'Future of China's app economy': Tim Cook celebrates Apple App Incubator in Beijing

Apple executive chairman Tim Cook celebrated the first cohort of the Apple App Incubator at a Demo Day in Beijing on Tuesday, telling developers they are "the future of China's thriving app economy".

"To our developers today: Congratulations! We had high hopes for our inaugural class and you have surpassed them with flying colors," Cook said. "I've seen so many creative ideas tackling real-world challenges, from accessibility to education. You are ready to share your apps with users around the world."

The Demo Day marked a crucial moment for the program, one of Apple's long-running education initiatives supporting next-generation developers in China. Apple has partnered with Zhejiang University on the China Mobile Application Innovation Contest for over a decade, drawing nearly 50,000 participants nationwide. Building on that collaboration, Apple donated 30 million yuan ($4.48 million) to Zhejiang University in March 2025 to establish an incubation fund, launching the App Incubator earlier this year.

Unlike the student-focused contest, the incubator offers developers, designers, and entrepreneurs dedicated technical and business support to succeed in the growing iOS app economy.

After months of training, Viba won the 2026 Acceleration Award, selected by a mentor team of industry leaders, investors, and Apple engineers. The AI-powered personal shopping assistant integrates with iPhone data and Apple's Vision framework to generate outfit recommendations, and has expanded its overseas footprint from the US to Mexico and Brazil.