Hong Kong Startup Council (“HKSC”), under the auspices of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries (“FHKI”), today officially launches its two-week Demo Fest, a virtual solution fair lasting from 25 May to 7 June. Demo Fest showcases a row of high value-added, best-of-breed innovations tailored to toy and electronics industries, in an effort to heighten the awareness of moulding innovative technology into incumbent manufacturing practices. Organised by HKSC and sponsored by HSBC, Demo Fest marks the concluding milestone of the third cohort of the STARS Programme.

A Peek at Demo Fest

HKSC’s Demo Fest has brought engaging contents as highlighted below:

Pitching: Through online videos, 12 STARS finalists unveil their product/market-fit solutions, pitching their innovative strengths and deployment potential to a plethora of audience, which is made up of industrialists, technopreneurs, business elites and a throng of tech-savvy folks. Their solutions incorporate state-of-the-art technologies, spanning across sensoring, real-time big data analytics, AI and robotics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Internet of Things (IoT) and more.

Leadership Dialogues: Industry luminaries and business leaders will hold a leadership dialogue session every other weekday. In the dialogue series, the speakers discuss pain-points and rising trends within toy and electronics industries, as well as threats and opportunities brought by the pandemic-hit economy. Future of the startup ecosystem, first-hand mentorship experience, advice for soon-to-be entrepreneurs, and on-going initiatives supporting local ventures will be well covered. The premiere will be broadcast on Demo Fest today.

Public Voting: In recognition of the startups’ continued contribution to toy and electronics industries, all of them are nominated for 3 awards, namely “Investors’ Favourite”, “Top Innovator” and “Best Pitcher”. All visitors are eligible to vote for their favourites. On a 100% visible and equitable basis, STARS finalists who score the highest votes will be conferred the accolades accordingly. Voting starts from today on Demo Fest until 7 June. The voting result will be announced on Demo Fest’s website and HKSC Facebook.

A Trio of Synergies for Startups, Industrialists and Investors

HKSC’s signature STARS Programme is a mentorship-oriented journey for fledgling and fast-growing startups, through which a diverse range of support had been offered. Along the six-month journey, participating startups strived to combine their ingenuity and innovative strengths into vertical industry applications. At its initial stage, the Programme linked with more than 50 applicants and 25 industrialists. Of the applicants, a handful were from Mainland China, Singapore and Germany. For shortlisted STARS participants, the Programme offers a fast track to business matching. Industrialists and enterprises who seek corporate innovations, and venture capitalists eyeing for high-yielding investment will benefit immensely from the Programme.

Mr Jason Chiu, Chairman of HKSC, said, “I’m very proud to see how the STARS Programme has led many promising ventures to an accelerated path to product development and market adoption. They have demonstrated robust capabilities of and resilience in solving pressing pain-points within toy and electronics industries. Throughout the Programme, HKSC has played a proactive role in connecting startups with industrialists and potential investors, continuously fuelling cross-sectoral collaboration and knowledge transfer.”

“The newly added feature, public voting serves as a litmus test for market response. STARS finalists could reckon the voting results as a glimpse into their solutions’ adaptability, ability to commercialise or even potential for funding,” Jason added.

Dr Daniel Yip, Chairman of FHKI, said, “I’m glad to see how STARS Programme has bridged the gap between youths and industrialists, allowing them to work in tandem to revamp toy and electronics industries. Demo Fest’s innovations have enabled industrialists to ride on increased automation, data-powered smart marketing, as well as the scaled capabilities of electronics being adapted to different industrial segments. Meanwhile, youthful entrepreneurs have inherited skills and business ideas from industrial experts. This is a win-win relationship, and such cross-generation alliance encourages the manufacturing sector and the I&T to prosper in parallel, aligning with the Government’s long-term goal of economic diversification.”

Mr Daniel Chan, Head of Business Banking, Commercial Banking, Hong Kong, HSBC, said, “In the digital era, innovation has become an ever important element to drive business development. Committed to our role as a ‘connector’ for businesses, HSBC is keen to support them in their innovation journey. We are pleased to team up with FHKI and help startups establish connections with toy and electronics manufacturers through the STARS Programme. By linking up the two ecosystems, we believe the synergy will unleash further potential and bring new opportunities to all.”

The STARS Programme debuted in 2017. For three cohorts in a row, it has appealed to more than 200 startups, industrialists, startup mentors and investors. Following the end of Programme, some of our STARS alumni successfully staged their innovations worldwide, such as CES 2020, RISE and World Summit.

Navigate the innovations now on Demo Fest. Cast your votes for favourite startups!

Demo Fest: http://demofest.startup.org.hk/      

Date: 25 May to 7 June

Shortlisted startups from the 3^rd cohort of STARS Programme for Demo Fest:

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Demo Fest, HKSC’s first-ever virtual solution fair, incorporates a row of solution showcases tailored to toy and electronics industries, startup pitches, a series of leadership dialogues and a voting station.

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The success of the 3^rd cohort of the STARS Programme hinges on collaborative support among industry players and elites. Representatives from HKSC, FHKI, HSBC, Grandion Industrial Limited and Wynnewood Corporation Limited filmed five episodes of leadership dialogues, and had fruitful exchange of ideas.

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In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our STARS finalists made their pitching through pre-recorded videos, presenting deployment potential and innovative strengths of their custom-built solutions.