The Grand Final and Awarding Dinner of the HKUST-Sino One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2020 were successfully held recently. This year the Competition received more than 1800 entrepreneurship plans from 8 regions, namely Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Yangtze Delta, Zhongshan, Foshan, Hong Kong and Macau. The top 20 teams were picked among the top 3 of each region to battle for the exclusive million-dollar championship. After a fierce competition, this year’s triumph of the nation eventually went to Sitan Technology with a one-million-dollar cash prize.
The Competition has already made a path of a decade since its establishment in 2011. Since 2016, the Competition started to step out of HKUST campus and expand from a single-region match to an 8-region one, growing into a renowned entrepreneurship contest in the Greater China region. As the platinum sponsor of the Hong Kong region, GF Securities has intensely sponsored the Competition for 4 consecutive years and set up the GF Innovation Award for 2 years in a row, to support certain spectacularly innovative business plans.
The winner of the President Award, the highest rank in Hong Kong region, as well as the GF Innovation Award, sponsored by GF Securities Co., Ltd. (“GF Securities”, stock code: 1776.HK; 000776.SZ), was the biotech start-up SPES Tech. It defeated other candidates with its proprietary photosensitive hydrogel that possesses a higher bioactivity and simulates a more flexible and accurate microscopic human cell environment for biomedical studies. SPES Tech was also shortlisted for the Grand Final, competing against other finalists from the 8 regions across the nation.
Through participating in the Competition, SPES Tech team believed that not only have they gained an attractive cash prize for testing and research but also a more in-depth understanding of product commercialisation as well as feedback and opinions from the judges from a business perspective. Furthermore, the team has been connected with more industrial friends in the healthcare sector, which is extremely helpful for their future development.
As a sophisticated sponsor for the Competition, GF Securities also provided professional opinions and guidance with its own abundant resources and experience. Dr Yingying Chen, Managing Director at GF Investments (Hong Kong) Company Limited (“GF Investments (Hong Kong)”), also an experienced investor, once again participated as an adjudicator in the final of Hong Kong region this year. Dr Yingying Chen said, “I am so honoured to represent GF Securities again as the adjudicator. As a direct investment firm which focuses on domestic and overseas equity investments in Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and possesses rich resources of start-up investments as well as management experience, GF Investments (Hong Kong) has always been closely following outstanding start-ups in every field. This year’s competition has been an extremely intense one, and lots of distinguished entrepreneur teams have flocked, both showing Hong Kong youths’ passion in entrepreneurship and the current friendly environment.” Dr Chen also mentioned, compared to last year, this year she saw more projects in the biomedical field, exactly in which GF Investments (Hong Kong) has been most interested. The COVID-19 pandemic and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong welcoming pre-profit biotech firms to list in Hong Kong were believed to be possible reasons. Students have utilised Hong Kong’s blessed financial advantages, stayed tuned with changes in the capital market and astutely observed the current atmosphere, thus producing plenty of innovative technologies and ideas. GF Securities and its subsidiary, GF Investments (Hong Kong), will continue to help effectively match exceptional projects with funds and resources, boosting the development of start-ups and contributing to nurturing more brilliant entrepreneurs.
As one of the most influential brokers in the Chinese capital market, GF Securities has always been adhering to its community motto of “Gathering love and giving from the heart.” In China, GF Securities has also carried out the campaign of “Micro-entrepreneurs in Universities” for 6 consecutive years through GF Securities Social Charity Foundation. Since 2015, GF Securities has already donated RMB20.2 million, in which RMB4.5 million was for the supporting foundation for university entrepreneurs. To date, 176 micro-entrepreneurship tutors and nearly 40 high schools, including Peking University and Tsinghua University, have profoundly participated in the campaign, impacting tens of millions of people in manifold ways. This campaign aims to support and aid youth’s dreams of entrepreneurship by encouraging and advising university students to broaden their horizons, optimise their entrepreneur projects and match risk investment resources. Looking forward, GF Securities will bear its original aspiration in mind and make use of its influence, committing to charity with actual deeds and fully supporting entrepreneurship of the young generation.