The visit showcased Hong Kong’s appeal as a launchpad for global talent and startups to the winners of a pitch competition hosted by Hong Kong Talent Engage in partnership with Germany’s Young Founders Network

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2025 – Twelve outstanding young innovation and technology (I&T) talents and six organisers from Germany completed an intensive five-day trip to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, co-organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) and Germany’s Young Founders Network (YFN). The visit aimed to provide the young I&T talents with an in-depth exploration of the twin city’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, industry support and I&T opportunities in innovation and technology, following the successful pitch competition held earlier this year in Munich, Germany in June this year.

Mr Chris SUN, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said, “Talent and technology are the key engines driving high-quality economic and social development. The Government will continue to promote complementarity and synergy between Hong Kong and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as well as facilitate the integration of technology and talent with a view to fostering the economic development of Hong Kong and contributing to the impetus of national development.”

SUN added that Hong Kong leapt to fourth place globally and first in Asia in the World Talent Ranking 2025, and that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster was ranked first globally by the World Intellectual Property Organization, reflecting the high international recognition of Hong Kong’s appeal to talent and the GBA’s innovation capacity.

A closer look at the Hong Kong potential

The 18-member delegation visited the Hong Kong Science Park, the Shatin Communications and Technology Centre of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Center as well as the Qianhai International Talent Innovation and Exchange Centre in Shenzhen, and exchanged views with representatives from the Government’s investment promotion agency, technology enterprises and start-ups from Hong Kong and Mainland China. The delegation also toured various landmarks in Hong Kong to experience the unique charm of Asia’s world city.

“Hong Kong and Shenzhen have completely changed my perception of what’s possible in Asia,” said Sophie Defauw, Co-Founder and CEO of AthleteIQ, which is tackling sports injuries with a patent-pending device that predicts muscle overuse injuries minutes in advance. “The level of innovation here, combined with its access to the Greater Bay Area and Southeast Asia, makes it a very attractive development hub, especially for my startup to explore business expansion, validate product-market fit in Asia, and connect with hardware accelerators.”

“We’re especially interested in high-end manufacturing, construction, and mobility industries with the efficient supply chain in Hong Kong and Shenzhen,” said Isa Taflan, Co-Founder and CFO, Fibclick, who is revolutionising composite manufacturing through an end-to-end automated tool design system, combining AI, simulation, and augmented reality. “The innovation clusters and regional access offer great collaboration potential and this programme with HKTE was eye-opening.”

Leveraging an abundance of resources and more

In June this year, HKTE visited Munich, Germany, and co-organised a pitch competition on I&T and entrepreneurship with the local youth entrepreneurship organisation. Twelve winning I&T talents were invited to visit Hong Kong and Shenzhen together with representatives from the organisation and judges of the event.

HKTE has completed about 70 outreach visits and hosted more than 170 talent promotional programmes on Mainland China and overseas. The office will enhance its external promotion to recruit more global talent with diverse backgrounds, and provide comprehensive support services to assist incoming talent in integrating into Hong Kong, building the city into an international hub for high-calibre talent.

Learn more about Hong Kong’s dynamic opportunities, vibrant lifestyle, and welcoming environment here: https://www.hkengage.gov.hk/en/.

Hashtag: #HongKongTalentEngage #HKTE

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About Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE)

HKTE, an office under the Labour and Welfare Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is committed to promoting Hong Kong’s advantages, opportunities, and various talent admission schemes in different global markets while providing comprehensive one-stop support services for incoming talents to facilitate their settlement and integration into Hong Kong for long-term development.