The purpose of the Hong Kong Startup Council is to connect and support early-stage and growing startups with seasoned industrialists and mentors. We believe such cross-over will generate mutual growth and exceptional innovation. Startups benefit from mentorship, industrial partnership, scale-up expansion and financial support, while industrialists benefit from digital transformation and innovations. The Council’s signature STARS Programme has served as a zero-equity acceleration platform for over 50 startups to turn their creative ideas into value-added, industry-driven products and services. We have also built excellent rapport with industrialists, corporates and investors to facilitate over 900 matchmaking sessions, mentorships, upskilling workshops and tailored consultations etc, while we have supported over 2,000 startup ecosystem activities. In 2022, together with our title sponsor HSBC and ecosystem partners, the Council launched the inaugural Hong Kong Innopreneur Awards which is a prestigious and unique recognition to honour the city's startup founders, corporate innovators and ecosystem catalysts.
In the past 5 years, we have witnessed unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Our startup ecosystem has grown and evolved substantially with Hong Kong being positioned as an International Innovation and Technology (I&T) Hub along with the GBA development in the Country’s 14th Five-Year Plan. The Hong Kong Government substantially increases investments in the innovation and technology sector with Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Cyberport, tertiary institutions, research institutions and various funding schemes. The Government has also promulgated the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint and Technology Talent Admission Scheme (TechTAS). While the pandemic has disrupted global economy and completely changed how people work and live, we are pleased to see so many startups embracing these opportunities to grow in spectacular ways and become fabric of global innovation.
Lify Wellness from 1st Cohort of STARS Programme exemplified startup industrial partnership with its Chinese and Western herbal health drink and health platform; FreightAmigo seized the growth opportunities to serve millions of masks and medical supplies to Hong Kong and have grown nearly tenfold during the pandemic; RaSpect provides an intelligent platform for preventive maintenance monitoring of buildings and cities, becoming representative Prop Tech AI startup in Greater China; and ESG deep tech startup i2Cool, founded by university scientists, is working on solving the energy crisis; Carewells expands soft meal service for the elderly in Greater China; Hong Kong Street Food brings the frozen traditional egg waffle to the world and promote local culture; an overseas’ cohort startup, Xandar Kardian’s remote vital sign sensing technology with its ultra-wideband sensor received FDA approval and named Time magazine’s Best Inventions 2022. Above are some of the examples and their interviews can be found in the booklet. Alongside the support from industrialists, business partners and mentors, the Hong Kong Startup Council will continue to humbly serve the startup founders, industrialists and ecosystems to reach new heights.