Heritage “techstyle” firm The Mills Fabrica is expanding into the UK with a pilot cross-border incubation program and upcoming community events.

A landmark revitalisation project by the Nan Fung Group, which transformed their old textile factories into a new heritage and innovation centre, The Mills Fabrica aims to create an open platform and bridge the gap between Asia and Europe to support techstyle startups across the two continents.

Modelled after the Fabrica Incubation Program in Hong Kong, UK incubatees will benefit from 12-months customised support and have access to The Mills Fabrica’s global network in the techstyle space, as well as exposure opportunities in Asia and around the world. This includes sharing their story and innovation on international stages and at some of the world’s largest startup events and conferences.

In addition, teams will have the opportunity to develop their businesses in Hong Kong at The Mills Fabrica having access to 15,000sqft of flexible coworking and event space, a state-of-the-art prototyping lab, a space for experimentation and an open platform for entrepreneurs, students, corporates and the general public; and an experiential and experimental retail store dedicated to showcasing the latest techstyle innovations and raising awareness of technologies to the end consumer.

“We are incredibly excited to be part of The Mills Fabrica program,” said incubatee Smartzer founder & CEO Karoline Gross, “bringing techstyle innovation to the UK. Combining the potential in the UK and Europe with the experience and expertise of The Mills Fabrica from Hong Kong and the Asian market enables for a unique opportunity to create globally relevant innovation in this space.”

Similar to Hong Kong, the incubation programme will accept companies on a rolling basis.