Category: News

Hong Kong – On March 24, 2026, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Gobi Partners held the “HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund × Gobi Partners” joint fund first close and first batch of investment ceremony, jointly announcing the launch of the Gobi–HKU Fund I. The fund is structured under HKU’s Entrepreneurship Engine Fund (EEF) as a joint fund operated in a fund-of-funds format, aiming to support the development of startups and foster Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem. The fund will focus on investing in high-potential HKU spin-off startups, providing capital, talent, and strategic support to transform cutting-edge research into globally impactful application solutions.  

The ceremony was hosted by Prof. Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU, Mr. Jason Chiu, HKU Council member, Mr. Richard Mak, HKU EEF Advisory Board Member, Dr. Paul Wang, Director of HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core (HKU TEC),  Ms. Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (HKIC), Mr. Thomas G. Tsao, Co-founder and Chair of Gobi Partners, Mr. Chibo Tang, Managing Partner of Gobi Partners, and Mr. Fred Li, Managing Director & Head of University Ventures of Gobi Partners.  

Prof. Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU, said: “The Gobi–HKU Fund I reflects HKU’s strong commitment to translating world-class research into innovations. Our collaboration with Gobi Partners will further strengthen our mission to turn breakthrough research into real-world solutions. With new investments already underway and more support on the horizon, we are accelerating the growth of high‑potential HKU spin-off startups. This marks a new milestone in HKU’s journey of innovation.” 

Mr. Chibo Tang, Managing Partner of Gobi Partners said, “Some of the world’s most disruptive technologies are being built in the halls of Hong Kong’s universities. We are excited to partner with HKU to help bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, bringing breakthroughs in AI, robotics, biotech, and other critical sectors to the world.” 

Ms. Clara Chan, CEO of the HKIC remarked, “The launch of the Gobi-HKU Fund I, along with its swift and substantive deployment of capital, demonstrated the HKIC’s steadfast determination  to foster synergy among the core sectors of innovation and technology — namely investment, industry, academia, research, and government. The HKIC will continue to collaborate with various partners to create a cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary and cross-cycle investment paradigm and mechanism for patient capital, injecting critical and sustainable momentum into the foundational innovation ecosystem essential for Hong Kong’s high-quality economic development. 

Representatives from Manifold Tech and AilsynBio, both supported by investments from the HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund × Gobi Partners joint fund, also attended the ceremony and shared their in-house technologies and future development plans. Manifold Tech focuses on real-time 3D reconstruction algorithms and advanced robotics technologies, leveraging AI-driven rapid 3D scanning and reconstruction to offer products and applications for multiple industries. AilsynBio, on the other hand, uses on its proprietary peptide-based drug AI discovery platform, which integrates multi-omics human scientific data to identify novel disease targets, as well as designing innovative molecules and identifying and predicting drug properties, thereby significantly shortening the drug development cycle. 

For media enquiries, please contact:   
HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core 
Ms Jessie Tsang (Tel: 39102495 | email jessiet@hku.hk)   

Hong Kong – On March 13, 2026, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and CAS Star Technology Venture Capital (CAS Star) held a “HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund (EEF) × CAS Star” joint fund first close ceremony and first batch of investment ceremony on 13 March. The two parties officially announced the first close of “FutureTech Stars–HKU Venture LPF. The fund is structured under HKU’s Entrepreneurship Engine Fund (EEF) as a joint fund operated in a fund-of-funds format, and operated and managed by FutureTech Stars HK, the Hong Kong arm of CAS Star, with a target fund size of HK$300 million. The first close totals HK$150 million, and the fund has already completed its first batch of investments. Anchor investors in the first closing include the HKU EEF, Bank of China Group Investment Limited (“BOCGI”), and Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (“YOFC”). Focusing on the industries of the future, the fund targets disruptive global technologies and major innovative breakthroughs to accelerate the transformation of research outcomes into real-world applications. Its investment strategy prioritises world-leading research teams from universities in Hong Kong, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Hong Kong Institute of Sciences & Innovation, and overseas R&D institutions. It also extends to globally positioned Chinese-led deep-tech startups in the current AI-driven wave of innovation, supporting their journey toward industrialisation and commercial scale.  

The ceremony was hosted by Prof. Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU, Mr. David Lau and Mr. Jason Chiu, HKU Council member, Mr. Richard Mak, HKU EEF Advisory Board Member, Dr. Lei Mi, Founding Partner of CAS Star, Ms. Lin Xia, Partner of CAS Star, Mr. Sheng Li, Chairman, Bank of China Group Investment Limited, Mr. Jinpei Yang, Chief Financial Offer of YOFC, and Mr. Bin Liu, General Manager of YOFC Fund. It underscores HKU’s collective commitment as patient capital, reaffirming its determination to support early-stage innovation and accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes. 

Prof. Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU said, “‘FutureTech Stars–HKU Venture LPF’ exemplifies the strong and collaborative partnership between both parties. CAS Star has completed its first round of investments and is fully supporting two HKU-incubated startups. Meanwhile, the EEF is actively building a bridge between the academic and industry. Since EEF was launched, by the end of 2025, its partner funds and the wider ecosystem have invested more than HK$350 million in HKU-related enterprises, supporting a total of 12 startups. Of this, HK$170 million has been invested through EEF partner funds. Due to EEF’s significant growth, the Council has raised its target size to HK$1 billion.” 

Dr. Lei Mi, Founding Partner of CAS Star said, “Hong Kong possesses unique advantages in this regard. CAS Star will work with all partners, using the fund as a bridge to achieve deep integration of technology, finance, and industry, thereby fostering the prosperity of Hong Kong’s technology transfer ecosystem. The launch of this collaboration network aims to pool resources from all partners to jointly cultivate a self-organising, self-evolving ‘rainforest’ ecosystem for deep-tech entrepreneurship.”  

In particular, Dynano Semiconductor, an HKU-incubated startup focusing on R&D and services for advanced packaging technology for high-power semiconductors, shared insights at the event. Prof. Mingxin Huang, Chief Scientist of the company, highlighted that over the past year, the company has received tens of millions of HKD in investment in which FutureTech Stars has participated and led. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company efficiently integrates manufacturing capacity from Mainland China, international capital from Hong Kong, and cutting-edge overseas technologies, thereby forming a collaborative development model of “R&D in Hong Kong, pilot production in the Greater Bay Area, and market access globally.”  

For media enquiries, please contact:    
HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core  
Ms Jessie Tsang (Tel: 39102495 | email jessiet@hku.hk)  

Hong Kong – On March 13, 2026, The Techno-Entrepreneurship Core at the University of Hong Kong (HKU TEC) recently led 20 HKU‑affiliated startups to participate in the international startup event JUMPSTARTER 2026 and successfully held the “HKU Super Angel Symposium 2026” and “HKU Demo Day x JUMPSTARTER”. The events brought together government officials, academics, venture capital investors, entrepreneurship mentors and local startup representatives to discuss and promote the long-term development of the Greater Bay Area’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

The event was officiated by Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice‑President and Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU; Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government; and Dr Winnie Tang, Chief Convenor of HKU Super Angel Network.Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice‑President and Pro‑Vice‑Chancellor (Research) (Interim) of HKU, said, “The Super Angel Symposium is our annual flagship event, bringing together visionary investors, industry leaders, and the HKU community. Through a strong network of alumni and supporters, we actively advance the growth of HKU startups — promoting innovation through giving, investment, and mentorship while fostering an angel investment culture in Hong Kong.”