A unique B2B incubation platform to nurture innovative start-ups and smart city ideas

HONG KONG, May 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — With an aim to nurture up-and-coming start-ups to transform ideas for a smart city into reality, The Community Lab by Hysan Development Company Limited ("Hysan") and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks ("HKSTP") opens at Lee Garden Five today. The Community Lab connects start-ups with the resources and business networks so as to provide more opportunities for start-ups to succeed and to support the Smart City Blueprint. 

Mr. Ricky Lui, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Roger Hao, Chief Financial Officer & Company Secretary from Hysan; together with Mr. Albert Wong and Mr. Eugene Hsia, respectively the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Corporate Development Officer of HKSTP; officiated at the activation ceremony of The Community Lab this afternoon, joined by 40 guests from across the technology, investment, commercial sectors and governmental bodies.

Adhering to the core values of Smart Living, Smart Economy, Smart Mobility and Smart Sustainability, this partnership, between Hysan, a leading property group and HKSTP,  the city’s largest Innovation & Technology (I&T) flagship, aims to build a solid foundation for the I&T ecosystem to manifest start-up potential and business opportunities and empower the Smart City Blueprint of Hong Kong.

As a business incubator in one of Asia’s largest technology innovation ecosystems, HKSTP functions as an innovation powerhouse with its tremendous pool of start-ups; whilst Hysan, with its extensive real estate and retail assets in the Lee Gardens Area, provides an unparalleled testing ground and wide-ranging audience for HKSTP’s tech ventures to test-drive their concepts authentically in the heart of Hong Kong.

The Last-mile Testing Programme ("LMTP") is the backbone of The Community Lab that offers tech ventures with the ideal real-world environment to put innovations to the test.  Potential start-ups for the programme will undergo a well-thought-out selection procedure. The Community Lab is providing unwavering support at every stage of their development journey – from examining the proof of concept to launching the pioneering solutions in a fully operational testing ground. CHAIN Technology, imBee, SOCIF and Xtra Sensing are amongst the first cohort being chosen into the programme with the aim to enhance the Hysan community experience.

"Embracing change is one of the reasons for Hysan’s enduring success. Hysan is committed to be one step ahead of others and become the test beds for any relevant innovative solutions from HKSTP. Hysan wants to help the start-ups to become successful businesses through sharing its own business experiences and its environment for those start-ups to place their application and business cases. After all, our shared vision is to create a smarter living environment for our community." said Ricky Lui, Executive Director & Chief Operating Officer, Hysan Development Company Limited.

"The partnership with Hysan is another exciting demonstration in HKSTP’s ongoing mission to collaborate with industry leaders to accelerate impactful innovation from local and global startups. Hysan, as a committed leader in the innovation landscape, adds industry expertise and domain knowledge to our growing I&T ecosystem. This newly established Community Lab initiative provides an ideal platform to help startups succeed, from proof of concept into pioneering solutions fully tested in a real-world environment and uncover a new wave of smart city innovations." said Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer, HKSTP.

Coming up The Community Lab will host a diverse programme of tech talks, sharing sessions, workshops, proof-of-concept demonstrations and pitching stage.

About Hysan Development

Hysan Development Company Limited is a leading property investment, management and development company in Hong Kong with an investment property portfolio of over 4 million square feet of high-quality office, retail and residential space. With roots in the district since the 1920s, Hysan is one of the largest commercial landlords in Causeway Bay.

More information about Hysan is available at https://www.hysan.com.hk/.

About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has for 20 continuous years committed to building up Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology hub to propel success for local and global pioneers today and tomorrow. HKSTP has established a thriving I&T ecosystem that is home to three unicorns and Hong Kong’s leading R&D hub with over 11,000 research professionals and over 1,000 technology companies focused on healthtech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies.

Established in 2001, we attract and nurture talent, accelerate and commercialise innovation and technology for entrepreneurs on their journey of growth in Hong Kong, to the Greater Bay Area, Asia and beyond. Our growing innovation ecosystem is built around our key locations of the Hong Kong Science Park in Shatin, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong and three modern INNOPARKs in Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long. The three INNOPARKs are realizing a vision of re-industrialisation for Hong Kong. The goal is sectors like advanced manufacturing, electronics and biotechnology are being reimagined for a new generation of industry.

Through our infrastructure, services, expertise and network of partnerships, HKSTP will help establish innovation and technology as a pillar of growth for Hong Kong, while reinforcing Hong Kong’s international I&T hub status as a launchpad for global growth at the heart of the GBA innovation powerhouse.

More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.