Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (January 8) announced details of its five-day StartmeupHK Festival 2019 that will run from January 21 to 25, each day focusing on specific start-up themes with the common thread being an emphasis on new trends, fresh thinking and cutting-edge innovation.
The key themes of the week will be healthtech, lifestyle and retail technology, smart city, artificial intelligence and education, finance services, and co-innovation between start-ups and corporates.
Taking place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, the event will see more than 200 industry experts from around the world share their knowledge and insight at a mix of panel sessions, interactive discussions, speaking events and competitions. The festival attendance is set to exceed 8 000 delegates.
Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK Mr Charles Ng said, "Hong Kong's start-up ecosystem grew 18 per cent year on year to 2 625 start-ups in 2018, while the number of jobs created rose a remarkable 51 per cent to 9 548. More than a third of the start-up founders are from outside Hong Kong.”
Mr Ng added that the main business sectors for these start-ups include fintech, e-commerce, supply chain management and logistics technology, professional or consultancy services, and information technology and services.
Day 1 will feature the Healthtech 020 Summit, an event hosted by NexChange that looks at transforming healthcare through technology. It will bring together healthcare experts, entrepreneurs and investors, including representatives from government, industry bodies, start-ups and corporates, to examine how international and local innovation is transforming the way healthcare is delivered, while also opening doors to new solutions to health issues.
Day 2 will see the TECH[LIFE]STYLE Conference, hosted by Startup Launchpad and the Mills Fabrica. The conference theme is "Living Smarter, Living Better". With more than 1 000 attendees, over 100 start-ups and 40-plus speakers at the conference, the audience will be treated to stories told by world-class speakers about how innovative lifestyle technologies are revolutionising the ways people live, work and play.
On Day 3 is Retail’s Cutting Edge, hosted by Inside Retail Hong Kong. A popular event last year, this will be a day-long immersion on the future of retail. Topics covered will include new retail, global issues ranging from logistics to social challenges, blockchain as a solution for product authenticity and supply chain streamlining, new technologies reshaping the customer experience, and the seamless merger of buying channels. It will include a panel session to look ahead 10 years with five retailers from the recently announced list of the Top 50 Innovative Retail Leaders in Hong Kong.
Days 3 and 4 will see a new event for the StartmeupHK Festival: Jumpstarter, hosted by Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund. Over the two days, this first-of-its-kind event will showcase top-notch start-ups, provide high-impact networking opportunities and bring together start-ups, corporates and investors to make connections. Various founders, CEOs, world-renowned experts, innovators and investors will take the main stage for presentations and discussions while start-ups and corporates will participate in demos and showcases.
On Day 4, the Connected Cities Conference, hosted by KPMG, will have industry leaders, government representatives and entrepreneurs from around the world discuss technological trends in the urban landscape, and examine what it means to enhance a city's liveability, workability and sustainability. A great variety of topics will be discussed, such as impact investing and entrepreneurship for women.
Day 5 has an exciting double bill with the Startup Impact Summit, hosted by WHub, and the AI & Education Forum, hosted by EdTech Asia. The summit will focus on the impact created by regional and international start-ups, driven by successful cases of co-innovation projects between start-ups and corporates. The event will include world-class start-ups, influencers and stakeholders, with speeches, hands-on workshops, business matching opportunities, and curated networking.
The AI & Education Forum will bring together key stakeholders from across the region who are influencing the future of learning and work innovation through emerging technologies, such as AI and big data analytics. Prominent speakers representing the most progressive companies in education and technology will share insights on ethics and human resources issues around the subject, while exploring synergies.
The Head of StartmeupHK at InvestHK, Ms Jayne Chan, said, "During the festival, you will experience the transformative power of technology that enables people to turn their ideas into reality. This is a true eye-opener where you can see how technologies are making waves in every aspect of our lives, and how Hong Kong as a leading innovative hub globally plays a part in this incredible journey towards a better, smarter world."
To follow the latest start-up developments in Hong Kong, please go to the website www.startmeup.hk/festival-2019.
About InvestHK
InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
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