Renowned futurist addresses post-COVID-19 issues at E-Day event

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 29 June 2020 -The HKTDC Entrepreneur Day(E-Day), organised by the Hong KongTrade Development Council (HKTDC), will be held at the Hong Kong Conventionand Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) on 16 and 17 July 2020. Under the theme "Revive‧Redefine", thetwo-day event will bring together more than 30 speakers and 180 exhibitors, highlightingthe practical and inspirational aspects of start-ups that can help to ensurethe survival, growth, transformation and sustainability of the current businessecosystem in the face of significant changes and challenges.

As theanchor start-up initiative run by the HKTDC, E-Day serves as a one-stopplatform for start-ups to get inspired, seek funding, source talents and buildconnections, and for investors to discover innovative new products andservices. In light of the current pandemic, E-Day has undergone atransformation in terms of both content and format. Seminars held as part ofE-Day will be broadcast live to reach a broader audience across theworld, while the HKTDC willalso arrange online meetings between start-ups and investors.

Insightsinto the future of entrepreneurship

Enteringits 12^th edition, this year's E-Day presents a strong line-up ofspeakers. For the first time, a futurist will address the audience on emergingissues in the post-COVID-19 era in a seminar titled "T-Chat -- Futurizing YourBusiness: Renaissance from the Age of Digitalisation". The talk will feature GerdLeonhard, CEO of The Futures Agency, who will shed light on future trendsin such areas as business, society and governance in the context of exponentialtechnological progress.

Gerd Leonhard, CEO of The Futures Agency

In a technology-dominated era, automation and artificialintelligence (AI) are becoming the main drivers for many businesses. TheCOVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated digitalisation by putting "remote everything"as the default setting. Addressingthe audience from Switzerland, Mr Leonhard will share how the future ofjobs, work and commerce is being redefined amid the challenges andtransformation brought about by the pandemic; examine the role of innovation, creativity andentrepreneurship in creating major breakthroughs in a technology-dominatedfuture; and look at what start-ups and entrepreneurs can do to befuture-ready. He will bejoined by Karena Belin, CEO & Co-Founder of WHub, Dr ToaCharm, Associate Professor, Business School, the Chinese University of HongKong, and Herbert Chia, Venture Partner at Sequoia Capital China, todiscuss how COVID-19 will shape decision-making for start-ups, incubators andventure capitalists in Hong Kong and Asia. They will also answer questions fromthe floor.

Mr Leonhardis one of the world's leading futurists whose work focuses on thefuture of humanity and technology, digital ethics, AI, future-leadership andcommunications. He has taken part in some 2,000 engagements in more than 60countries since 2004, boasting a global audience of more than 2.5 million people.

Howchallenges lead to opportunities

A seminartitled From Crisis to Chances will examine how entrepreneurs are able toturn challenging situations into opportunities, offering inspiration to theaudience. Highlighting Hong Kong's research excellence and the city'sexperience in containing the COVID-19 outbreak, Professor YeungKing-lun from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will sharehow his team reacted to the challenges presented by the global pandemic todevelop a smart anti-microbial coating, the Multilevel Antimicrobial Polymer (MAP-1) coating, to control infectious diseases. Designed for use on different surfacesincluding wood, glass, metals, concrete, plastics, fabrics, leathers andtextiles, the coasting provides lasting protection and surface disinfectionagainst microbial contamination for a period of up to 90 days. The university,in collaboration with industrial partner Chiaphua Industries Limited, hasapplied the smart coating in more than 70 day-care centres, homes for theelderly, kindergartens and primary and secondary schools. In addition, Professor HC Man, Dean of theFaculty of Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will share on howhis team launched the General Use Face Shield, to provideenhanced protection for the public and minimise the risk of virus transmission withinthe community.

Businessopportunities are also arising for start-ups in fields such as fintech,smart city and education technology. Katherine Cheung, Chief MarketingOfficer of on-demand online tutoring platform Snapask, will share on how recentsocial distancing measures have unleashed opportunities for the Hong Kong-basedstart-up in both local and overseas markets.

Founded five years ago, Snapask is now serving over 3.2million students with more than 350,000 tutors across eight Asian locations --Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Korea.The start-up has registered an increase of 1.3 million users over the past 12months, including a big surge due to the suspension of classes amid the COVID-19pandemic. In Hong Kong, the platform currently has some 40,000 tutors and 200,000 active users, most of whom arehigh school students with a high percentage of them preparing for the Hong KongDiploma of Secondary Education examination. Some parents also seek advice whilehelping their primary school kids with their homework. Understanding the demand from students studying late at night, Snapask haspushed the boundaries of traditional tutoring to offer a 24-hour service. Apartfrom its app, Snapask is also developing business-to-business (B2B) solutions usingAI technology to provide personalised learning resources through big dataanalysis.

Pioneeringideas help to redefine industries

The E-Day plenarysession, Revive‧Redefine,will feature two start-ups thatare helping to redefine their respective industries through pioneering ideas. WilliamIp, Managing Director of Carousell Hong Kong, will share how thecompany has promoted the concept of a "sharing" future through its customer-to-customer(C2C) marketplace, which has recently been evolving into a business-to-consumer(B2C) Platform. Crystal Pang, Co-Founder of Pickupp, willintroduce how the start-up is redefining the delivery industry and expandingits business in the Asian market. Pickupp also works with genetictesting and digital health company Prenetics to provide a door-to-door saliva specimen collection service for patientswho need to undergo COVID-19 testing.

The newly launched Enterprise Connect series, featuringArup, Fung Group and P&G, will showcase howenterprises can join hands with start-ups to create shared value and revivebusinesses across different industry pillars. The series offers unparalleledopportunities -- including speaker sessions, networking sessions and businessmatching activities -- for corporations and start-ups to connect and explorepotential collaboration.

Exhibitiondetails

Seminardetails

Day 1

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About HKTDC

Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 50 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With over 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: https://www.hktdc.com/aboutus.