Global accelerators and incubators set up Hong Kong branches to bring start-ups to the city, cultivate local ventures
- China’s ATLATL Innovation Centre and California-headquartered Founder Institute are setting up offices in Hong Kong to cultivate start-ups locally
- Both companies will utilise a 300-hectare space provided by the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park
Start-up accelerators and incubators are setting up offices in Hong Kong, as they aim to nurture dozens of global start-ups in collaboration with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP) to support the city’s goal to become an international tech hub.
ATLATL Innovation Centre – a Shanghai-headquartered biomedical research accelerator with offices in Beijing, Shenzhen and Singapore – will invest HK$50 million (US$6.39 million) in the next three years to build a team in Hong Kong and bring at least 20 start-ups to the city from around the world.
“Hong Kong has some of the top universities worldwide, and it has the scientific research capabilities and talent,” Joe Zhou, executive president at ATLATL, told the South China Morning Post recently.
“We hope to leverage the city’s existing advantages and provide it with a better platform to help these scientists release their innovations and make the transition to businesses more smooth and easier.”
Founder Institute, the world’s largest pre-seed start-up accelerator and headquartered in California, also announced last week it would establish an office in Hong Kong and cultivate at least 100 global start-ups in the city per year, from sectors such as life science, big data and artificial intelligence.
