HONG KONG, (ANTARA/PRNewswire) — The City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) held the awards ceremony of the HK Tech 300 Southeast Asia Startup Competition (HK Tech 300 SEA Competition) on 27 June 2024. Ten startups selected from five countries across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong topped over 100 teams from the region to win angel fund investments of up to HK$1 million each from HK Tech 300, the university’s flagship innovation and entrepreneurship training programme.
CityUHK launched the HK Tech 300 SEA competition in Kuala Lumpur in May 2023 with the aim to support Southeast Asian startups to expand their business to Hong Kong and mainland China, assist Hong Kong startups to explore opportunities in Southeast Asia, and attract overseas tech talent to Hong Kong. More than 100 startups participated in the competition through its partner universities and incubators in the region.
The awards ceremony was hosted by Professor Sun Tung, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry for the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mr Lester Garson Huang, Chairman of the CityUHK Council, and Professor Freddie Boi, SBS, JP, Chairman of CityUHK.
Also attending the ceremony were Chen Yulin, Director of the Department of Education, Science and Technology of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Victor Hui, Acting Consul-General of Singapore in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
“Hong Kong has always been one of the best destinations for global start-ups to thrive. Through mutual cooperation between government, industry, academia and the research sector, we have introduced a series of initiatives over the past few years to create a vibrant innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem and a favourable business environment, which creates great opportunities for global start-ups to start or expand their businesses in Hong Kong,” said Professor Sun. He also recognised the contribution of the HK Tech 300 in supporting and nurturing technology start-ups and talent in Hong Kong and the region.
Wong congratulated the 10 outstanding startups. “The competition has attracted some of the region’s most inspiring innovation and young entrepreneurs, reinforcing our vision to nurture talent and shape a society driven by cross-border I&T advancements,” Wong said. “This is also in line with the national strategy and the government’s goal to develop Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub.”
President Boi said he was pleased to see the winning startups leveraging CityUHK’s technology to develop their technology products and services. He noted that as CityUHK celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, it remains committed to promoting inspirational, interactive and innovative education, and can make a significant contribution to the world by generating groundbreaking research and innovative solutions to address pressing global challenges.
He also expressed his sincere gratitude to CityUHK’s partners who contributed to the success of the competition. “The competition provides a unique opportunity to foster collaboration among the region’s top academic institutions and incubators,” he said. “We will continue our efforts to build a vibrant I&T ecosystem through collaboration across more disciplines, sectors and regions.”
The 10 winning startups from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Hong Kong SAR are experts in emerging technology fields such as Fintech, Deep Tech, Biotech & Health, and ICT & AI. These promising startups offer cutting-edge solutions across a wide range of industries, including digital healthcare, energy sustainability, green materials, digital assets and real estate.
In addition to angel funding, the winning startups will receive a wide range of support, including professional services and business matching for potential co-investment opportunities in the HK Tech 300 ecosystem. They will also have access to CityUHK’s world-class research output and intellectual property to advance their technology. This comprehensive support will be a great boost to their entrepreneurial journey.
The HK Tech 300 SEA competition was organised in partnership with regional universities and incubators, including University of Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC), Sanwa Innovation Centre in Vietnam, and various chambers of commerce, to leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages and resources to help start-ups enter the Hong Kong and mainland China markets. It also promotes university technology transfer and commercialisation, and fosters closer ties between Hong Kong and the region’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.
The 10 winning startups (in alphabetical order):
- Apping Technology Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia)
- CoKeeps Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia)
- E3A Healthcare Pte Ltd (Singapore)
- PJJ Solutions Co., Ltd. (Thailand)
- Portex Innovation Company Limited (Thailand)
- PT Inspiracien Srikandi Indonesia (Indonesia)
- Qmed Asia (Malaysia)
- SMARTOS Co., Ltd. (Vietnam)
- Super Bamboo Limited (Hong Kong SAR)
- Singular Technology Limited (Hong Kong SAR)
Find out more about the winning startups’ innovative products and solutions here.
About HK Tech 300
HK Tech 300 is a large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship training programme launched by CityUHK with the theme “Venturing Beyond Boundaries”, aiming to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs, including CityUHK students, alumni and research staff, to set up start-ups and embark on their entrepreneurial journey. With a budget of HK$600 million, the programme offers comprehensive support, including entrepreneurial training, seed funding, angel funding, co-working spaces and networking opportunities in the industrial and commercial communities.
HK Tech 300 aims to provide education and growth opportunities for young entrepreneurs and apply CityUHK’s research findings and intellectual property to real-world applications. Since its launch in March 2021, over 1,700 people have participated in entrepreneurial training, over 700 teams have been fostered, of which over 140 startups have secured angel fund investments of up to $1 million each to develop and validate their business models. Over 180 experienced businesspeople and successful entrepreneurs have accepted invitations to serve as mentors, and over 90 public and private institutions have acted as strategic partners, co-investment partners and supporting organizations. CityUHK has also established co-investment partnerships with 15 innovation and technology investment companies and funds in Hong Kong and mainland China to provide angel fund investments to selected HK Tech 300 startups.
For more information, please visit: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/hktech300/
Source: City University of Hong Kong
