Alibaba.com Reports Surge in Solo Founders Using AI in CoCreate Pitch Competition

Alibaba Group announced in a press release that 71% of applicants to its 2026 CoCreate Pitch competition are solo founders building businesses with AI tools such as Accio Work. This marks a sharp increase from 40% last year among the more than 15,000 applicants to date.

The company said that 89% of these one-person founders view AI as essential to their operations, using it for industrial design, coding, and marketing. Over 70% of all applicants are integrating AI into their ventures, with usage rates above 80% across all age groups from Gen Z to Gen X.

Alibaba.com’s CoCreate Pitch 2026 features three tracks: General SMEs, 0-to-1 Startups, and Students. The 0-to-1 Startup Track, which focuses on early-stage founders using Accio Work to move from concept to prototype, represents 65% of submissions. The competition has drawn participants from 132 countries.

The finals will be held in Los Angeles on September 9 and 10 and in London on November 19 and 20, with a total prize pool exceeding one million dollars. Liz Wang, Global Head of Commercial Strategy at Alibaba.com, said the event demonstrates how AI is enabling individuals to accomplish tasks that previously required entire teams.