Hong Kong, 20 January 2020 – With less than four weeks to go, the Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund/HSBC JUMPSTARTER 2020 (“JUMPSTARTER 2020”) announced today a series of engaging programs and a line-up of prominent speakers from various industries and academic fields will be featured at this year’s Grand Finale held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on February 11 and 12. JUMPSTARTER 2020 is also part of InvestHK’s StartmeupHK Festival.
 
Dedicated to the promotion of global entrepreneurship and innovations, the two-day event will center on four themes: “Entrepreneurship”, “Innovation”, “Explore Asia” and “Connect Alibaba”.    
 
In its third year, JUMPSTARTER has become one of the most anticipated competitions for start-ups around the world. This year, a record of more than 2,000 start-ups from 65 countries and regions applied to compete. Pitching competitions also were held in eight cities, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, London, Kuala Lumpur, San Francisco and Toronto.

Forty finalists will have the opportunity to present their products and services to a panel of judges at the Grand Finale. The top five start-ups will win an investment commitment of up to USD5 million as well as cash prizes of USD100,000 in total. 

 
Cindy Chow, Executive Director of Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, said, “This year, JUMPSTARTER continues to unite start-ups across the world in an imaginative and vibrant forum, connecting them with more enterprises, investors and the public. To support global entrepreneurs and young people to pursue their dreams, the event is committed to encouraging them to leverage Hong Kong’s advantages as Asia’s hub of new opportunities to fulfill their dream of starting their own businesses.”
 
The event will also feature keynote speeches and panel discussions by global business players, top innovators, successful entrepreneurs and academic leaders such as:
 

• Daniel Zhang, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alibaba Group
• Joseph Tsai, Executive Vice Chairman, Alibaba Group
• Diana Cesar, Chief Executive, Hong Kong, HSBC
• Charles Li, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd
• Tsu-Jae King Liu, Dean of College of Engineering, UC Berkeley
• Savio Kwan, Director, Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund
• Pubudu Abayasiri, Associate Director- Digital Products (Innovation), CLP
• Allan Zeman, Chairman, Lan Kwai Fong Group
• Rony Abovitz, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Magic Leap
• Felix Lee, Executive Director, UMP Healthcare Holdings
• William Tanuwijaya, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tokopedia

 
A number of local and overseas start-ups will also be sharing their entrepreneur journeys at the event. They include the winners of Africa Netpreneur Prize, an initiative led by the Jack Ma Foundation, the founder of ASA Innovation & Technology which won the “Most Favorite” and “Best Startup” of last year’s JUMPSTARTER, the founder of and an Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund investee GoGoVan, the management of meal kit delivery company Blue Apron, as well as artist Alex Fong who successfully transformed his passion for sports to entrepreneurial motivation.
 
Furthermore, Polygence, an online educational matching platform which recently secured investment from the Fund, will debut at the JUMPSTARTER 2020 exhibition zone along with other Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund investees, such as Pickupp and Qupital. Drone maker DJI will exhibit interactive robots available for participants to experience. The champion of the RoboMaster, an annual robot competition held by DJI, will also share their insights on robotics innovation.  African Grammy Award winner Rocky Dawuni and Hong Kong singer Jonathan Wong will be there to pump up the crowd with live performances and music. 
 
“Fintech start-ups is the most mature startup area, in terms of the current fundraising situation among different start-up areas,” said Cindy Chow. “JUMPSTARTER encourages more attention on the development of many other potential sectors while continuing to support the development of fintech, such as advanced technology, smart city and retail, among which many start-ups combine technological applications and innovative ideas to meet practical needs and solve social problems, as well as promote industry innovation and growth, all of which deserve strong support. This brings a greater variety to the startup ecosystem, injects more vitality into global markets and traditional companies, and promotes the continued growth of various industries.”
 
For more information about JUMPSTARTER 2020, please go to the website: https://jumpstarter.hk
 
 
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About Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund
Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund (“AEF”) is a non-profit initiative launched by Alibaba Group in 2015. To vitalize the development of innovation and technology, AEF’s mission is to help Hong Kong entrepreneurs and young people realize their dreams and visions for a Hong Kong that is vibrant and engaged regionally and globally. As part of its investment program, AEF provides Hong Kong-based entrepreneurs with investment capital and strategic guidance to help them grow their businesses and penetrate global markets, by utilizing Alibaba's vast ecosystem. For more information, please go to the website: http://ent-fund.org
 
About JUMPSTARTER
JUMPSTARTER is a not-for-profit initiative created by Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund that provides a platform for all entrepreneurs and young people to jump start their dreams in Hong Kong. It is a first-of-its-kind startup event focused exclusively on showcasing quality start-ups and providing high-impact networking opportunities. Our goal is to build, empower and boost Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem and entrepreneurship by bringing entrepreneurs, corporates, investors and the public together, helping to transform Hong Kong into a leading hub for global innovation and technology. BACK