Founder and CEO Lap Man serves as a judge in a process culminating
in US$120,000 funding being awarded to one of 100 hopeful start-ups
HONG KONG, 14 OCTOBER 2016 – DYXnet Group, Greater China’s leading carrier-neutral network service provider, yesterday played a central role as a gold sponsor of Elevator World Tour™ Hong Kong staged by Startupfest – otherwise known as La Fondation du Startup de Montreal – and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.
Each of around 100 budding entrepreneurs fronting start-up companies gave a 60-second pitch on why their business idea was worth funding, all while inside an elevator serving Hong Kong’s tallest building – the International Commerce Centre, better known locally as the ICC.
Well known for his entrepreneurial flair, DYXnet Group Founder and CEO Lap Man was one of 20 judges assessing ideas in panels of two while riding up and down in elevators.
The “elevator pitch” competition is based on the notion that someone should be able to talk through the important elements of a business idea in the short time it takes to ride an elevator.
Hong Kong was chosen as the only city in Asia to host this unique start-up event, following competitions in iconic landmarks such as Toronto’s CN Tower, the Azrieli Tower in Tel Aviv and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The initial 100 entrants were whittled down to 10 finalists who eventually battled it out for start-up funding of US$120,000. The winner was Orii, the first wireless audible device in a ring that turns your hand into a smartphone.
DYXnet Group’s Lap Man also acted as moderator for a panel discussion on “MNCs and Start-ups: Conflict or Collaboration”, which involved representatives from DBS Bank, Global Sources, Gobi Partners, KPMG and SPD Silicon Valley Bank.
Lap Man said: “As an entrepreneur myself, I fully understand the challenges start-ups face and the help they require most. I must say it was a truly amazing experience to listen to business ideas one by one in a 60-second elevator ride. The competition was fierce and some of the ideas were wonderfully creative. In fact, the whole event buzzed with anticipation and the atmosphere was positively electric. I thoroughly enjoyed rubbing shoulders with so many fellow entrepreneurs!”
Lap Man is no stranger to the world of start-ups. In 2014, he sold certain DYXnet business interests to become an “angel investor” in start-ups such as HKTaxi, Hong Kong’s most popular taxi-calling app, as well as the “51WM” O2O food-delivery platform and “Delivery Republic”, another food-delivery enterprise.
Other attractions at the five-hour ICC event included a start-up showcase, various fun-based activities, mini-fashion shows and panel discussions. The Elevator World Tour™ now moves on to stage similar events in Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Berlin, Dubai and Santiago.
