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Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Hong Kong's investment promotion agency, partnered with Hardware Accelerator, the startup initiative of betahaus, to host a networking event for startup companies in Berlin today (July 4, Berlin time). Betahaus is Berlin's popular coworking space.
After an introduction by the Head of Investment Promotion of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin), Dr Chung Wing-hin, a Hong Kong-based German entrepreneur, Mr Martin Kessler, invited the audience to a question-and-answer session to share his first-hand experiences in the Asian metropolis.
Dr Chung promoted Hong Kong as a location for sourcing, prototyping and quality control. It highly benefits from its role as the gateway to China and its proximity to the Greater Pearl River Delta with its favourable production facilities. Dr Chung said, "It is not only very easy to set up a business in Hong Kong. With its business-friendly environment, low and simple tax system, rule of law, excellent logistics facilities, low shipping costs and a highly skilled workforce, Hong Kong has a lot to offer to startup companies from all over the world."
Mr Kessler, the Founder of Phonejoy Solutions Limited, described some of the numerous advantages of Hong Kong for technology startups. He said, "Almost everyone in the city owns a smartphone and this digital environment is particularly important for technology startups like us." InvestHK's Creative Industries team had reached out to Mr Kessler at an event and introduced him to an incubation programme which was a very important step for his company with almost rent-free office space for two years and support for marketing and promotion.
After gaining these useful insights, the audience were keen on learning more about startup initiatives in Hong Kong such as the 2014 StartmeupHK Venture Programme, a global competition for high-impact, innovative and scalable startups who aim to expand their business globally from Hong Kong. Winners will receive benefits worth over US$500,000 including a sponsored trip to Hong Kong, free workspace, media exposure opportunities and a pitch to over 500 potential investors, business partners and startup community stakeholders. The closing date for applications is July 31, 2014.
To learn more about the programme, please visit www.startmeup.hk .
About Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin
HKETO Berlin is the official Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government representative in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Germany as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Ends/Friday, July 4, 2014
Issued at HKT 23:35
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