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FEATU
RE
STO
RY
Turning green buildings into a reality
Environmental protection has been the talk of the town. The market
for building energy efficiency improvements is new and largely
untapped, with only a small portion of the potential being realized
today. Under the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance which came
in effective in Sept. 2012, commercial buildings are required to
improve energy efficiency and perform energy audits. A PhD student
from Department of Computing of PolyU has eyed on the green
market.
With his eye on the green market, Abraham Lam, a PhD student from
the Department of Computing, who also worked in the Department
of Building Service Engineering, was involved in developing computer
applications for green buildings. “I wanted to put my knowledge to
good use. I paired up with a partner and founded Building Integration
Perfection Limited in 2011 aiming to drive sustainability in our city
through green innovations.” Our technology solution “Sustainable
iBuilding Management Platform (SiMP)” facilitates building owners to
monitor and manage electricity consumption of the building services
systems (e.g. lighting, air-conditioning and lift systems), which
consumes about 90% of the building’s energy. The solution enables
remote monitoring from the control office and optimization of energy
intensive applications such as ventilation, pumping and compressed
air installations.
Abraham received $100,000 seed
funding from the Micro Fund platform
which supports sound businesses
ventures with “Do Well Do Good”
mission. “Besides receiving the
necessary capital for on-going
application development, we are
able to build up knowledge in business
management, financial accounting
and human resources management
through training courses and
workshops provided through the Micro
Fund Scheme”, said Abraham.
In sharing his valuable experience, Abraham said young
entrepreneurs tend to overvalue their product ideas and creations.
“If you are open to advice and discussion, you get to validate your
ideas and avoid unnecessary failures.” Reaching out is a great way
to do that. “PolyU has good partnership with the business world,
which gives me access to expert advice and valuable information on
market dynamics through networking with seasoned and
industry-savvy professionals. That helps me improve on my business
model and make it work.”
SiMP has already assisted a number of office buildings in optimizing
their lighting and air-conditioning systems based on good data and
accurate measurements. “A practical platform will make an easy
transition for the building owners in achieving energy efficiency,” said
Abraham. The team has also received Cyberport’s on-site incubation
support, putting them one step closer to their goal!
Bringing groundbreaking technology into the world of health care
“It looks like an ordinary piece of cloth but it can do more than just
make clothes. It is a pressure-sensing fabric that can turn into health
sensors to measure respiration rate. This is the first step towards
stretchable electronic devices,” said Dr. Guangfeng Wang while
demonstrating with Softceptor fabric in his hands.
Dr. Wang, a Postdoctoral fellow and
research assistant in the Institute of
Textiles and Clothing, has been
conducting research in smart
materials for future garments since
2004. His dream was to produce
wearable electronics. During his
study under the supervision of Prof.
Tao Xiao-ming, he came up with a
new fabric called Softceptor, which
can conduct electricity and sense any strain and pressure. As a superb
alternative to metals when making electronic sensors, Softceptor can
be stretched and draped around our body comfortably.
“Softceptor fabric is soft and washable. It will have many applications
in health care, sports training and computer games. Seeing the
incredible market potential we decided to take it forward and started
our own company. We’re hoping to make stretchy sensors for
cutting-edge health monitoring so as to bring better care to the elderly
and people with long illnesses,” said Dr. Wang.
“As a small business, our company AdvanPro Ltd. needed strong
back-up through all the stages in bringing the technology to market.
Apart from the $100,000 seed funding received from Micro Fund, we
also obtained funding from Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks
and the Innovation and Technology Commission for on-going research
and product development. The finance enables the development of
health monitoring devices and the launch of clinical trials.”
With expertise in material science and textile engineering, the
scientist-turned-businessman needed market news, expert advice,
and growth strategies. PolyU brings together the inventors,
researchers, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and industry-savvies for
seminars and networking sessions. “The mentoring programme is also
very useful. A good mentor brings knowledge of the market,
constructive advice on product design and managing company’s
finances” said Dr. Wang.
AdvanPro has been working closely with rehabilitation science and
computer science experts to build cutting-edge computer
applications for health analysis and alert. A recent HKRITA (“The Hong
Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel”) funded project gave
birth to “warning shoes”, to protect against foot injury for the diabetics.
Dr. Wang explained, “The pressure-sensitive fabric is made into a sole
to detect pressure from walking movements. We will end up with smart
shoes that warn patients against over exercise and send alerts.”
Working with the Kwong Wah Hospital and PolyU, AdvanPro was
hoping to build a foot-pressure profile and develop unique formula for
foot health assessment.
From Research to Business
APR 2014 VOL.2
1
“Building a Venture Oriented Eco-System - a Call for New Leaders” round-table discussion (16 January 2014)PolyU’s Institute for Entrepreneurship (IfE) hosted a round-table discussion titled "Building a Venture Oriented Eco-System - a Call for New Leaders" on 16 January 2014 with guest speaker Prof. Yesha Sivan, Executive Director of The Coller Institute of Venture at Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Prof. Sivan started the evening with a concise presentation on Israel's innovation, hi-tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem and how globalization changed the nature of it. According to his research at The Coller Institute, the four main players in the venture model are public authorities; institutional investors; venture capitalists; and entrepreneurs. The five main findings regarding the global venture ecosystem include:
1. There exist a lot of problems, ideas, platforms and capital and
therefore, venture is on the rise.
2. It is harder for traditional big players / corporations to survive and
hence, there are fewer jobs in the conventional job market.
However, as venture is booming, there will be more jobs in
innovative ventures.
3. Globalization of knowledge and capital are making geographic
locations of businesses irrelevant.
4. Public authorities, especially at the national/city level, play a
major role in the venture ecosystem as public policies can be
changed to drive the economy. However, the authorities ought to
be very focused and creative in order to support the growth of
venture.
5. Building the local venture ecosystem is an on-going and evolving
task and therefore, a call for new leaders in venture are crucial in
the development of the global venture ecosystem.
The evening evolved into
a round-table discussion
in which local
e n t r e p r e n e u r s ,
institutional investors,
venture capitalists,
academics and students
shared their views on
entrepreneurial thinking
and the venture
ecosystem. They also grasped the chance to relate Hong Kong’s
venture development to the Israeli venture boom.
Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to cultivate innovative ambiance on campus (17-19 Jan 2014)The first PolyU Entrepreneurship Bootcamp was successfully held by the Institute for Entrepreneurship from 17 to 19 January 2014. During the two-and-a-half days, 65 participants, ranging from full-time students to alumni within 3 years of graduation, had the opportunity to find like-minded teammates from different backgrounds and disciplines and receive comprehensive entrepreneurship training.
The Bootcamp started after dark on Friday 17 January 2014 when participants gathered in the plush setting of Fiona Cheung Sum Yu Lecture Theatre at the Student’s Hall of Residence, Hunghom. Entrepreneurial spirit was kindled through ice-breaking activities, networking and pitching sessions and a simple yet gratifying dinner together. Teams were effectively formed with no single person left out.
Training workshops on entrepreneurial thinking, user experience, business models and business plans took place on the second day. A group of 10 mentors with hands-on startup experience and knowledge were highly acclaimed for their generous sharing of methodology and intuition during teamwork sessions which also constituted the majority of the final day at the Bootcamp. 16 projects were presented to the judges in the afternoon to compete for the winning places.
“Mentors shared a lot of actual field experience which we can never learn from the textbooks,” one of the participants commented, “the Bootcamp gave us an opportunity to meet and collaborate with new friends, to refine our business idea with the help of peers and mentors and ignited our fire to join other entrepreneurship programmes available out there.”
The 3 winning teams will get direct entry to Micro Fund 2014’s final round and seats for joining the PolyU/Fudan Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in Shanghai during the summer of 2014. The Bootcamp served as a warm-up event for those inclined to participate in the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme with the aim to cultivate innovative ambiance and foster entrepreneurial spirit within the PolyU community.
NEWS
Entrepreneurship
2
Seminar on “E-Commerce and Technology to Maximize Retail Profits” (19 Mar 2014)A seminar on e-commerce and retail technology, featuring
technology solutions / services from Micro Fund awardees
Appchitect, Dreamfish Digital Media, Haylott Digital and Nimbus
Insight, was organized on 19 March with over 50 retail professionals
attending. Appchitect showcased their patented QR code
technology for developing mobile applications for shop owners and
mall operations to facilitate increased sales while customers are
waiting to be seated in nearby restaurants. Dreamfish helps provide
clients with e-commerce solutions to build brands and launch new
products especially in the Chinese mainland market. Haylott Digital
transforms the traditional shop window displays into “Smart WinDS”
which integrates content management, motion sensing and
information distribution, for a brand new shopping experience for
customers. Nimbus Insight conducts market research using latest
communication tools and generates real-time research results.
China Entrepreneurship Forum (22 Mar 2014)China Entrepreneurship Forum was successfully held at PolyU
Shenzhen Base on 22 March 2014. It attracted around 100
participants including young graduates, entrepreneurs, startup
incubators from Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The forum started with
keynote speaker Mr Xiao Xu, Partner and CEO of Innovalley sharing
on the latest trends of internet and IT startups in China, followed by an
introduction of the incubation support available in Shenzhen and
Shanghai, and sharing by Shenzhen young entrepreneurs. It
concluded with a visit to Nanshan Yungu Innovative Industry Zone
which offers office space and business services to young
entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
NEWS
Entrepreneurship
3
Launched in 2013, China Entrepreneurship Fund is a new entrepreneurship initiative offering RMB200,000 for new startups set up in Shenzhen or Shanghai. Funds were granted to 8 startups in 2013 with businesses ranging from information platform, urban planning and design, social media optimization to design and development of car display panel, etc.
Campus Sustainability Weeks (24 Mar – 4 Apr 2014)2014 Micro Fund Innovation Stream awardees took part in the Campus Sustainability Weeks hosted by the Campus Sustainability Committee to promote environmental awareness in the PolyU community.
In line with the theme for Micro Fund 2014 Innovation Stream “Innovate for a Sustainable Campus”, 2 groups of grand award winners displayed their creative solutions to build a green and sustainable campus at the Green Carnival, an opening event to the Campus Sustainability Weeks. They were “The ERA”, a hydroponic campus water planting project, and “Green Café”, upcycled handicrafts made with coffee grounds. Posters of the 4 projects with Grand Awards and 5 with Merit Awards were displayed on campus throughout the two weeks.
STEFG-PolyU China Entrepreneurship Fund calls for submission (16 May 2014)The first ever China-Hong Kong Entrepreneurship parallel fund for
graduates jointly launched by PolyU and Shanghai Technology
Entrepreneurship Foundation for Graduates (STEFG) is calling for
submissions. The Scheme provides seed
funding of RMB200,000 for PolyU students
and alumni to start their businesses in
China (Shanghai and Shenzhen).
Interested parties can visit the website
www.polyu.edu.hk/ife/cef for more details.
Submission deadline is 16 May 2014.
Entrepreneur Day @ HKCEC (2-3 May 2014)Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to address
society's needs in finding possible ways to develop entrepreneurship,
Entrepreneur Day is a 2-day event providing a platform for information
exchange and experience sharing in starting new businesses. PolyU
will participate with a booth at Hall 1D (booth C15-17) to introduce our
various entrepreneurship funding schemes and trainings programmes.
Recruitment for Fudan-PolyU High Potential Entrepreneurial Leadership (HiPEL) Program (Jun-Aug 2014)PolyU and Fudan University are jointly offering a series of entrepreneurship
education programmes for young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and
Shanghai. The “High Potential Entrepreneurial Leadership Programme”
is open for enrollment for its second intake in June 2014. It aims
to strengthen leadership skills of young
entrepreneurs with 3-5 years of experience,
and to re-align their business model for
sustainable growth. The programme will be
delivered in both Hong Kong and Shanghai,
offering dynamic learning experience and
cultural interactions among the participants.
Enrollment is now open!
Recruitment – “From Research to Business – Nurturing Technopreneurs” Training ProgramA three-weekend entrepreneurship training programme tailor-made
for PolyU research students and staff will be held in June 2014. Featuring
an online learning tool and in-depth practical workshops, the training
programme aims to nurture a batch of “technopreneurs” with both
technical as well as business and entrepreneurship knowledge in order
to facilitate the knowledge transfer of PolyU’s technologies. For details,
please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/ife on upcoming events or contact us
at tel: 3400-2621 or email [email protected]
UPCOM
ING
ACTIVITI
ES
Mr Paul WangDevelopment Manager(Tech Transfer & Commercialization)
Institute for Entrepreneurship
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Tel.: +852 3400-2703
Email: [email protected]
Mr Raymond Chu, CFAAssistant Director(Entrepreneurship & Commercialization)
Institute for Entrepreneurship
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Tel.: +852 3400-2715
Email: [email protected]
Contact Us:
Entrepreneurship