Cyberport Investors Network raises over HK$360million for start-ups

HONGKONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 5 Nov 2019 - Cyberport's landmark tech investmentevent, the Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF), officially kicked off today.Its two-day programme featured over 40 leading industry leaders, investors,tech start-ups as well as rising stars from the Cyberport community. The firstday of the event was packed with a plethora of illuminating keynotes and paneldiscussions which addressed the overarching theme of "New Frontier of TechVenturing" and uncovered the latest trends in the tech venture capitalmarket. The forum also officially announced the outstanding achievements of theCyberport Investors Network (CIN) over the past two years which raisedup to HK$360 million of funds for its start-ups.

Nicholas Yang, Secretary for Innovation andTechnology of the Hong Kong SAR, Dr George Lam, Chairman of Cyberport, Mr PeterYan, CEO of Cyberport, Mr Duncan Chiu, Chairman of Steering Group of the CIN,and the new Chairperson, Mrs Cindy Chow officiated the forum'sopening ceremony together.

Dr George Lam: HongKong's technological development to grow and thrive despite obstacles 

In his welcome remarks, DrGeorge Lam, Chairman of Cyberport, expressed his confidence in the venturecapital market in Hong Kong. "Despite the impact brought on by the macroenvironment, the rapid development of technology and digital transformation inAsia has not slowed down.The Cyberport Macro Fundhas invested HK$106 million in 14 start-ups, and has brought in close to HK$500million in co-investments since its launch. This brings the total amount ofinvestments in start-ups to more than HK$600 million, which exemplifies thestrength and potential of Hong Kong's start-ups. Facing the challenges ahead, Ibelieve Hong Kong's development in innovation and technology will continue tomarch forward while seizing new opportunities arising from the Greater BayArea."

BridgingInvestors and Start-ups

CVCFalso marked the second anniversary of CIN which has built a network of over 100investors, including venture capital funds, private equity, angel investmentsand family investment offices. The forum celebrated CIN's success in raising anaggregated amount of HK$360 million for the Cyberport community andsuccessfully matching 26 partnerships throughout the past two years. MrsCindy Chow, Executive Director of Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund,officially succeeded Mr Duncan Chiu, Co-Founder and Managing Directorof Radiant Venture Capital, as the new steering group chairperson of theCIN at the forum.

Mr Duncan Chiu,Chairman of Steering Group of the CIN said, "Beyond the heartening progress we'vemade in investments, this year we were successful in bringing in more investorsfrom the Greater Bay Area, increasing the total number to over 20. We believethis will stimulate deal flow and help our local start-ups tapping into theGreater Bay Area market, all while promoting synergy and development within theregion's technology ecosystem." 

Mrs Cindy Chow, thenew Chairperson of the CIN, expects the Network to experience continued growthand promote synergy between more start-ups and member investors, furtherstimulating the start-up investment landscape, all while driving new impetus inthe local venture capital market.   

Exploring corporateventure capital and technology investment

One of the forum'sfocuses is on corporate venture and an impressive line-up includingrepresentatives from C capital, CLP Holdings, PM Equity Partner and ChinaResources Capital was assembled to impart insight on their partnerships withprivate and institutional investors to create value for their own businesses. MrJosemaria Siota, Director of Research of IESE Business School, was presentto dispel the seven myths of corporate venturing backed by results from hisrecent report findings.

With the overarching theme "New Frontier of Tech Venturing", theevent uncovered the multi-faceted dimensions of tech funding, including therise of corporate venturing, an outlook on the tech investment scene in the US,China and the Belt & Road region, strategy formulation for family and earlystage investments, the latest funding tech platforms and more.

Heavyweight speaker,Mr Michael Zhu, Managing Partner of Gobi Partners China, delivered anin-depth overview of current market development as well as future trendpredictions of high-tech venture investments in China and along Belt and Roadcountries. Mr Dan Brody, Managing Director of Tencent Investment,imparted his insight on international investment opportunities.

The ideal platform toshowcase start-up potential

To showcaseCyberport companies' cutting edge technologies and facilitate investment matching, over 30 local start-ups, including many from the Cyberport Community, showcased their products and solutions at the Innovator Showcase,while the Founder Stage featured start-ups in thefields of FinTech, InsurTech, digital entertainment, esports, and smart livingto pitch their innovative projects to investors.  One-on-one onsite meetings were alsopre-scheduled and carried out at the event based on mutual investment appetitesand funding demands via the forum's exclusive online Investor Matching platformto facilitate investment and fundraising opportunities.

About Cyberport

Cyberport is an innovative digital community with around1,400 start-ups and technology companies. It is managed by Hong Kong CyberportManagement Company Limited, which is wholly owned by the Hong Kong SARGovernment. With a vision to be the hub for digital technology thereby creatinga new economic driver for Hong Kong, Cyberport is committed to nurturing avibrant tech ecosystem by cultivating talent, promoting entrepreneurship amongyouth, supporting start-ups on their growth journey, fostering industrydevelopment by promoting strategic collaboration with local and internationalpartners, and integrating new and traditional economies by accelerating digitaltransformation in the public and private sectors. For more information, pleasevisit www.cyberport.hk