BIP Asia Forum and Entrepreneur Day opens today

HONG KONG, Dec 6, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) – 5 December 2024, The 14th Business of IP Asia Forum (BIP Asia Forum), jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and the 16th Entrepreneur Day (E-Day), hosted by the HKTDC, begin today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The two events feature forums, exhibitions, competitions, workshops, and business matching sessions.

Over 160 global intellectual property (IP) owners, users, experts, industry leaders, venture capitalists, and other prominent figures have gathered to discuss IP commercialisation, valuation and branding, cross-industry applications, emerging trends in innovation and technology (I&T), opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, ASEAN, and international prospects. More than 400 start-ups and innovative projects are showcased their products and technologies.

Eric Chan, Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Dr Peter K N Lam, Chairman of the HKTDC; and Hu Wenhui, Deputy Commissioner of the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), attended the opening ceremony of the BIP Asia Forum this morning and delivered speeches.

In his welcome remarks, Dr Lam said: “Hong Kong is a creative place and our films, TV shows, music, fashion and art are known worldwide. Hong Kong is also a place of scientific and technological innovation. The Global Innovation Index 2024 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ranked the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou science and technology cluster second globally for the fifth consecutive year. Hong Kong is an international trading and investment centre, so we need to provide a free and fair environment in which to do business. It is in our very interest to protect IP rights. The Business of IP Asia Forum brings together intellectual property professionals and business leaders from all over the world to discuss the latest developments in the IP world and to explore collaboration opportunities.”

Mr Chan said in his opening remarks: “Our strategy for ensuring Hong Kong’s rise as a regional IP trading leader is built on two key pillars. First, enhancing IP infrastructure. We will update the Copyright Ordinance and the registered design regime to meet demand today and tomorrow. Legislative amendments will also be proposed to streamline IP litigation, allowing our courts to manage such cases more effectively. Second, we are building an IP savvy workforce and our Intellectual Property Department will work with the Qualifications Framework Secretariat to develop IP training materials for 23 industries. It will also advance our plans to introduce regulatory arrangements for local patent agents.”

BIP Asia Forum promotes high-quality growth

This year’s BIP Asia Forum, themed “Reimagining IP for Impact and Growth”, features insights from industry leaders worldwide.

During the “Policy Dialogue – Reimagining IP for Impact and Growth” session, Wang Binying, Deputy Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, said: “Global IP filings have shown mixed results in 2023. These figures prove that there is a continued willingness of investment in IP, and innovative movement worldwide in general. It also posed a question, how do we keep faster development and change downsides into positives' An important way to improve this trend is to do promote IP financing, in particular, financing high-risk, high-potential startups and emerging technologies.”

The first day’s Plenary Session, titled “Unlocking Business Success with IPs”, features Michael Moriarty, Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort; Guy Riddell, Managing Director of Peninsula Merchandising Limited; and Dr Na Wei, Senior Director of IP Licensing at Xiaomi. This headline session covers how to effectively combine brand, IP, and technology to drive sustainable business growth, explore new business opportunities and enhance the customer experience.

In-depth discussion on the potential of IP financing

The afternoon session, “IP Valuation and Financing” explores various IP valuation methods, and the potential of IPs as financing tools for businesses. The session features Martin Brassell, Co-founder and CEO of Inngot Limited; Roland Emmans, Head of Technology & Growth Lending at HSBC UK Bank Plc; and Nicolas Konialidis, Asia Director and Technical Director of the Business Valuation Board (BVB) at International Valuations Standards Council (IVSC).

This year, the BIP Asia Forum and Entrepreneur Day jointly present the Global Tech Summit; a two-day series of sessions exploring the transformative impact and opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) across various industries, including food and agriculture, sports, real estates, communications and Web3. The “Startup Playbook” series also offers practical insights into developing start-ups, and provides in-depth and practical tips.

Tomorrow, the Forum will feature two Plenary Sessions. In the morning, Jake Hwang, Chief Manager of Story IP Business at Kakao Entertainment Corp., will share insights on “Reimagining Content IP”, drawing on his experience with online novels, comics, and animation IPs such as What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Business Proposal, and Run On. In the afternoon, “Responsibility of AI: Ethics, Inclusion, Impact”, featuring Theodora Lau, Founder of Unconventional Ventures, will focus on ethical issues related to AI.

The afternoon session “IPHatch Asia – New Horizons in IP” will feature experts and tech entrepreneurs from Asia, shedding light on fresh IP pathways and the evolving role of IP in fostering business growth, while presenting insightful sharing by women in technology entrepreneurship. IPHatch Asia 2025 will also be launched during the session.

The Forum’s Innovation and IP Market brings together more than 20 innovative projects from universities, R&D centres, start-ups and technology companies in areas such as smart healthcare, smart living, AI and robotics, and sustainability under the theme of “Smart City Innovation”.

E-Day shines a spotlight on innovation and empowers start-ups

This year’s E-Day, themed “Where Start-up Dreams Take Flight”, brings together over 340 start-ups, invention projects, and support services from 13 countries and regions. Through business matching sessions and networking activities, the event provides a comprehensive analysis of I&T trends. The exhibition showcases innovative technologies, covering healthcare, AI and green tech.

Other exhibitors include the first-ever Thailand pavilion at E-Day, led by the Department of International Trade Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand, showcases 10 start-ups. The Australian pavilion, led by Investment NSW for the second year, features local green tech start-ups. Locally, the first ever “Hong Kong Innovation Pavilion” by the HKSARG Digital Policy Office joins E-Day and showcases over 30 award-winning projects and promotes outstanding local tech innovations.

In the Innovation Frontiers: Elite Winners Dialogue session, award winners share their successful practices in applying innovative technologies to promote inclusive smart living. While the Symposium of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area, organised by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, invites funded enterprises under the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the GBA to share their experiences and success stories of starting businesses.

The first day’s T-Chat – Changes, Challenges and Chances: A Startup's Guide to Navigating the AI Era features Martin Karafilis, CEO of Fishburners, and Keith Jackson, Chair of the Hong Kong UK Business Forum. Mr Karafilis said, “Anytime you’re looking at scaling a company, it’s about expanding your circle of competence. The way I did this was to hire experts and professionals in certain fields that then enabled that to expand. Something a bit different now in the AI era is that you can infinitely expand your competence. Using AI tools, you’re actually able to present to investors an ability to go into new markets, to produce new products, or to work on technical products that maybe you originally didn’t have any experience in.”

Prof Jackson said: “AI is not a panacea or silver bullet. You have to use it selectively in a targeted way, because it’s new and we’re all learning how to use it in a supportive way. Artificial intelligence is not emotional intelligence. A lot of business is derived from relationships, nurturing those relationships, and particularly as you expand to a lot of markets, doing that with some intercultural communication competence.”

Tomorrow, the HKTDC will co-organise the Rising Stars: Gen Z Entrepreneurs seminar with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, which will feature Ugochi Owo, CEO of Flindel; Ryan Lee, Chief Financial Officer of OAO Limited; and Maurice Chang, CEO & Co-founder of Mindplus AI, to share how the new generation of entrepreneurs leverages technology and innovative strategies to turn their visions into reality.

Outstanding global start-ups gather at Start-up Express: International Edition

The popular Start-up Express: International Edition returns for the third successive year at E-Day with 10 winning start-ups covering augmented reality (AR) surgical navigation systems, AI English tutors, sustainable footwear made from recycled materials, modular robotic seats, and climate tech solutions. Fourteen start-ups are present on the first day of E-Day to share their entrepreneurial experiences and insights.

Additionally, InnoClub, the one-stop platform co-developed by the HKTDC and Hang Seng Bank, also hosts the InnoClub Award Presentation Ceremony and Networking Reception on the first day of E-Day to recognise the outstanding achievements of InnoClub members in I&T.

Adding to the excitement of the BIP Asia Forum and E-Day is DesignInspire, held concurrently from 5 to 7 December at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. DesignInspire brings together global design and creative leaders, trendsetting brands, associations, and academies to promote next generation creativity through a series of interactive exhibits, design masterpieces, and award-winning projects.

Websites:

BIP Asia Forum: https://bipasia.hktdc.com/en/
Entrepreneur Day: https://portal.hktdc.com/eday/en
Start-up Express International: https://portal.hktdc.com/startupexpress/en/s/start-up-express-international

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About the HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong ’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly SMEs, in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.