StartmeupHK Festival 2022: A week-long showcase of Hong Kong’s dynamic and thriving startup ecosystem

InvestHK and event partners come together for the StartmeupHK Festival 2022 preview.

The annual StartmeupHK Festival returns in a hybrid format on 5-10 September following last year’s success. Curated by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and guided by the theme A Future Unlimited, the 2022 Festival will explore the latest topics ranging from the metaverse, NFTs, gaming, HealthTech, PropTech to sustainability and the Guangdong-Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). As the leading startup event in Asia, last year’s Festival engaged 806 speakers and attracted some 39,000 attendees from 103 countries and regions, with more than 470 successful business matchings made.

Featuring seven main events and several diverse community events, the week-long festival will comprise keynotes from global business leaders, thought-provoking panel discussions withentrepreneurs, startup pitches, investor matching, competitions, exhibitions and job fairs, giving attendees a chance to exchange ideas, make new connections and define the future of startups.

“The StartmeupHK Festival 2022 will be more exciting than ever as we deep dive into trending topics on the latest tech advancements and innovations to make doing business easier, communication faster and lives better, engaging the minds of both young and experienced leaders from around the world,” says Charles Ng, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK. “Hong Kong continues to foster a thriving startup ecosystem which has remained strong despite unprecedented times. The challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic helped to fast-track the city’s development into an international centre for innovation and technology. As the pandemic changes society’s habits, digitalisation has accelerated, resulting in numerous advancements in artificial intelligence technology, robotics, and healthcare.”

He continued, “Hong Kong has proven itself as a gateway to unlock limitless potential, where the city’s entrepreneurs have continued making technological breakthroughs and discovering award winning innovations over the past two challenging years. With steadfast support from the Government, Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development will only continue to accelerate, establishing a world-class I&T powerhouse to be reckoned with. We look forward to welcoming new talent and creative minds into our resilient, ever-expanding ecosystem with the StartmeupHK Festival 2022, encouraging all attendees and stakeholders to make use of Hong Kong’s fantastic links to the GBA and beyond, whilst influencing all kinds of connections.”

Day 1 (5 Sep) – As the opening event of the Festival, the GBA Innovation Summit 2022 by TusPark will provide an invaluable glimpse at the vast potential of the GBA, e.g. the development in FinTech and green finance, its roadmap for automation and sustainability, and more. Business matching, startup pitching and virtual exhibitions will also enable innovators, governments and stakeholders to connect and share ideas. Held concurrently on Day 1, the hybrid 1.5°C Summit – The Defining Decade for Impact with Tech, hosted by Eureka Nova and New World Development, will focus on how technology can reduce climate change and build a more sustainable future. Topics to cover include net-zero electricity innovation, energy-saving technologies in green buildings, greener transport solutions and reimagining waste reduction.

Day 2 (6 Sep) - Hosted by Brinc, the Asia Healthcare Innovation Summit 2022 will bring together members of Asia's expansive healthcare ecosystem to explore BioTech, HealthTech, MedTech, and blockchain adaptation. What’s more, the Asia Healthcare Innovation Pitch Competition will showcase startups with innovative life-science solutions addressing some of the latest issues in the sector.

Day 3 (7 Sep) - All worlds collide at Scaleup Impact Summit 2022 – Universe x Metaverse, a two day event by WHub spanning across Day 2 and 3 of the Festival. Attendees may join either in person, virtually or via the metaverse, to hear from world-class speakers on web 3.0, industry 4.0, quantum computing, FoodTech, GameFi and other next-gen disruptions, bearing witness to exciting Scaleup Showcases as they pitch to investors, and perhaps even mint exclusive NFTs.

Day 4 (8 Sep) - A new addition to the Festival, Game On! 2022 is a 1.5-day event hosted by MaGESpire celebrating the essence of gaming, art, music, and entertainment (GAME) industries. Passionate gamers, artists, developers and investors will come together to explore the realms of DeFi, GameFi, NFT ecosystems, IP rights and other latest tech that is transforming the entertainment space. Also kick starting on Day 4 is Asia PropTech Beyond 2022 by Asia PropTech, a 1.5-day event which will be livestreamed from Hong Kong on 8 and 10 September, during which forward thinking leaders, corporates and startups at the forefront of the PropTech evolution will discuss issues such as immersive retail experiences, real estate in the metaverse, NanoTech in eco-friendly building, and ClimateTech.

Day 5 (9 Sep) - Hosted by KPMG, The Connected Cities Conference will showcase innovations for the next generation of city living. Global and regional speakers will showcase examples of different smart and connected cities around the world, and how IoT, AI, data analytics and other PropTech could enhance a city’s liveability, workability, and sustainability.

Day 6 (10 Sep) – Youth engagement is the predominant focus of the Festival’s final day of events. Asia PropTech Beyond 2022 will resume under the theme “PropTech for Youth” which places emphasis on its youth outreach programme. Meanwhile the accompanying community event Young Pioneers Forum will bring together more than 500 teenagers from 30+ countries and regions to innovate and act towards a more sustainable future through six youth-led programmes.

StartmeupHK Festival is also proud to present a selection of other community events. Our brand new Women Scale-Ups event (5 Sep) will highlight how local entrepreneurs and global businesswomen can succeed in Hong Kong and beyond. On the other hand, participants will also be introduced to the HK Tech 300 – Pitching Arena (6 Sep) by the City University of Hong Kong, a component of the school’s large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme which facilitates startups as they embark on their business journeys.

To register and find out more information about the StartmeupHK Festival 2022, visit the event website www.startmeup.hk/startmeuphk-festival-2022.

Welcoming remarks by Charles Ng, Assistant Director-General of Investment 

Promotion at InvestHK Opening remarks by Jayne Chan, Head of StartmeupHK at InvestHK 

Sharing by organisers of the seven main events on highlighted topics and speakers

About Invest Hong Kong

Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) is the department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and mainland businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. It offers free advice and services to support companies from the planning stage right through to the launch and expansion of their business.

About StartmeupHK

StartmeupHK is an initiative by InvestHK aimed at helping founders of innovative and scalable startups from overseas to set up or expand in Hong Kong. Our services include providing information about the startup ecosystem here in Hong Kong, connecting people to the startup community, hosting startup events and helping to foster a positive environment for startups to thrive.