Over the last one and a half year or so, startups started to appear on the radar of the Hong Kong government. Slowly a realisation started that (tech) startups are different than the regular small and medium enterprise and as such have different needs.
A sign of interest was that Startup Weekend was visited by senior officials of the Office of the Government chief information officer (OGCIO). Ms. Joey Lam, JP (Deputy Chief Information Officer, responsible for Policy and Community), where she handed out some of the prizes for the winners of the 3rd edition. Talking to participants and seeing them in action must have created some inspiration as the next edition SWHK was invited to be part of the IT Fest.
It triggered a whole series of activities within the OGCIO culminating into a new initiative supportive of startups. The OGCIO has created istartup.gov.hk – an on and offline platform serving as a one stop shop for tech startups. Online, a fresh looking website provides an area to showcase your startup, or an opportunity to find mentors or investors.
Information on formalities like funding through government grants and registering can be found conveniently in one location. “Supports” is a section where you would find information on funding and loan schemes, but also about related university programmes and co-working spaces. Important is the area of connectors, highlighting organisations that can be beneficial for you. So quite a wide range of topics is covered.
If you’d rather speak to a person, there is an area reserved at the Hong Kong Productivity Council in Kowloon Tong. Staff there is there to help you answer questions you might have regarding starting and running your business.
The interesting part is that they are using somewhat of a lean approach to the site as explained by the chief information officer Daniel Lai during his opening speech. So they started with an initial version and are welcoming feedback and input for the next iteration. Check out istartup.gov.hk and step by the desk at the Productivity Council.
It is a positive sign government is showing interest in the startup scene. This was already shown by the startmeup.hk programme by InvestHK. Interesting times are ahead in seeing how the government can help create an environment where startups can thrive.
Thanks to Marcel Ekkel for covering this launch for us and providing photos.
Well, that’s a good starting point!
Better late than never, I guess!
Patrick