Three HKTDC Initiatives Boost Local Start-up Ecosystem
2019年5月21日 - 4:00PM
JCN Newswire
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) ran three
initiatives in May as part of its annual 'International Start-up
Week', with the aim of cultivating a vibrant start-up ecosystem in
Hong Kong. The HKTDC initiatives included the launch of the HK
Startup Society's online platform and its offline start-up
community; the start-up development programme Start-up Express; and
a series of exhibitions, symposiums and seminars under the
Entrepreneur Day banner.
HK Startup Society: New community platform to help start-ups build
networks
The HK Startup Society's launch event, hosted by HKTDC Executive
Director Margaret Fong last week at the R One Space co-working
facility in Causeway Bay, kickstarted the HKTDC's first start-up
platform. Several local and international start-up entrepreneurs,
including Alvin Lam, Founder of T12M Ventures Limited, Raymond
Wyand, Co-founder and CEO of Gini, and Sergio Pachon, Co-founder
and Chief Operating Officer of Kiwi Campus Inc, joined the
event.
The HK Startup Society is an online platform giving local start-ups
access to exclusively curated content provided by elite start-up
entrepreneurs, including the most up-to-date market information on
angel funds, incubation programmes and start-up events. The
platform also hosts "peer-to-expert" and "peer-to-peer" forums that
provide quick access to quality feedback and advice. The platform
is now open for registration, free of charge.
To further promote the local start-up ecosystem, the HK Startup
Society will organise offline meet-ups and networking events,
enabling start-ups to connect with investors, potential partners
and international outlets. "Hong Kong is an attractive market in
terms of its business advantages and robust start-up ecosystem. The
HK Startup Society offers the right knowledge and opportunities to
build networks, which is crucial as start-ups get off the ground,"
said Sergio Pachon, whose company developed a campus robot delivery
service company in the United States.
Entrepreneur Day (E-Day): Record 18,600-plus visitors attend
Entrepreneur Day
The 11th HKTDC Entrepreneur Day (E-Day), held on 16 and 17 May, saw
visitor numbers increasing by 2% compared to last year, reaching a
record of more than 18,600 visitors. Under the theme "The Start-up
Living Lab", the 2019 E-Day brought together more than 280
exhibitors, showcasing innovative products, technologies and a
variety of entrepreneur support services. This year's exhibition
also encouraged start-ups and prospective entrepreneurs to create
solutions for challenges in four different areas of everyday life -
clothing, food, housing and transportation - through innovation,
research and development, and product creation.
Various special events were held in parallel with the exhibition.
They included seminars held at the Start-up Runway, which saw
renowned speakers sharing insights into technology trends and
business opportunities, and the GBA Compass seminar that focused on
the development of start-ups in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao
Greater Bay Area. The event's first collaboration with Young
Founders School, the E-Living Hackathon, allowed prospective
entrepreneurs to design solutions to address daily annoyances,
while the Fund & Mentor Business Matching Session engaged
entrepreneurs and investors in one-on-one pairings.
Start-Up Express: 10 Start-Up Express winners enjoy access to
top-quality events
The second Start-up Express Pitching Final, held during
Entrepreneur Day, yielded 10 winners: Affluent Growth &
Innovation Technology Limited, ARTRO Digital Limited, Contact
Beverage Limited, CYC Motor Limited, Doki Technologies Limited,
Incus Company Limited, MedEXO Robotics (Hong Kong) Company Limited,
Miscato Limited, Quikec International Limited, and RaSpect
Intelligence Inspection Limited. The winning start-ups covered four
fields, namely biotech, artificial intelligence (AI), smart city
and fintech.
The 10 finalists of Start-up Express 2019 were selected by a panel
of judges led by Duncan Chiu, Co-founder and Managing Director of
Radiant Venture Capital. Joining Mr Chiu on the panel were Calvin
Choi, Chairman and CEO of AMTD Group; Prof Guanhua Chen, Co-founder
of Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform; Jason Chiu, CEO of
Cherrypicks; Jimmy Tao Managing Director and CEO of Vitargent
(International) Biotechnology Limited. Stephen Liang, HKTDC
Assistant Executive Director, and Louisa Lui, Assistant Executive
Director of Our Hong Kong Foundation, joined the award presentation
ceremony.
Our Hong Kong Foundation and AMTD Group are the official partner
and strategic partner of Start-up Express, respectively. "Start-up
Express nurtures a new generation of start-ups. Through continuous
collaboration, we look to foster local talents and promote
innovative and sustainable development in Hong Kong," said Our Hong
Kong Foundation's Louisa Lui. AMTD Group's Calvin Choi added: "We
witnessed high-quality applicants this year, many of their
applications making use of advanced technology such as artificial
intelligence, big data, environmental technology, financial
technology, Internet of Things, medical technology and tourism
technology. Through Start-up Express, AMTD Group will support the
growth journey of the 10 start-ups and help Hong Kong develop into
a smart city through our international capital market experience
and extensive network."
Koofy Development Limited, one of the 10 winning start-ups from the
Pitching Final in 2018, received angel funding from one of the
programme's panel judges. The company also connected with business
partners and tapped into new markets, including Europe and Japan,
through the marketing activities, numerous exhibitions and business
events arranged by the HKTDC.
"Through Start-up Express, we got the opportunity to join
high-impact exhibitions with relatively high entry requirements,
such as MWC [Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona], which is
something very precious for a start-up like us. Having gained
recognition in the market through our affiliation with the HKTDC,
our new business partners have greater confidence in us. This is
particularly important for uninitiated start-ups," said Ondy Ma,
Co-founder and CEO of Koofy.
The 10 winning start-ups are entitled to join local and
international activities and events including exhibitions organised
by the HKTDC in Hong Kong that have a dedicated start-up zone, such
as the Asian Financial Forum, Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring
& Autumn Editions) and the Hong Kong International Medical and
Healthcare Fair. They can also join HKTDC overseas flagship events
including the "Think Asia, Think Hong Kong" mega event that will
take place in Los Angeles in the United States later in 2019.
Furthermore, the winners will have the opportunity to join the Hong
Kong Pavilion at international exhibitions such as MWC and the
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, USA, to gain
first-hand experience and expand their business network.
International Start-up Week:
http://www.internationalstartupweek.com/en/
Entrepreneur Day (E-Day): http://www.hktdc.com/eday/
HK Startup Society: https://hkstartupsociety.hktdc.com/en
Start-Up Express: http://info.hktdc.com/startupexpress/
Photo download, please click here: https://bit.ly/2YARg67
お問合せ先 HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council
(HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for
Hong Kong's businesses. With 50 offices globally, including 13 on
the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform
for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With more than
50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international
exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide
companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the
mainland and in international markets, while providing business
insights and information via trade publications, research reports
and digital channels including the media room. For more
information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on
Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.
Source: HKTDC
Contact:
Ruder Finn Asia:
Ivy Chan
Tel: +852 2201 6475, +852 6686 9106
Email: Chani@RuderFinnAsia.com
Lilian Luk
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Email: Lukl@RuderFinnAsia.com
HKTDC Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Angel Tang
Tel: +852 2584 4544
Email: angel.hc.tang@hktdc.org
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