This June marks Hong Kong’s first Intangible Cultural Heritage Month, but while celebrating the city’s unique background, it is even more important to remember that its social identity extends beyond food and art, seeping into every urban dweller and business stream. Just take the vibrant local entrepreneurial scene as an example, the findings from InvestHK’s 2024 Startup Survey revealed that 28% of startup founders were non-locals, originating from Mainland China, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Australia and other economies.
  
Hong Kong’s geological location has been proved to offer a gateway for overseas companies itching to enter China, as well as a launchpad for Mainland Chinese companies looking to jumpstart their global expansion. Leveraging this strategic positioning, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has entered a partnership with InvestHK and Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) to launch the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program, providing necessary resources to help budding startups and ambitious SMEs reach the global marketplace.

Young businesses often struggle to scale due to the lack of connections, which is a major challenge in which the AWS Hong Kong Landing Program seeks to tackle. By offering access to a thriving partner ecosystem, combined with Hong Kong’s free flow of capital, information, talent and services, businesses can dip their toes in the fragrant harbour before further expanding into ASEAN and international markets.

When asked about Hong Kong’s role in driving cross-border success, Wendy Chow, Head of Information and Communications Technology at InvestHK, remarked, “Hong Kong is the most international city in China, having been rated as one of the freest economies in the world for many years. Most importantly, businesses thrive on collaboration and connection. Working with government bodies and industry partners within and beyond Hong Kong accelerates the business development of any newcomers in a market.”