The Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO), Mr Bill Wong, attended the “PowerUp Pitch Competition,” hosted by the PULSE Committee of the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association (Toronto Chapter) on April 29. The competition provided a platform for Canadian startups in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science, smart city, and health-tech sectors to showcase innovative business ideas and explore expansion opportunities in Hong Kong and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
The event was a collaborative initiative of the HKETO, Invest Hong Kong in Canada and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council through the Economic and Trade Express platform.
In his opening remarks, Mr Wong highlighted Hong Kong’s rapid transformation into a leading smart city, driven by the widespread adoption of AI, robust digital infrastructure, open data initiatives, and technology-enhanced public services, noting that these efforts have earned the city strong international recognition.
He said that a thriving start-up ecosystem is key to smart city development. He noted that Hong Kong is home to more than 5,200 startups employing nearly 20,000 technology professionals, with strong growth in sectors such as health technology alongside its well-established fintech industry.
“To further encourage this development, we have enhanced the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund to leverage more market capital and provide government funding to promote investments in I&T start-ups of strategic industries, including AI and data science as well as life and health technology,” Mr Wong said.
He added that Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks and Cyberport, together with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, provide comprehensive support to startups, including funding, mentorship, investor matching, and market expansion opportunities.
Encouraging participants to look beyond Canada, Mr Wong urged young entrepreneurs to take advantage of Hong Kong’s dynamic innovation ecosystem and consider the city as a strategic base for scaling their businesses into Asia.
The Pitch Competition featured 31 startups from Toronto on AI and Data Tech, Smart City, and Health Tech. The winning team received a prize package that included a round-trip ticket to Hong Kong sponsored by Cathay Pacific, as well as nomination to incubation programmes in Hong Kong.
香港經貿辦鼓勵年輕企業家把握香港機遇
香港經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿辦）處長王國彪於四月二十九日出席由香港加拿大商會（多倫多分會）青年組織PULSE主辦的營商業務推廣個案比賽。該比賽為來自人工智能與數據科學、智慧城市及健康科技領域的加拿大初創企業提供平台，展示創新商業理念，並探討拓展在香港及亞太地區業務的機會。
上述活動為香港經貿辦、投資推廣署加拿大辦事處及香港貿易發展局透過「經貿一站通」平台的協作項目。
王國彪在致開幕辭時表示，透過廣泛應用人工智能、完善數碼基礎設施、開放數據政策，以及以科技提升公共服務水平等措施，香港正迅速轉型為世界領先的智慧城市，並廣獲國際認可。
他表示，蓬勃的初創生態圈是推動智慧城市發展的關鍵。香港現時擁有超過5,200間初創企業，聘用近二萬名科技專才；除金融科技外，健康科技等領域亦錄得顯著增長。
王國彪說：「為進一步推動此發展，我們已優化創科創投基金，以帶動更多市場資本，並提供政府資助，促進對具戰略意義產業的科技初創企業的投資，特別是人工智能與數據科學，以及生命與健康科技領域。」
他補充說，香港科技園公司、數碼港，連同港深創新及科技園，為初創企業提供全面支援，包括資金、導師指導、投資者配對及市場拓展機會。
王國彪鼓勵與會者放眼加拿大以外市場，善用香港充滿活力的創新科技生態圈，並考慮以香港作為拓展亞洲業務的策略據點。
是次比賽匯聚來自多倫多的31間在人工智能與數據科技、智慧城市及健康科技領域的初創企業。勝出隊伍獲得豐富獎勵，包括由國泰航空贊助的香港來回機票，以及提名參加香港的培育計劃等。
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