This review article summarizes the synthetic efforts in constructing functional hyperbranched macromolecules from acetylenic triple-bond building blocks. Polymerization reactions including polycoupling, polyaddition and polycyclotrimerization have been developed for the synthesis of new hyperbranched polymers such as polyynes, polyenes, polyarylenes and polytriazoles with novel topological structures and electronic conjugations. Polymers with high molecular weights (up to > 1 x 10(6)) have been obtained in high yields (up to 100\%). Whilst their linear counterparts are often intractable, the hyperbranched conjugated polymers are completely soluble in common organic solvents and are hence readily processable by macroscopic techniques. The hyperbranched polymers exhibit an array of functional properties including strong light emission, stable optical nonlinearity and high photorefractivity. The polymers can generate fluorescent images, assemble into supramolecular patterns, and form well-aligned nanotubes. The polyynes can be post-functionalized through metal complexation, whose refractive indexes can be manipulated to a great extent by photoirradiation. The hyperbranched polymer complexes can serve as precursors to soft ferromagnetic ceramics and as catalysts for carbon nanotube fabrications
