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Round-Up of Our Final Big Event of the Year ‘Startups of Future Past’ – Part of StartMeUp Week 2014

November 19, 2014 by Iris Leung

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How was your Startmeup Week 2014? Hong Kong’s ecosystem collectively pulled out all stops to showcase technology and entrepreneurship last week, as our city hosted a dizzying total of 48 events in just 5 days.

Our final big event of the year ‘Startups of Future Past’ last Wednesday was a huge success, with over 200 startup supporters in attendance to celebrate three very important birthdays. While our own Gene Soo turned 21 once more, StartupsHK and the Hong Kong startup scene turned 5 this year. ‘Future Past’ served as a look back to 2009 and a forward glance at 2019, and we also introduced six of 2014’s hottest startups.

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: Startmeup Week 2014, Startups of Future Past, StartupsHK

Bitcoin Explained: George Harrap, Founder of ‘Bitspark’ Shares his FAQs About the Complex Virtual Currency

November 18, 2014 by StartupsHK

This is a guest post from George Harrap, the founder and CEO of Bitcoin startup Bitspark.

Bitcoin. You may have heard of it before in a number of different contexts but what is it all about? Let’s dive in and have a look at why this is causing such a buzz.

So what is Bitcoin anyway?

Bitcoin is a decentralised, peer-to-peer, digital currency. What this means is that nobody issues or controls it, payments between two parties are direct with no middleman and you can pay anyone, anywhere in the world instantly with no fees without relying on the legacy banking system. All transactions in the network are maintained in a shared ledger called the ‘blockchain’ where transactions are stored forever and cannot be reversed and this data is open and auditable at the click of a button. Bitcoin is traded 24/7 around the world where It’s value lies in its utility as an open currency, the network of users and the unique products and services the blockchain can provide. One Bitcoin is currently trading around $400 USD.

Why is that good?

At the moment we have to entrust our money to a third party like a bank who manages it for us. Whenever we need to send our money somewhere the bank charges a fee and it can take up to 5 business days to clear (not to mention exchange rate fees). Whenever we need to get a loan we need permission from the bank and they just tell us what the interest rate is. If we want to do anything other than withdraw money from an ATM (for a fee) we need to wait until Monday-Friday business hours when the bank is open.

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Filed Under: Columns Tagged With: Bitcoin, Bitspark, George Harrap

Applications For New B2B Accelerator ‘blueprint’ Closes November 20th; Which 10 Startups Will Make The Cut?

November 17, 2014 by Iris Leung

If you’re a B2B startup looking for a boost, don’t forget to send in an application to ‘blueprint’ before November 20th!

The six-month program backed by Swire Properties employs a “no string’s attached” approach allowing startups to tap into a wealth of resources without having to give up equity. Besides a free workspace, 10 lucky teams will have access to professional support to merge startups with the corporate world, connections to investors and market testing opportunities within Swire’s network. This would include the 300+ companies in TaiKoo Place and the neighboring Cityplaza. The two-floored ‘blueprint’ will also include a co-working space which will also double as a venue for workshops, meetups and pitch events.

We had a chat with Hilary Szymujko (pictured second from right in the above ‘blueprint’ team photo), who heads up all things startups, mentors and investors for ‘blueprint.’ Szymujko has just moved to Hong Kong from London, where she was the investment manager for pan-European accelerator Seedcamp. Back in the UK, Szymujko facilitated the investment deal process for startups and ran ‘Seedcamp Academy’ the fund’s internal learning program for its 125+ portfolio companies.

Szymujko isn’t just lending her expertise to our startup scene but she’s also bridging ecosystem gaps – as Seedcamp has just announced a partnership with ‘blueprint.’ Besides visiting Hong Kong twice a year to run workshops, Seedcamp will also be using ‘blueprint’ as a launchpad for its companies that are keen on expanding into Asia.

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Filed Under: News Tagged With: 500 Startups, Blueprint, casey lau, David Zhu, Fresco Capital Advisors, Hilary Szymujko, Rui Ma, Seedcamp, Swire Properties