2016 2017 2018-19 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
HIGHLIGHTS OF
2022-2023
AEF RECEIVES THE HONG KONG INNOPRENEUR AWARD
Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF) has always strived to be a connector for startups, investors and corporates in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond.

In 2022, AEF was awarded the Ecosystem Catalyst Award at the inaugural Hong Kong Innopreneur Awards launched by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. This Award recognizes those that have made a positive impact on the startup ecosystem by creating opportunities for startups, connecting entrepreneurs with investors, and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship.
INVESTMENT RESULTS AT A GLANCE SINCE 2015*
TOTAL INVESTMENTS
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BREAKDOWN
*The above rounding numbers are based on the AEF's aggregated data as of March 31, 2023, including the investment data of AEF GBA Fund.
6 NEW INVESTMENTS
Pantheon Lab
Clearbot*
Gense*
PanopticAI
Wristcheck
NextSmartShip
* JUMPSTARTER 2022 Winners
5 FOLLOW-ON INVESTMENTS
Airwallex
Sleekflow
Fano Labs
GBB
OneDegree
ART TECH
BIOTECH/
LIFESCIENCE
DEEP TECH/
AI & DATA/
ROBOTICS
FINTECH
HEALTHCARE
INDUSTRY
4.0
SUSTAINABILITY
WEB 3.0

The HKAI Lab has been awarded the AABI Incubator of the Year by the Asian Association of Business Incubation (AABI), a multilateral incubation network that focuses on building entrepreneurship collaboration frameworks in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Lab has continued to work with local enterprises to encourage them to use AI technology in their businesses. To this end, the Lab has conducted many knowledge sharing sessions that showcased the solutions of its startups, and many of them were able to turn these opportunities into revenue. The Lab has also nurtured local AI talents by conducting workshops in universities and matching working opportunities with its startups.

32
startups joined the
HKAI Lab accelerator program
97
startups
since 2018

Notably, 30 startups from the Lab achieved significant milestones and recognition from local and global awards and competitions over the year. In particular, Dayta AI, Clearbot, Pantheon Lab and Panoptic AI also successfully raised funding led by venture capitalists.

SEED Foundation (SEED), a registered charity dedicated to providing equal learning opportunities of digital economy's critical future skills to Hong Kong's youths, has had a successful year in scaling up.

Following its first-course offering, Cloud Computing, SEED has been rolling out a second: UX Design, with four pilot schools participating.

A pilot job placement program was launched in the summer of 2022. A.S. Watson Group sponsored ten students for a full-time, month-long work experience at various technology-related departments. Moreover, SEED also curated digital-related field trips for students by connecting with different organizations, including Autotoll, EMSD, AiDLab & The Mills and Sino Land.

Ignite Your Inborn Creativity
IdeaPOP!, formerly
known as JUMPSTARTER
IdeaPOP!, is the annual startup pitch
competition for all secondary schools in Hong Kong. Since September 2022, SEED has quadrupled in scale with 400 students who went through a 6-month journey. Special thanks to 35 industry and tech mentors for supporting student teams to ideate new products and devise business plans and pitches.
132
Participating
Entrepreneurs
88
Meetings
28
Meeting
Hours
STaRTUp is a YouTube channel launched in September 2022, which is dedicated to showcasing the latest trends, ideas and innovations in the world of startups and entrepreneurship. The channel features interviews with successful entrepreneurs, insights from industry experts, and coverage of startup events and competitions. It is also designed to inspire and educate aspiring entrepreneurs, providing valuable advice and guidance on how to launch and grow a successful startup.
All figures are based on the AEF's data over the 12-month period ended March 31, 2023 unless otherwise stated.