HKETO, Brussels encourages Italian food and food-tech start-ups to seize Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area opportunities (with photo)

     At a food and food-tech seminar for Italian start-up and scale-up entrepreneurs in Milan on November 24 (Milan time), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) promoted Hong Kong as the ideal place in Asia for start-ups and scale-ups to grow their businesses.

     The agrifood-tech ecosystem in Italy has been developing fast in recent years. The seminar covered the business opportunities Hong Kong can offer in the field of food tech, agri tech, food sustainability and innovation, catering technology and related sub-sectors.

     The Acting Deputy Representative of the HKETO, Brussels, Mr Henry Tsoi, said that with strong research and development capabilities, a deep pool of talent, ample funding opportunities and an increasingly supportive ecosystem, Hong Kong is fast developing into an international innovation and technology hub that offers exciting opportunities to start-ups and talent from around the world. The number of start-ups in Hong Kong had increased by 12 per cent in 2020, to 3 755, he said.

     Mr Tsoi underlined that Hong Kong is playing a key role in the development of the vibrant Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and remains a gateway to Mainland China and other neighbouring markets. There is great demand in Hong Kong for quality and innovative food products from Italy and all around the world, he added.

     The seminar was co-organised with Invest Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and supported by Talent Garden Milano. Founded in Italy in 2011, Talent Garden is the leading European co-working network and educational institute for the digital and tech community, and spans 18 campuses in eight European countries. In Milan, it accommodates start-ups active in the fields of food and food tech.