As Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem continues to evolve, it provides strong momentum for Hong Kong to develop as a springboard for connecting global startups and venture capitalists with ideas, projects, capital and talent, government officials and VC investors said.

They made their remarks at Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF) 2025, held on Thursday. Themed “Innovation –Venture Nexus: Igniting Transformative Success”, the two-day forum attracted some 100 global venture capital experts, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to explore the evolving global VC landscape driven by artificial intelligence.

“Hong Kong has long been an ideal landing place for I&T enterprises and investors from the Chinese mainland and overseas,” Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said during the session’s opening remarks.

The technology chief added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will develop AI as a key industry for reinforcing the city’s status as an international I&T center.

“Recognizing the potential of AI as a key driver for our future growth, we continue to strengthen the AI readiness of our community, from upgrading our digital infrastructure, to establishing our own AI research institute, to grooming talent on the AI front,” Sun said.

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Welcoming the attendees, Simon Chan Sai-ming, chairman of Cyberport, remarked: “The Hong Kong market has been a trusted launchpad for high growth companies, and this strong momentum is supported by the government’s innovative measures to support technology companies listing, enhanced market infrastructure and the provision of incentives for high growth sectors.”

Chan added that this year the CVCF will set its sights on thriving VC markets, such as the Middle East, ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the Chinese mainland, and evaluate opportunities arising from countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR government, Cyberport is the SAR’s digital technology hub and AI accelerator, with its AI Supercomputing Centre and AI Lab as the two major engines driving technology commercialization. The technology incubator has over 2,300 companies, including 13 listed companies and 10 unicorns. And these Cyberport-incubated companies have raised a cumulative total funding of HK$46 billion ($5.89 billion).

It has been eight years since the establishment of the Cyberport Investors Network (CIN) in 2017 as a strategic bridge to connect global startups with venture capital.

Over the last eight years, CIN has facilitated some HK$4.3 billion in cumulative funding into 109 projects. CIN’s investment units now exceed 220, with 15 percent from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and 14 percent from the Asia-Pacific region.

“CIN is not just a network, it is a platform that mobilizes strategic venture partnerships among venture capitalists, corporate investors, and family offices, fostering a win-win ecosystem that accelerates the growth of Hong Kong’s innovation economy,” said Hendrick Sin, chairman of the Cyberport Investors Network Steering Group.

Sin, who is also the co-founder of CMGE Technology Group and chairman of the China Prosperity Fund, said “the combined strength of CIN and the Cyberport Macro Fund (CMF) and our broader investor community will continue to drive the evolution of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology landscape.”

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The HK$400-million CMF is another fundraising platform initiated by Cyberport to connect startups with external capital. As of October, the fund had ploughed some HK$2 billion of co-investment into 29 startup projects, with a co-investment ratio of 1:9.3, meaning that HK$1 of public investment contributed by the CMF can raise HK$9.3 of private investment from VC investors.  

In addition to funding, Cyberport has now launched the AI Investment Circle to provide an efficient matching platform for high-potential AI startups and investors.

At the CVCF, Cyberport also signed two memorandums of understanding with the Education University of Hong Kong and Forms Syntron Information (HK) to advance AI application research in educational technology as well as on-chain finance and digital assets, respectively.