************************************************************
Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) today (November 13) announced that it will host the StartmeupHK Festival 2016 as part of the department's ongoing initiative to promote the city as one of the fastest growing start-up hubs in the world.
The week-long Festival from January 23 and 30, 2016 will see leading accelerators, corporates and associations hold a series of thematic conferences and pitching events covering areas such as the Internet of things (IoT), financial technology (fintech), health technology and data analytics, in which Hong Kong has a distinct competitive advantage. The Festival is expected to attract thousands of local and overseas start-ups, investors and business leaders to converge in Hong Kong.
The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Dr Simon Galpin, said that InvestHK's StartmeupHK Festival aims at showcasing the dynamism and growth of Hong Kong's start-up ecosystem to both international and domestic audiences.
Dr Galpin cited the latest ecosystem survey by InvestHK, which shows that the number of co-working spaces and incubators in Hong Kong has topped 40 and the number of start-ups operating within these affordable premises has increased by 46 per cent from a year ago. Dr Galpin added, "The results of the poll demonstrate Hong Kong's appeal to founders with global aspirations."
The core events during the StartmeupHK Festival will be located in the creative hub of PMQ and will encompass:
* FF16, a fintech conference organised by NxtBnk and Fintech HK featuring speakers including the Chairman of Financial Services Club, Mr Chris Skinner, and the CEO of Fidor Bank, Mr Matthias Kroner. The event will include a start-up village, networking sessions and a global competition for fintech start-ups in which shortlisted winners will be invited to pitch to investors and potential partners and clients;
* LAUNCH, a Consumer IoT Conference presented by Brinc that will include IoT workshops, pitches by finalists of a global IoT start-up competition and exhibitors, and a conference with prominent speakers in the hardware space such as the Director for Hardware, Design, and Technology of Indiegogo, Mr Ben Bateman; Investor with Samsung's Innovation Center, Ms Christina Bechhold; and Founder of Misfit, a new wearables company that pre-sold 250,000 devices in one day via Chinese e-tailer JD.com, Mr Sonny Vu;
* HealthTech Asia, a health technology conference organised by AIA, the Hong Kong Biotechnology Organization, the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association and the Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry that will highlight the latest developments in health technologies and will feature thought leaders and some of the most innovative champions in health tech;
* A Data Analytics Conference organised by KPMG that will provide the latest insights, expert views, privacy discussions and case studies from around the world on data analytics; and
* InvestHK's signature StartmeupHK Venture Forum will run in the morning of January 26.
In addition to the core events, the week will feature social mixers, roundtable discussions and investor group meet-ups in venues across Hong Kong.
More details about the StartmeupHK Festival 2016 are available on InvestHK's dedicated start-up website www.startmeup.hk, with hyperlinks for further details of the core events. The StartmeupHK site also offers a one-stop portal to the start-up community in the city, listing the latest start-up events and signposting visitors to resources such as government funding schemes and incubation programmes.
About InvestHK
InvestHK is the Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established in July 2000 to attract 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 June 2015, InvestHK had assisted over 3,700 companies which have created more than 40,200 new jobs in the first year of operation or expansion and over HK$99 billion of investment. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
For event poster, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157660726606250.
Ends/Friday, November 13, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:05
NNNN
