Building relations between Hong Kong IT talents and Silicon Valley innovators

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO San Francisco) welcomed three groups of IT talents from Hong Kong this summer.

A delegation of award-winning Hong Kong tech companies and institutions participated at the 2025 Silicon Valley International Innovation Festival (SVIIF). Hong Kong innovations claimed a record number of awards at the festival, winning 27 gold medals and eight special awards. The special awards claimed include the Grand Award, IFIA Award and WIPO National Award for Inventors.

The Grand Award, which is the highest honor at the event, went to a next-generation PCR technology developed by the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre of the University of Hong Kong. The technology uses multiple nucleic acid detection methods to screen for cancer and infectious diseases. It will greatly assist the provision of cost-effective and accurate testing solutions to the public.

SVIIF is under the patronage of the International Federation of Inventors Associations (IFIA) and of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is the largest innovation exposition in the United States and this year’s event, running August 8-10 in Santa Clara, CA, featured over 200 inventions from 25 countries and regions.

Led by Ir Prof. Andrew Young, Managing Partner & Senior Advisor of IPG Capital Fund, the Hong Kong delegation participating at this year’s festival comprised 50 representatives from eight Hong Kong tech companies and institutions showcasing 43 pioneering inventions.

Also in August, HKETO San Francisco organized a seminar titled “Hong Kong X Silicon Valley – A Trans-Pacific Dialogue on Tech Policy and Startup Ecosystem”. The seminar featured distinguished speakers Mr Mark Chandler, Director of the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of International Trade and Commerce; Mr Jonathan Qiu, Global Partner at Meridian Capital Asia; and Mr D C Cheung, Director of HKETO San Francisco speaking on the latest development, government policies and business environment on technology in Hong Kong and San Francisco Bay Area.

The event was attended by local executives in the tech industry and a delegation of young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong Cyberport’s University Partnership Programme. The seminar was followed by a networking reception. The delegation’s visit to Silicon Valley is part of this year’s program which highlights four strategic technology themes: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Cybersecurity, and Data Science, with an aim to nurture the next generation of tech-savvy entrepreneurs and innovators in Hong Kong.

In July, HKETO San Francisco received a delegation of postgraduates from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The group attended a networking event jointly organized by HKETO San Francisco and FoundersHK from Silicon Valley.

At the event, Associate Professor of University of California, Berkeley, Alvin Cheung hosted a fireside chat moderated by Ms. Edith Yeung of Race Capital, sharing valuable insights on the latest AI development trends. A lively Q&A session followed with exchange of ideas between the information and technology management students and Bay Area innovation leaders.

Hong Kong is home to over 4700 startups and has more than 15 home-grown unicorns. The seminars and networking events provided an excellent opportunity for innovators from Hong Kong and Silicon Valley to share, exchange and connect.