Press Releases

(Hong Kong, 15 September 2022) StartmeupHK Festival 2022 officially came to a close on 10 September after a busy week of events and activities centred around startups, changemakers and emerging technologies. Organised by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), the week-long Festival drew over 20,000 participants from more than 100 countries and territories, comprising of industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, tech enthusiasts and government officials.

(Hong Kong, 9 August 2022) 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.

According to the 2021 Startup Survey conducted by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK), Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem remains vibrant despite the ongoing economic challenges of the global pandemic. This year’s results revealed that the overall number of start-ups in the city reached a record high of 3 755, up 12 per cent from the figure in 2020, showcasing a positive impact on the job market across different business sectors with the number of staff hired by start-ups rebounding from that of last year by 29 per cent.

On Wednesday 6 October, the HKSAR Government (the Government) presented “The Chief Executive’s Policy Address 2021”, which outlined its long-term vision of further integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the many benefits that this brings to the Hong Kong startup economy.

According to the latest results of annual surveys, the number of business operations in Hong Kong with parent companies overseas or in the Mainland has risen to 9 049 and the number of start-ups in Hong Kong has increased to 3 755 in 2021, both reaching record highs. The record high figures demonstrate fully that Hong Kong’s business environment remains favourable, which makes Hong Kong an ideal place for companies to set up or expand their businesses.

The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Mr Stephen Phillips, said that the report, announced by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, on September 27, sets out very clearly the exciting opportunities for businesses from around the world in Hong Kong and at the same time sets the record straight about international investors’ misconceptions of Hong Kong as a result of persistent biased media reports in some quarters.