******************************************************
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is pleased to announce today (October 11) the 12 finalists of its 2013 StartmeupHK Venture Programme.
They include five ventures from the US, two each from India and Canada, and one each from New Zealand, Hong Kong and Israel. Their businesses range from opthamology solutions to biomedical data research and the recycling of oil-based waste for clean fuel (see table below).
Each venture was chosen by the assessors for the scale of the problem or opportunity being addressed, the effectiveness of the solution and its impact, the venture's viability, sustainability and scalability, and the economic benefit to Hong Kong in terms of knowledge and skills, job creation, social and environmental value and more.
The 12 finalists will take part in StartmeupHK Week from December 2 to 7 in Hong Kong. At the culmination of this year's programme, the Venture Forum on December 5, three Grand Award Winners will be chosen by the judges and forum attendees.
The 2013 StartmeupHK Venture Programme was launched in July as part of InvestHK's global initiative to encourage start-ups to set up business in the city. The department received 384 entries from 39 countries and cities including the US, Israel, the UK, Canada, India, Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and others.
InvestHK's Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Simon Galpin, said that the StartmeupHK Venture Programme should help to put Hong Kong on the global start-up map. "It is important for Hong Kong to seize the opportunities brought by start-ups and to grow the city's start-up ecosystem. I believe that the StartmeupHK Venture Programme is a terrific way to focus attention on this fast-growing segment of our economy," he added.
Mr Galpin added that the upcoming StartmeupHK Week is a collaborative effort by InvestHK and the broader start-up community in the city to generate awareness of Hong Kong's potential as the regional hub for entrepreneurs. He anticipates that more than 500 people in the local and overseas start-up communities will gather in Hong Kong between December 2 and 7 for various events on the city's start-up environment and its opportunities.
"The week-long programme will connect entrepreneurs with investors and business mentors in one of the largest events of its kind ever staged in Hong Kong," Mr Galpin said.
Details of the StartmeupHK Venture Programme 2013 are available on the dedicated website www.startmeup.hk. The site offers a one-stop portal to the city's start-up community, and is the first such Hong Kong Government portal on start-ups. It also lists the latest start-up events and signposts users to various government incentive and incubation schemes.
InvestHK 2013 StartmeupHK Venture Programme finalists
Name of Company Origin Business
--------------- ------- --------
D'Arcy Polychrome New Zealand Polychromatic dry
Ltd granulated pigment
Forus Health Pvt India Mass-screening
Ltd opthamology solution
Global Spatial Canada Air and maritime
Technology traffic data
Solutions management
Hanson Robotics US Humanoid robot
manufacturing
IT Central Israel Social media platform
Station for enterprise
technology
J Plus Hong Kong Sports coaching
Corporation application
Ltd
Phoenix Depot Canada Recycling of oil-
International based waste for
Inc clean fuel
Pinnacle Engines US Energy-efficient
engines
Sanguine US Biomedical data
Biosciences, research
Inc
VajraSoft Inc US Intellectual property
management solution
Wifinity Ltd India IoT (Internet of
Things) semiconductor
Zimfly, Inc US Mobile Building
Information Modelling
(BIM) system
About InvestHK
InvestHK is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established in July 2000 to take responsibility for Foreign Direct Investment and support overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services to help businesses succeed in Hong Kong's vibrant economy. As at September 2, 2013, InvestHK has completed 3 000 investment projects creating 33 950 new jobs in the first year of operation or expansion and over HK$78.6 billion of investment. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
Ends/Friday, October 11, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:37
NNNN