Entrepreneurship Academy is a 10-week public lecture that will enhance your entrepreneurial skills. We invite speakers from the industry including venture capitalists, startup founders and domain experts to share their experiences on global trends, heated topics and strategies for market development. It is also a great opportunity to interact with like-minded people and get to know the resources available at HKU and the wider startup ecosystem in HK.
The programme takes place on every Thursday at 17:30 – 18:30 @HKU from 12 September to 28 November 2024 (Except 19 September, 17 October), in Main Campus, Meng Wah Complex 1/F – MWT6. We look forward to meeting you to share and discuss these interesting topics. No matter whether you want to begin your startup journey now, later or unlikely, we believe many of the skills are critical to your professional development.
Entrepreneurship Academy is a non-degree programme offered by HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core. Participants who attend 7 or more physical sessions will receive certificates of attendance issued by us.
Lecture 1ZhenFund X HKU Startup TalkDate: 12 Sep 2024 (Thu)18:00-20:00 Welcome to this sharing session, where we have Victor Wang, co-founder of ZhenFund and New Oriental Education & Technology Group, delivering a keynote speech. We will also have a panel discussion featuring Xiaohong, the founder of Monica.im, sharing his experiences. Lastly, there will be a networking session with ZhenFund investors. In this session, you can expect to learn about the best time to start a business, overcoming challenges in entrepreneurship, and strategies for building a strong startup team. Speaker: Mr. Victor WANG, Co-Founder, ZhenFund |
Lecture 2Patent 101 for Entrepreneurs and Start-UpsDate: 26 Sep 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex This seminar will explore the fundamental concepts behind patent law, exploring what are the requirements needed in order to obtain an issued patent, and what strategic considerations to take when building a patent portfolio. We will briefly touch upon the differences between patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. We will also discuss how to develop a strong IP strategy and portfolio, why proper inventorship is important, how publications can impact a patent, and common mistakes that inventors make when pursuing patent rights. Speaker: Ms. Jennifer CHE, President and Managing Director, Eagle IP |
Lecture 3Social Enterprises in Hong Kong – Past, Present, and Future OpportunitiesDate: 3 Oct 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex Social enterprise sector is believed to be a driving force to create social impact in a sustainable manner. This sharing would give audience an overview of social enterprise sector in Hong Kong and identify some challenges and opportunities ahead. Speaker: Prof. Elsie TSUI, Adjust Associate Professor, Department of Management, CUHK |
Lecture 4Nothing to Lose: An Unicorn Story from a HKU Engineering AlumnusDate: 10 Oct 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex Mr. Chau Chiu founded Opentrons.com in his basement in 2013 and retired from the company in 2021 with a valuation of $1.8B. With two successful exits and one failure in his career, he is a living example of overcoming fear, failure, and uncertainty. Mr. Chau Chiu grew up in Tai Wo Hau, graduated from HKU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in ’86, and later earned a degree in Physics from Georgia Tech In this session, Mr. Chau Chiu will share his experiences and lessons to guide the new generation of HKU students in finding their own paths. Speaker: Mr. Chau Chiu, Y Combinator / HKU Alumni, Unicorn founder |
Lecture 5Startup Journey Sharing: Epago & Agilis roboticsDate: 24 Oct 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: T5, Meng Wah Complex Epago: Epago’s patented technology is extremely versatile and is able to create PGM Catalyst suitable for a variety of applications across different industries Agilis robotics: Empowering clinicians with the next generation of minimally invasive surgical robots. Speaker: Ms. Haoyu Zhu, CTO, Co-Founder, Epago Mr. Justin D.L. HO, M.Phil, COO, Agilis robotics |
Special LectureTaking The First Step of StartupDate: 25 Oct 2024 (Fri)12:15-13:45 Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre Dr. Lu Qi, Founder and CEO of MiraclePlus, analyses three major reasons why young people should consider entrepreneurship. Explains the methodology for identifying entrepreneurial opportunities and ideas, and provides vivid examples. This offers young people reference and inspiration for choosing and embarking on the path of entrepreneurship. Speaker: Dr. Qi Lu, Founder and CEO of MiraclePlus (Previously Y Combinator China) ; Carnegie Mellon University PHD; Served as President and COO of Badiu and the Executive Vice President of Microsoft and Yahoo |
Lecture 6Startup Journey Sharing by 3 HKU Female EntrepreneursDate: 31 Oct 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex The sixth lecture of the Entrepreneurship Academy 2024, an empowering session featuring three remarkable HKU female entrepreneurs. This is an exceptional opportunity to learn from their inspiring journeys, gain valuable insights, and connect with like-minded individuals. Panel: Vera Lui, Co-Founder, SallyCoco Joyce Lau, Founder, NakeLab Kelly Tsoi, Founder Won Diamond Moderator: Janet Dong, Co-chairmen, HKU Entrepreneur Society |
Lecture 7How To Find Product-Market FitDate: 7 Nov 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:30 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex “InnoX Plus 2024-25” is a series of sharing sessions jointly organized by Hong Kong X Foundation & Hong Kong InnoX Academy in collaboration with various universities in Hong Kong. InnoX Plus focuses on guest sharing and cross-sector dialogue to enlighten a wider group of university students and young people, inspiring them to seize technological innovation opportunities and experiment with the possibilities of entrepreneurship. It aims to invite renowned Hong Kong leaders, investors, and other renowned entrepreneurs as guest speakers to share the opportunities and practical experience of innovation and entrepreneurship with the youngsters, mainly university students in Hong Kong. On November 5th, the first session of the second season of “InnoX PLUS創業夢想” will take place at the University of Hong Kong. It will feature Li Zexiang, co-founder of the Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform, dean of the HK InnoX Academy, founder of XbotPark, and professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to discuss “How To Find Product-Market Fit?”. Speaker: Prof. Zexiang Li, Co-founder of the Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform; Dean of the Hong Kong InnoX Academy; Founder of XbotPark; Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Dr. Tony Wu, Co-founder & CEO of Ninenovo Technology Mr. Chris Wang, Founder of Levante marine Ltd. Ms. Rita Li, Marketing Director of ePropulsion Technology Limited |
Lecture 8My Entrepreneurial Journey and The Future of Smart CityDate: 14 Nov 2024 (Thu)17:30-18:30 Venue: T6, Meng Wah Complex The global environment is changing rapidly, and technology is shaping a new phase of development for smart cities. The idea behind smart cities is to use technology and data to make better decisions, improve our quality of life, and create a sustainable future. Dr. Winnie Tang will share her entrepreneurial story and insights on leveraging geospatial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies to establish people-centered and sustainable smart cities. This presentation will cover: Speaker: Dr Winnie TANG, MH, JP, Founder & Chairman, Esri China (Hong Kong) Limited |
Lecture 9Techathon+ 2025Date: 21 Nov 2024 (Thu)17:30-19:00 Venue: LE6, Library Extension Speaker: HKSTP & Mr Ron Chow, CSO, Baguio Green Group (Bonus sharing) |