Key Points of This Article
“Hey, queue up first!”
The Global Unicorn Summit opens in Hong Kong.
From August 24 to 25, the Global Unicorn Summit, hosted by the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group, is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The summit's core theme is “BORN TO LEAD, BUILT TO CREATE.” Based in Hong Kong and targeting a global audience, it invites global innovative forces to gather in Hong Kong, building a high-standard, international service platform for various production factors in the fields of enterprise, capital, technology, talent, policy, and services, promoting the settlement of global unicorn companies in Hong Kong, listing in Hong Kong, and going global, assisting in the construction of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology center.
Lee Ka-chao: Hong Kong can be a starting point for mainland unicorn companies expanding into overseas markets
On the morning of August 24, the summit officially opened, attended by Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Lee Ka-chao, Deputy Director of the Central Government's Liaison Office in Hong Kong Zhang Yong, National Committee Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group Lee Da-hong, Chief Executive Officer of China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation Xie Chengrun, Secretary for Innovation and Technology and Industry Sun Dong, Director of the Invest Hong Kong Liu Kaixuan, and Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Investment Management Ltd. Chan Ka-ki, among others.
In his opening speech, Lee Ka-chao stated that this summit brings together talents from global research industries and investment sectors, facing the rapid iteration of technological waves. Hong Kong must further cultivate and strengthen emerging industries and future industries, perfecting the industrial innovation and development ecosystem, bringing immense opportunities for the development of new quality productivity.
Lee Ka-chao expressed that Hong Kong could become a starting point for mainland unicorn companies to expand into overseas markets, and it also helps top overseas innovation and technology companies explore the mainland market. He welcomes enterprises and investment institutions to take root and sprout in Hong Kong, co-creating a new chapter in global technological development.
Lee Da-hong, in his opening speech, expressed that the first Global Unicorn Summit allows all sectors to witness an event that gathers global innovative forces, connecting technology with capital, research and development with industry. The summit combines enterprise, capital, technology, talent, policy, and expertise in a five-in-one format to showcase innovative achievements.
Lee Da-hong expressed anticipation that the summit will become a starting point for cooperation among various parties, igniting more sparks here and helping more corporate achievements take Hong Kong to the world.
Xie Chengrun stated in his opening remarks that the core theme of the summit “BORN TO LEAD, BUILT TO CREATE” fully grasps the development trends of Hong Kong and even the world.
Xie Chengrun pointed out that the current emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought countless opportunities for innovation and technology. He is looking forward to hearing valuable innovative ideas on this important platform and believes that more companies will contribute to Hong Kong, the nation, and the world through innovation and technology in the future.
Sun Dong stated that in the past decade, Hong Kong has nurtured many unicorn companies. In this regard, the SAR government is implementing a series of measures to support and cultivate startups, including accelerating the transformation of scientific research achievements, providing financial support, and striving to expedite the construction of “Northern Innovation Technology,” expanding the information and space for startups.
Sun Dong pointed out that he hopes the government and all sectors will seize the development opportunities of innovation and technology, continuously promote efficient collaboration between the government, academia, research institutions, and investment, and work together to provide fertile ground for startups.
Liu Kaixuan stated that Invest Hong Kong has been dedicated to attracting mainland and overseas companies to settle in Hong Kong for many years. The goal is not just to let companies come to Hong Kong, but for them to use Hong Kong as a base, to root, research and develop, find application scenarios, connect with industry partners, and expand markets.
Liu Kaixuan pointed out that Hong Kong, as an international financial center, possesses multiple financing channels. Invest Hong Kong looks forward to continuing cooperation with various sectors to let Hong Kong's innovation and technology go global, transforming innovative achievements into new momentum for national development and benefiting the global market.
Chan Ka-ki stated that the core theme of the summit can be understood as “Every enterprise is a galloping horse,” and that departments such as Hong Kong Investment Management Ltd. not only aim to be talent scouts but also provide startups with the “three most” – the most patient capital, the most precise support, and the most connecting opportunities for going global.
Chan Ka-ki expressed the hope that everyone will work together to consolidate Hong Kong's role as a “super connector” and “super value creator,” composing a new chapter for companies going global.
What is a unicorn company?
The concept of “unicorn” companies originates from the venture capital industry, referring to privately held startups established for less than 10 years and valued at over $1 billion. It was proposed by Aileen Lee, founder of the American venture capital fund Cowboy Ventures, in 2013, symbolizing rarity, nobility, and enormous potential.
Unicorns represent high-end innovation technology and are also engines for high-quality economic development. Their quantity and quality reflect a country's innovative capability and ecological vitality. Their emergence requires conditions such as top scientific research, capital, supply chains, and legal guarantees, while quality reflects cutting-edge technological originality. The number of unicorn companies is rapidly increasing mainly in the US and China because both countries actively support and invest in startups, becoming the main reasons for the growth of unicorn companies.
The summit creates a five-in-one comprehensive platform
This summit focuses on frontier fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), health care, fintech, and robotics, gathering over 200 global unicorn companies, more than 100 high-growth technology companies, over 100 investment institutions and professional service organizations, as well as more than 50 research institutions and government departments, aiming to create a diverse interactive scenario of “forum, exhibition, roadshow, networking, and competition.”
The summit will discuss trends in technological innovation, showcase cutting-edge technological achievements, interpret Hong Kong's innovation and technology policies, conduct resource factor matchmaking, attract capital to invest in innovation and technology, promote companies to settle in designated areas, facilitate the transformation of scientific achievements, and advance the cross-regional collaborative development of strategic emerging industries and future industries, creating an international innovation and technology ecosystem with efficient links among technology, capital, and industrial resources.
Multiple meetings and policy interpretation sessions will be held
The summit will hold multiple themed speeches and roundtable discussions, where industry leaders and experts share unique insights on topics such as “The Next Wave of Global Growth Drivers,” “AI Moving into the Physical World,” “Growth and Internationalization of Innovation and Technology Companies,” “The Rise of Embodied Intelligence,” “How Unicorns Constitute Transnational Competitiveness,” as well as special sessions for policy interpretation to introduce several key innovation platforms.
Additionally, there will be multiple unicorn companies and teams conducting roadshows on-site, along with presentations of AI application projects, and stage games will also take place.
Hong Kong has multiple advantages to attract companies to settle
The summit serves as a high-end innovation and technology exchange and investment cooperation platform for unicorn companies, hidden unicorn companies, high-growth technology companies, international investment institutions, research institutions, government departments, and professional service organizations.
As an international financial center and international innovation technology center, Hong Kong leverages its advantages as a “super connector” and “super value creator” to accurately and efficiently connect the mainland with global markets, possessing a mature financial service system, an international business environment, a complete set of professional services, and the collaborative advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, providing important support for the growth of technology companies, capital-industry connections, and global development.
Hong Kong is the starting point for mainland unicorns to go global
The global unicorn ecosystem is undergoing profound changes, shifting from “business model-driven” to “hard-core technology-led.” In an exclusive interview with the Ta Kung Pao, Xiao Yuqiang, CEO of ICBC International, stated that Hong Kong fully leverages the institutional advantages under “one country, two systems,” connecting global networks while integrating the “technology + finance” ecosystem to assist mainland unicorns in transforming into hard technologies and expanding globally.
He emphasized that for mainland unicorn companies, Hong Kong has never been the “final stop” for financing and listing, but rather a “global starting point” for embracing global capital, hedging geopolitical risks, and seizing frontier tracks.
According to the Hurun Research Institute's “2026 Global Unicorn List,” by the end of 2025, there will be 1,603 global unicorn companies with a total valuation of 54 trillion RMB.
Xiao Yuqiang pointed out that with the accelerated evolution of a new round of technological and industrial revolutions globally, “unicorn” companies have evolved from being merely an industry concept to becoming the core representative of global innovation vitality, leading global industrial transformation and serving as an important benchmark for measuring a country or region's innovation vitality, economic transformation, and global competitiveness.
“Technology + Finance” deeply integrated
Xiao Yuqiang stated that from the perspective of serving the development of “unicorn” companies in mainland China, Hong Kong's unique advantages as an international financial center go far beyond providing funds; they lie in the institutional energy under “one country, two systems,” the global network of connections, and the deep integration of the “technology + finance” ecosystem.
In the face of the current pain points of unicorns transforming into hard technologies and expanding globally, Hong Kong plays an irreplaceable role as a “super connector” and “super value creator.”
Xiao Yuqiang pointed out that China is currently transitioning from commodity exports to a new stage of capital and technology exports, and unicorn companies ‘going out’ face increasingly complex geopolitical and compliance barriers.
As a highly free and open “institutional safe harbor,” Hong Kong's legal system and regulatory framework align closely with international standards, possessing a unique “internal linkage and external communication” advantage.
Mainland unicorns can leverage Hong Kong's institutional buffers to effectively balance domestic market opportunities with overseas operational risks, positioning Hong Kong as their regional headquarters or listing entity, safely and compliantly entering the global market, making it truly a “mother port” and springboard for companies going global.
Comprehensive: Ta Kung Pao, Ta Kung Wen Wei Network
Editor: Fay
Reviewed by: Jing Chen
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