Deep-Tech Lab

Building massively scalable,

science- and technology-based business ventures

at their seed stage

About Deep-Tech Lab

Deep-Tech Lab (DTL) is an incubation program that aims to enhance the commercialization of science in order to make an impact on business and society. DTL has collaborated with the business school to offer a special course in which students learn to facilitate the ventures. DTL will establish a non-profit organisation to support its ongoing and future initiative.

Testimonial

Kodifly Limited

"Deep Tech Lab's accelerator has catalyzed Kodifly's progress with its rigorous mentorship and invaluable networks, pushing us through tough questioning, especially from our mentor Mike Mastroyiannis, to deeply understand our unique position in the market."

DTL Updates

DTL Graduation Ceremony

Deep-Tech Lab (DTL), celebrated a significant milestone on 14 June 2024 with our first graduation ceremony witnessing the graduation of eight outstanding deep-tech ventures in the first cohort. The ventures span various fields including healthcare, biotechnology, information technology, artificial intelligence, manufacturing and environmental science. Graduated ventures have successfully expanded market opportunities through DTL.

We are delighted to have our DTL mentor and venue sponsor - Professor Alex Fong, Adjunct Professor at CUHK Business School and Director of GRE Manufacturing Limited, to deliver a welcoming speech. He shared with us his experience in DTL, being among scientists driving cutting-edge research and mentors from all facets of the entrepreneurial ecosystem—funding, market connections, operational, and manufacturing expertise—all collaborating to fast-track the success of these promising startups. "We celebrate not just the achievements of our graduates but the spirit of collaboration and innovation that fuels our progress," Professor Fong said.

Professor Kevin Au, Founder of DTL and Director of CfE at CUHK, remarked at the ceremony, “Hong Kong is home to world-class universities and exceptional scientists. Fostering academic entrepreneurship and commercialising research has immense benefits for both Hong Kong and the global community. The success of our first cohort of graduates underscores DTL’s commitment to venture quality and the incubation process. We are now gearing up for the next incubation programme, with a target of incubating approximately 18 to 20 deep-tech enterprises from Hong Kong and neighbouring regions and helping them penetrate Mainland China and North American markets.”

DTL also announced in the ceremony the establishment of a non-profit organisation to support its ongoing and future initiatives. This new entity aims at bridging universities, businesses, and public organisations to promote the commercialisation of deep-tech innovations, supporting Hong Kong’s role of being a super-connector.

The founding members of this organisation include Professor Kevin Au, Dr Chen Fong (Co-Chair of the Global Strategy Board of the Creative Destruction Lab), Professor Alex Fong (Adjunct Professor at CUHK Business School and Director of GRE Manufacturing Limited), Mr Peter Lee (Chairman of Gallant Investment Partners) and Mr Francis Pun (Vice Chair, External and member of Executive Committee, The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong). The NPO will seek partial funding from the government, and invite professionals and organisations to collaborate, thereby amplifying the impact of Hong Kong’s deep-tech ventures.

The next DTL programme will start in September 2024. Interested deep-tech startups are welcome to contact us via email at hkdtl@cuhk.edu.hk for more information and application details beforehand.

Background

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Hong Kong was born entrepreneurial. After a period of dormancy in the 1990s and 2000s, this spirit has once again risen in recent years, reversing the negative trend caused by short-term thinking, a backward mentality, oligopoly, and obsolete institutions.

Now with more inventions, training, and accelerator programs, a new breed of talents, a rapidly growing hinterland, and opportunities in the region, new tech ventures have spouted inside while an equal number of them, if not more, are attracted to set up in Hong Kong. Innovation-driven economy has taken off.

Riding on this trend, deep-tech startups, that provide technology solutions based on substantial scientific or engineering challenges and valuable intellectual property, have drawn interest from investors and policy-makers. See successful deep-tech ventures originated in Hong Kong.

While Hong Kong has many startup awards and incubation programs, few of them focus on deep-tech ventures. It is high time for Hong Kong to explore new ways to spot more of them and facilitate their success.

Services

Completely free of charge for ventures
Take your business to the next level

Team-based, Objective-oriented Mentorship

Every admitted venture has access to practical and measurable guidance from investors, business leaders, industry experts, technical mentors, and business partners. Unlike other programs, the DTL program takes an objective-based approach. Usually 3 or more mentors will work as a team to nurture the admitted ventures.

An International Networking of Exchange

Mentors of DTL are picked with a nurturing mindset instead of deal-focused. We look for those who served Creative Destruction Lab and those around this region. Networking events, both online and offline, will be held to build a bridge between entrepreneurs and both incubators and investors.

Investment and Go-To-Market Opportunities

We will seek a wide range of investors and sponsors from local and overseas to participate in the DTL program. Investment opportunities will be provided across the whole DTL program. Corporates and consulting firms will supply the platform for product- testing and go-to-market experiments.

Services

Debated, Peer-reviewed Advice

Rather than a mentor dictating a direction for the venture in a one-on-one mentoring design, the peer mentors debate their views and then prioritize the most important things to increase value and de-risk the venture quickly within the incubation period. Besides, meetings will be held for all the admitted ventures, mentors, industry experts and partners. Mentors of each venture will report the progress and upcoming plans on the stage to receive constructive suggestions openly.

Business Support by Elite Business Students

Students from a bespoke MBA course will support the venture and its mentor group. Each venture will be paired with a student to assist venture founders, who are scientists rather than businessmen, to investigate potential markets, find solution for competition, and explore funding options under the guidance of the mentors

Founding Team

Our team members bring their unique professional backgrounds and expertise to foster the growth and success of deep-tech ventures in Hong Kong and beyond throughout the program.

Chen FONG

Prof Chen Fong is currently the Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary. He is also the Co-Chair of the Global Strategy Board of the Creative Destruction Lab; a platform for mentoring of young entrepreneurs.

Kevin AU

Prof. Kevin Au is the Director of CUHK Centre for Entrepreneurship. He also serves as a director for the Hong Kong Business Angel Network Ltd.(HKBAN), Family Firm Institute (US), and International Study of Entrepreneurship Education Outcomes (ISSEO).

Peter LEE

Peter is a Hong Kong based investor and founder / Chairman of Gallant Investment Partners. Over more than 15 years, Peter has grown Gallant’s investments from simple beginnings to an impressive international portfolio of private equity, venture capital and real estate opportunities.

Francis PUN

Francis is AVP, Exploratory and Industry TSG of Lenovo PCCW Solutions Limited. He has over 20 years of experience in driving business growth in the areas of innovation development, strategic programs and digital projects for the technology and industrial sectors leading teams in the APAC, EMEA and US.

Alex FONG

Dr. Fong is a scholar-practitioner. As an entrepreneur, he is a Director of GRE Manufacturing Limited and GRE Alpha Electronics Limited. As an intrapreneur, he was the former CEO of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and the former Directorate Officer of the Hong Kong government.