MTR Lab and Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited (HSITPL) have launched a Venture Partner Program connecting high-potential startups with funding opportunities, strategic guidance, and commercial partnerships to scale across AI, new energy, new materials, microelectronics, and robotics.

In a statement on Monday, MTR Lab said the program targets technology companies from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the broader Asia Pacific region, Europe, and North America. It can provide access to investor networks and enterprise-readiness support. The inaugural cohort features companies spanning Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and global markets including Australia, Canada, and Singapore.

Participating startups will benefit from thematic pitching days, one-on-one pitching sessions, pitch-deck advisory, and experience-sharing sessions, with a pathway from showcase opportunities to proof-of-concept engagements and potential investment.

Jing Shi, Head of Investment at MTR Lab, said the partnership goes beyond providing capital, combining MTR Lab’s business network with HSITP’s tech community to give startups real-world opportunities to expand across the Greater Bay Area and globally.

Anita Chau, Director of Ecosystem Development at HSITPL, said the partnership highlights HSITP’s role as a super connector driving the Greater Bay Area into a global innovation and technology hub. By combining its pipeline of innovative companies with MTR Lab’s investment capabilities, the program injects fresh momentum into the Hetao Cooperation Zone and supports Hong Kong’s high-quality economic growth, the executive added.

MTR Lab primarily invests in technology companies under smart city and sustainability themes. HSITPL carries the mission of developing the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone into a world-class innovation hub connecting the Chinese mainland with the rest of the world.

MTR Lab invests in technologies that advance urban mobility and sustainable city living, covering sectors from mobility, property and construction, new retail, and financial and data services. It also supports portfolio companies to scale globally.

HSITPL spans approximately 87.7 hectares in the Northern Metropolis of Hong Kong. HSITP plans to establish a mechanism for synergistic development with the Shenzhen Park by 2030, with a comprehensive development pattern by 2035 to advance the zone into a global leader in innovation and technology.

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