HONG KONG, Oct. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Asia Health Innovation Summit 2024, hosted by global venture accelerator Brinc, as part of StartmeupHK Festival 2024 and curated by InvestHK, attracted a full-capacity in-person attendance of more than 500 at AWS in Tower 535, Causeway Bay, as well as a global livestream audience of over 800 yesterday.
Jayne Chan, Head of Startups, InvestHK with Professor Dong Sun, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guillermo Ginesta, Managing Director of Brinc.
The fourth-annual Asia Health Innovation Summit solidified the event’s position as a premier gathering for industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals in the region’s health-innovation space. Aimed at driving bolder ideations and cross-sector collaborations, the event featured a full day of on-stage panel sessions with 35 speakers from Hong Kong and overseas, networking sessions for all attendees to directly connect, private roundtable sessions, as well as founder booths at the Startup Marketplace.
"Innovation is not just a goal," said Guillermo Ginesta, Managing Director of Brinc, "it is a necessity." He said Asia’s healthcare systems are under pressure due to rapid population growth, aging demographics, and urbanization. "The future of healthcare in the region hinges on collaboration, innovation, and most importantly, action," he added. "At Brinc, we focus on empowering startups that can address these urgent needs."
In his keynote speech, Professor Dong Sun, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said the city was accelerating ahead to become an international innovation and technology centre, as well as a health and medical innovation hub — that was also renowned as one of the world’s fundraising leaders for biotechnology companies.
As part of his opening speech, Invest HK’s Head of Innovation & Technology Andy Wong emphasised Hong Kong’s thriving ecosystem of startups, research institutes and talent. He also noted AI’s emergence as a game-changer in healthtech, accelerating advances in drug discovery, surgical operations, gene editing, health services, and more.
The transformative potential of AI in health-innovation and healthcare was a highlight panel in the summit’s agenda. It was also a key theme woven throughout the entire day of lively speaker discussions — that included trending topics such as harnessing Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area’s startup ecosystem for global expansion, the importance of FemTech in transforming women’s health, and the role of smart-ageing technology in the longevity industry.
Founders from companies — such as AILSI, Blissmi, Greater Bay Biotech Ltd, Ironmind.ai, OM HealthHub, Sol, Well Being Digital (WBD101), and Zupe — highlighted the vast opportunities available within Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem to build a healthier Asia. They also reiterated the city’s solid R&D foundation, benefits of its strategic location within the Greater Bay Area, a supportive regulatory environment, and the fast-moving advancements in the local academic and research fields.
Amid the current market conditions, many speakers underlined that investment opportunities remain abundant, particularly for startups exploring new, innovative approaches. Accelerator programs, government grants, and strategic collaborations were highlighted as critical avenues for attracting funding and driving expansion success in the sector.
The 4th Asia Health Innovation Summit event concluded with closing remarks from Jayne Chan, Head of Startups, InvestHK. She reinforced Hong Kong’s unique role in fostering collaborations and leading healthtech development in the Greater Bay Area, exemplified by the establishment of The Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong. "Its cultural and scientific synergy gives Hong Kong a distinctive advantage in fostering innovations that ultimately benefit the health and wellbeing of everyone," she said.
Brinc wishes to thank all panel participants of the Asia Healthcare Innovation Summit 2024 event:
Fostering Collaborative Innovation for a Healthier Asia
- Guillermo Ginesta, Managing Director, Brinc
- Anita Chau, Director, Ecosystem Development, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Ltd.
Harnessing Hong Kong and GBA/SEA’s Startup Ecosystem for Global Expansion
- Colin Ng, Founder & CEO, Greater Bay Biotech Ltd.
- Kow Ping, Executive Director & Co-Founder, Well Being Digital (WBD101)
- Bong Chan, Southern Region Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader/Lead Partner of Hong Kong Science Park Office, Deloitte China
Moderator: Dr. Donna Brown, Associate Director, Biomedical Technology Cluster, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation
Breaking Barriers: The Role of FemTech in Transforming Women’s Health
- Natasha King, Co-Founder, Blissmi
- Anca Griffiths, CEO & Co-Founder, OM HealthHub
- Grace Oh, Founder & CEO, Sol
Moderator: Maaike Steinebach, Founder & CEO, FemTech Future Ltd.
Smart Ageing: The Role of Technology in Promoting Longevity
- Dr. Tony Wu, Co-Founder & CEO, Ninenovo Technology (Ringconn)
- Dr. Christine Yuan Huang, CEO & Founder, Quantum Life Ltd.
- Jacky Lio, Chief Medical Officer, Bowtie Life Insurance Co.
Moderator: Dr. Jason Yin, Senior Analyst, Health, Economist Impact
From Strategy to Impact: Driving the Future of Healthcare with Digital Innovation
- Dr. Neeladri Verma, Manager, Health, Economist Impact
- Christopher Green, Chief Business Officer, Endiatx
- Dr. Khor Swee Kheng, CEO, Angsana Health Sdn Bhd
Moderator: Manoj R. Dani, Founder & Director, Odyssey Consultants
Digital Wellness: Revolutionizing Wellbeing and Mental Health with Technology
- Jonathan Wan, CEO, Ironmind.ai
- Dr. Jonathan Seah, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Zupe
- Dustin Ball, Partner, Asia Pacific Financial Services Leader, EY-Parthenon
Moderator: Dee Cheung, Hong Kong Sales Manager, April International (Asia)
Market Update: Funding Strategies for Early-Stage Health-Tech Startups in Asia
- Emmanuel Hui, CEO, Tiger Jade Pebble Accelerator
- Adrian Lam, Managing Partner, Bioworld Ventures
- Philip Sin, Biotech Executive & Investor
Moderator: Scarlett Chen, Managing Partner, Verge Healthtech Fund
AI Empowering Healthcare: Transformative Technologies in Asia
- Dr. Terence Tan, Lead, Healthcare/Life Sciences Startups Business Development, Asia Pacific & Japan, AWS
- Dr. Serena Yang, Founder & CEO, AILSI
- Dr. Frank Pun, Head of Hong Kong Office, Insilico
Moderator: Chris Lloyd, Co-Founder, Healthcare Dialogues
Roundtable Hosts
- Castor Hui, Corporate Innovation Director, Brinc
- Angela Feng, Co-Founder, NESS Wellness
CONTACT: Merie Browne, [email protected]
Andy Wong, Head of Innovation & Technology at InvestHK.
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