The 15th Business of IP Asia Forum and 17th Entrepreneur Day opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together over 180 speakers and 420 startups, innovative projects, and support organizations. These flagship events aim to advance innovation and technology exchange while strengthening Hong Kong's role as a super-connector for regional and global collaboration. HKTDC Executive Director Sophia Chong emphasized that robust IP protection encourages investment in research and development and commercialization of new ideas. She noted that multi-stakeholder collaboration helps translate intellectual property into measurable economic impact, with Hong Kong taking the lead as a regional center for IP trading and international innovation hub.
The forum's theme "Leverage IP to Finance Business Growth" examines IP's role as a core driver of sustainable expansion. The keynote session on IP valuation and financing featured insights from industry leaders about how enterprises can leverage IP assets as a source of capital. Meanwhile, the plenary session "Propelling Sustainability with IP" explored how companies can strategically deploy intellectual property to achieve sustainability goals and accelerate industrial standardization. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau detailed HKSAR's efforts to strengthen Hong Kong's role as a regional IP trading center, including expanding the patent examiner team and modernizing the Copyright Ordinance and registered designs regime for the digital age.
For the first time, the forum introduced an IP Go-Global Business Matching Session, allowing local professional service providers to offer one-on-one consultations to Mainland enterprises. These consultations cover trademark and patent registration, enforcement, litigation, international licensing and dispute resolution. The afternoon session "Cross-Border Empowerment: Forging a New IP-Driven Investment Ecosystem in the Greater Bay Area" focused on regional collaboration and cross-border IP protection strategies to help enterprises scale from the GBA to global markets. Entrepreneur Day continues with the theme "Where Start-up Dreams Take Flight," featuring over 360 startups, inventor projects and support organizations from 11 countries and regions.
Exhibits span six major tech categories including artificial intelligence, healthtech, cybersecurity, construction and logistics, spatial computing, and sustainability. The event includes three key exhibition zones: the Start-up and Innovation Zone, University Spin-off, and The Boosters, which features service providers offering one-stop support for startups. The GBA Tripartite Roundtable explored opportunities for Greater Bay Area startups to tap into ASEAN and global markets, with speakers discussing how Hong Kong can leverage its dual role as super-connector and super value-adder. Intan Zalani, Consul (Trade) of Malaysia in Hong Kong, highlighted opportunities in Malaysia's digital payments landscape and renewable energy sector, noting attractive tax incentives for green technology investments.
She emphasized Malaysia's strategic position as ASEAN's natural hub alongside Hong Kong's super-connector role in capturing the region's growing digital economy. Start-up Express International brought together ten quality startups from across the globe covering green tech, healthtech, AI, and edtech, demonstrating Hong Kong's attractiveness as an international launchpad. A seminar titled "Crafting the Next-Gen Wardrobe: Innovation for a Sustainable Future" explored how innovative technologies are driving the integration of technology and sustainability in fashion. Running concurrently, DesignInspire presents works from leading local and international designers, creating synergy that reinforces Hong Kong's positioning as Asia's hub for innovation and intellectual property.
