The Dream Factory of China

The first 2016 Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovative Startups Competition is being held in Hong Kong and Qianhai, where approximately 200 teams in total are competing.

Applications for the 2016 competition opened April 27. “Youth from the mainland and Hong Kong have shown great enthusiasm for the activity, so even after the deadline of Aug. 10 had passed, there were still teams asking to participate in the competition and we are discussing whether to let them in,” said Zhang Ying, who is in charge of the competition.

Zhang said, “One of the characteristics of the competition is that participants who enter the finals and teams that want to promote themselves can attend a Shenzhen-Hong Kong youth entrepreneurship training camp at the end of September. Professional and international investors will be invited to instruct those teams.”

The competition is divided into two arenas, one in Hong Kong and one in Qianhai. Preliminary rounds of the competitions will be held separately, while participants from both Shenzhen and Hong Kong who enter the finals can compete together at the same stage. Two preliminary rounds of competition ended in Hong Kong on Aug. 19 and the first round of competition in Shenzhen was held Friday.

“Hong Kong teams grow very fast and are especially good at Internet-based and big data products. They have international vision and even aim at entering international markets including Silicon Valley. The competition will greatly enhance the communication and understanding between youth from the mainland and Hong Kong,” Zhang added.

According to Zhang, a total of HK$1.2 million will be provided to teams as rewards. Teams that win the first, second and third prizes can enjoy free office space provided by the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub for six months and will be recommended to other competitions.

The Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovative Startups Competition is expected to be held every year in the future.