StartmeupHK Festival 2021 To Show HK Startup Ecosystem Is Alive and Well
- By CDOTrends editors
- May 06, 2021
StartmeupHK Festival will put the power of partnerships and Hong Kong’s startup ecosystems in the spotlight.
The annual startup event, which will continue using the virtual format and run May 24 to 28, 2021, will feature 14 main events spread across the week. Organized by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), it aims to put Hong Kong’s startups on the world’s stage while unearthing the latest ideas, trends, and innovations worldwide.
Under the theme “Welcome to a Future Unlimited,” the Festival’s schedule is fully packed with exciting and insightful events, with 14 main events throughout the week that will unlock business opportunities for startups on an international level and discuss the latest ideas, trends, and innovation with an audience from around the world.
“The StartmeupHK Festival 2021 will be a fantastic showcase of the many opportunities that Hong Kong offers to startups both locally and internationally,” says Stephen Phillips, director-general of investment promotion at InvestHK.
There will be keynotes, panel discussions, exhibitions, investor matching, hackathons, and job fairs throughout the week. Events are open to attendees worldwide for free, with additional paid premium sessions for ShaperZ by Finnovasia, GBA Innovation Summit by TusPark Hong Kong, and Scaleup Impact Summit by WHub. Key topics up for discussion include AI, fintech, ESG, smart cities, healthcare, proptech, and the impact of the Greater Bay Area development initiative.
“Collaborating with our strong partners, participants will benefit from the insights of leaders in their fields from around the world and demonstrate Hong Kong’s leading position as an incubator and test-bed for what’s new and what’s next that will impact how we live and do business in the future,” added Phillips.
Day 1 (May 24) will see the start of two events. ShaperZ, which event partner Finnovasia will host. It will bring the latest technological innovations to SMEs, scale-ups, and corporates in different industries. PropTech Asia and Beyond, hosted by Asia PropTech, is a one-and-a-half-day conference highlighting the evolution of real estate and the urban landscape. It will identify forward-thinking startups and feature keynotes and panel discussions on how property companies use the latest technologies to solve real-life challenges and global issues.
Day 2 (May 25) will feature GBA Innovation Summit by TusPark Hong Kong. It will look at how technological innovation can drive a solid and resilient Greater Bay Area development path. Futurists and crystal ball gazers will like the Scaleup Impact Summit 2021, presented by WHub, that will run on Day 2 and Day 3. It will highlight scale-ups and global businesses that are pushing the innovation envelope.
Day 4 (May 27) will see KPMG hosting the Connected Cities Conference. It will discuss smart city innovations with global and regional speakers from government, academia, business, and leading entrepreneurs lending their views. Examples of smart and connected cities and technologies, including IoT, AI, and data analytics, will be shared.
Held in Hong Kong for the first time, the Startup World Cup Asian Regional Finale 2021, hosted by a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, Pegasus Tech Ventures, will take place during Day 4 and Day 5 (May 27 to 28). It aims to bring together founders from leading Asian startups and provide them with the opportunity to compete at the global finals in San Francisco.
Day 5 (May 28), the last day of the Festival, will end on an exciting note with the GBA Hackathon 2021, hosted by Startup Salad. An online co-innovate system will facilitate mentoring, brainstorming, and teamwork of the attendees during the four-hour final pitch event.
“Although the world has faced overwhelming disruption, there are consequently many exciting opportunities for startups to unlock. The Festival will provide an opportunity for participants to step back and do what startups do so well — conceive new ideas to solve contemporary challenges. Indeed “welcome to the future unlimited’,” said Phillips.
Other events during the week include:
- May 24 – AI for All & Making Money with AI by IoTIot.In
- May 24 – Female Funding Fair by Next Chapter Raise
- May 26 – Thriving Together – Trends of Startups and ESG Investors by Asia Society
- May 27 – Asia Healthcare Innovation Summit by Brinc
- May 27 – Virtual Fintech Forum by Virtual Fintech Fair
- May 28 – 1.5°C - The Defining Decade for Impact with Tech by Eureka Nova
- May 28 – Ecosystem Summit by The Mills Fabrica
Image credit: InvestHK/Sinclair Communications
