacturing and Regional Expansion
Raised Series A+ funding, established a factory in Nansha, Guangzhou, and launched Middle East operations in the UAE to expand into GCC countries and North Africa. Formed a Singapore joint venture. Served 500 global customers, saving over 10 million kWh of electricity
2026 | Global Market Expansion and Innovation
Recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise, and established a U.S. sales team and networks across the Americas. Developed the world’s first multi-scenario electricity-free cooling platform, extending applications to glass films, membranes, ceramics, textiles, and more — combining technological innovation with global reach