Hong Kong Entrepreneur Day draws record exhibitors

A record 276 exhibitors are participating in the 10th Hong Kong Entrepreneur Day, which opened yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and continues today.

Entrepreneur Day, organised by the HKTDC, provides startups with an opportunity to obtain useful information, seek funding, establish connections and recruit talent. Showcasing a wide range of innovative technologies and products, as well as supporting services tailored for entrepreneurs, the event is expected to draw 18,000 visitors.

Officiating at the opening ceremony, Secretary for Innovation and Technology with the Hong Kong SAR Government, Nicholas W Yang, said the administration has been increasingly supportive of start-ups since establishing the Innovation and Technology Bureau two years ago. Measures have been put in place to create a favourable ecosystem for startups, including increasing the quota for incubation programmes, as well as launching the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund, Inno Space and the InnoCell development project.

Nicholas W Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government, plays with a robot at the 10th Entrepreneur Day, which opens today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Nicholas W Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government, plays with a robot at the 10th Entrepreneur Day, which opens today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Tech focus

Raymond Yip, acting executive director at HKTDC said Hong Kong is becoming an important part of the global start-up community, thanks to the government’s policy of promoting the development of innovation and technology, coupled with the new opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area development.

“Both are pull factors attracting overseas talents to start their businesses in the city,” he said during the opening ceremony.

Reflecting these trends, this year’s Hong Kong Entrepreneur Day is the most international and technology focused edition yet. Startup exhibitors from Canada, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Portugal, the UK and the United States are attending for the first time at this year’s event, while more than half the exhibitors are tech-related.

The Imaginarium Zone, dedicated to showcasing innovative technology, spotlights 140 exhibitors, more than double last year’s number, indicating that more and more start-ups are specialising in such sectors as medical tech, bio-tech, fintech, green tech, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and robotics.

New initiatives have been launched at this year’s Hong Kong Entrepreneur Day, further enhancing this one-stop platform for startups to pitch ideas to potential investors and business partners, seek advice from experts, recruit talent and establish business connections.

The final round of the HKTDC’s “Start-up Express” incubation program takes place at the event today, to select 10 winners who will be invited to take part in a mission to the Bay Area and a series of major international trade fairs. Business leaders, including HKTDC chairman Vincent HS Lo, Victor Fung, group chairman of the Fung Group, Daryl Ng, deputy chairman of Sino Group, and Neil Shen, founding and managing partner of Sequoia Capital China will share their experiences with the winners during a series of power meetups. A “NiCubator”, a project set up by actor and entrepreneur Nicholas Tse, may also provide the winners with promotional opportunities.

Officiating at the opening ceremony are Nicholas Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government (4th from R) and Raymond Yip, Acting Executive Director, HKTDC (4th from L). The two-day event continues until tomorrow.
Officiating at the opening ceremony are Nicholas Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government (4th from R) and Raymond Yip, Acting Executive Director, HKTDC (4th from L). The two-day event continues until tomorrow.

Startup Dreams mini exhibition

Meanwhile, a “Start-up Dreams” mini exhibition is being held until Sunday at the HKTDC Design Gallery store in Wan Chai, featuring innovative products from 10 Entrepreneur Day exhibitors to help them test the market and gain retail experience.

Among the products are a smart skateboard – a self-balancing skateboard controlled by human motion (Start-up Express Display Area), fashion accessories that integrate 3D printing technology with traditional craftsmanship and a smart wearable device that monitors a baby’s vital indicators including the blood oxygen level, heart rate and body temperature.

Startup portal

The HKTDC will launch a startup portal, HK Startup Society, in October.

Entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Silicon Valley, including the founders of Goxip, Gogovan and Rotten Tomatoes, will regularly share in-depth insights analysing common problems facing startups as well as success and failure factors.

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