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Highlights

• The Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (“HKIC”) hosted its inaugural “Hong Kong Start-up Investment and Development Summit”, bringing together top international talents in the innovation and technology (“I&T”) field from investment, industry, academia and research sectors, with a view to joining force in building the Hong Kong I&T and entrepreneur ecosystems.
• Representatives from technology companies and venture capital funds shared their respective views based on the entrepreneurial journey and from the investors’ angle regarding start-up investment and development in Hong Kong, particularly surrounding three key elements namely expanding the international market, as well as sourcing high quality projects and talents.

(Hong Kong, September 13) The HKIC hosted its inaugural“Hong Kong Start-up Investment and Development Summit” today, with the theme “Empowering Industry Ecosystem by Capital, Igniting New Drivers for Economic Development”. The Summit brought together top international talents in the I&T field from investment, industry, academia and research sectors to exchange their insights on three areas namely the pressing needs of cutting-edge technology companies to expand into the international market, the aspiration of venture capital funds to identify quality projects, and the exploration by talents of better development opportunities, with a view to collaborating with the HKIC in building the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong. Mr Paul CHAN Mo-po, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, and Ms Clara CHAN, the Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC set the stage for the Summit by delivering keynote speeches.

Mr Paul CHAN, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, said in his keynote speech, “As an international financial centre, Hong Kong's strength lies in its comprehensive chain of fundraising. In recent years, we have also been vigorously promoting the development of innovation and technology. In addition to encouraging basic research, we have placed greater emphasis on the transformation and commercialisation of research outcomes, as well as new industrialisation, while actively attracting strategic enterprises and talent to settle in Hong Kong.”

Mr Paul CHAN added, “With the investments made and government policy support provided in recent years, Hong Kong is making good progress in establishing a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem. However, to advance further, we must foster closer collaboration and synergistic development among the investment, industry, academic and research sectors. In the future, we aim to guide investments to accelerate the flourishing development of the entire research, entrepreneurship, and innovation ecosystem, along with the industry chain, enriching their intrinsic power, explosive potential, creativity, and momentum for growth.”

Ms Clara CHAN, CEO of the HKIC, said in her keynote speech, “The HKIC hosted our inaugural ‘Hong Kong Start-up Investment and Development Summit’, bringing together the key stakeholders from the I&T field spanning investment, industry, academia and research sectors. The group contributed different perspectives and exchanged views regarding topics on I&T, entrepreneurship and start-up investment of Hong Kong, with a view to joining hands in building a vibrant ecosystem. As patient capital, the HKIC is focused on nurturing New Quality Productive Forces in Hong Kong, and acting as the bridge among various I&T sectors. With the guiding force of capital, we aim to accelerate the implementation and transformation of research and development (“R&D”) outcomes noting that technological R&D and application are living through a significant revolutionary period. This effort will in the long run enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness and economic vitality.”

Senior executives from four venture capital funds which acted as the HKIC’s partners for the event also spoke at the Summit. Viewing from the lens of investors, they shared with around 400 attendees from the technology and venture capital sectors their considerations for selecting projects and the strengths of Hong Kong.

Mr Lap MAN, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Beyond Ventures, stated, “Since 2017, Beyond Ventures has been investing in start-up projects in Hong Kong, including successful cases that have gone public or been acquired. With the HKSAR Government’s introduction of various I&T policies, we have witnessed significant market transformation and unprecedented opportunities. R&D initiatives are now increasingly focused on commercialization. Also, high quality Mainland and international enterprises are seeking to establish a presence and raise capital in Hong Kong. We are committed to actively collaborating with the HKIC and other stakeholders to contribute to Hong Kong’s development as an international hub for finance and I&T.”

Professor Ping KO, Co-founder & Partner of Brizan Ventures, said, “Hong Kong should fully leverage its well-educated pool of local talents and geographical advantages to drive the transformation of the service sector through technology, in addition to investing in IoT smart devices, health technology and e-mobility markets. We should discuss how to support the young people’s entrepreneurial dreams through innovative education and collaborative efforts between the HKIC and businesses, so that the next generation can see hope through technological innovation. Inspiration for entrepreneurship often stems from dissatisfaction with current products or services, while interest and fun are the keys to igniting students’ passion. We look forward to engaging everyone to infuse hope and innovation into Hong Kong’s future.”

Mr Terry ZHU, Managing Partner of Lanchi Ventures, stated, “As an early-stage venture fund focusing on technology, Lanchi is dedicated to backing entrepreneurs who redefine the future with innovation. Hong Kong is crucial for our global strategy, especially in sectors like artificial intelligence, new energy, and advanced manufacturing, where Hong Kong’s role as an innovation hub has provided companies with unique market entry and access to capital. We believe that Hong Kong’s international ecosystem offers rich opportunities for venture capital funds. We are actively using this advantage to promote business growth and internationalization of companies.”

Mr Joe CHAN, Co-Founder & Partner of MindWorks Capital, said, “Technology will lead the future of Hong Kong. Our investment strategy fully leverages Hong Kong’s differentiating position. We have invested in over 26 technology companies with local nexus, and created thousands of jobs. We will continue to work closely with the HKIC to support Hong Kong’s journey towards a global hub for I&T.”

The Summit invited representatives from three start-up companies to share their entrepreneurial journeys, including Shanghai GeneSense Technology Inc.,which specializes in gene sequencing technology; Emaldo Limited, which focuses on smart grids; and Ninenovo Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, which develops cutting-edge technology equipment. The speakers discussed their entrepreneurial experiences, as well as the challenges they faced and the strategies they adopted for transforming R&D outcomes into practical applications. They added that Hong Kong has a mature I&T ecosystem as well as top I&T talents. Coupled with comprehensive policy support, these advantages boost their confidence in the nurturing of New Quality Productive Forces in Hong Kong.

Looking forward, the HKIC will leverage its ability to guide and channel capital to further enhance the synergies among investment, industry, academia and research sectors, with a vision to closely collaborating with venture capital funds and start-ups to build a more vibrant I&T and entrepreneur ecosystems, bringing further impetus for Hong Kong’s economic development.

Photo 2: The HKIC hosted its inaugural “Hong Kong Start-up Investment and Development Summit”. Start-up companies with cutting-edge technologies and venture capital funds shared their experience, and around 400 participants from the ecosystem attended.

Photo 3: Mr Paul CHAN, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, delivered the keynote speech.

Photo 4: Ms Clara CHAN, CEO of the HKIC, delivered the keynote speech.

Photo 5: Group photo of officiating guests and speakers at the Summit. Mr Paul CHAN, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government (center); Ms Clara CHAN, CEO of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (7th right); Mr Lap MAN, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Beyond Ventures (6th left); Professor Ping KO, Co-founder and Partner of Brizan Ventures (7th left); Mr Andrew Kwong, Co-founder of Brizan Ventures (4th right); Mr Terry ZHU (4th left) and Mr Jui TAN (5th right), Managing Partners of Lanchi Ventures; Mr Joe CHAN, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of MindWorks Capital (5th left); Mr David CHANG, Founding Partner of MindWorks Capital (6th right); Dr YAN Mei, CEO of GeneSense Technology Limited (1st right); Mr Alex YI (2nd left) and Mr Steffen BJERREGAARD (1st left), Co-founders of Emaldo Limited; Dr Tony WU, Co-founder & CEO of Ninenovo Technology (Hong Kong) Ltd. (2nd right).

Photo 6: From left: Mr Lap MAN, Co-founder & Managing Partner of Beyond Ventures, Mr Terry ZHU, Managing Partner of Lanchi Ventures, and Mr Joe CHAN, Co-Founder & Partner of MindWorks Capital, jointly explored the opportunities and future development of venture capital industry in the roundtable sharing session with the panel host Ms Clara CHAN, CEO of the HKIC.

Photo 7: Professor Ping KO, Co-founder & Partner of Brizan Ventures, shared Hong Kong’s journey across investment, industry, academia and research.

Photo 8: Dr YAN Mei, CEO of GeneSense Technology Limited, shared the company’s development.

Photo 9: Mr Alex YI (right) and Mr Steffen BJERREGAARD (left), Co-founders of Emaldo Limited, shared the company’s development.

Photo 10: Dr Tony WU, Co-founder & CEO of Ninenovo Technology (Hong Kong) Ltd., shared the company’s development.

About the HKIC

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (HKIC) was established and is wholly owned by the HKSAR Government. It carries a dual mandate - seeking reasonable financial return in the medium to long term through optimizing the use of fiscal reserves, and leveraging its ability to guide and channel capital to build a more vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem and industry chain.

The HKIC manages HK$62 billion currently, covering the “Hong Kong Growth Portfolio”, “Greater Bay Area Investment Fund”, “Strategic Tech Fund” and “Co-Investment Fund”. As Patient Capital, the HKIC is focusing on three key sectors, namely Hard and Core Technology, Biotech, and New Energy/ Green Technology.