Recently, HKUST-Sino One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2023 (referred to as the Entrepreneurship Competition or Competition) sponsored by GF Securities Co., Ltd. (GF Securities, HKG: 1776. HK; 0776) for the 7th consecutive year, has come to a successful end at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on June 7. This year’s competition attracted 234 participating teams, hitting a record high. After fierce competition, Allegrow, aiming to bring cell therapeutics to all with its self-developed platform, AimGel, and enabling faster and cheaper cell therapeutics production through its proprietary hydrogel microbead technology, stood out from many participating projects and won the Champion of the competition and the “GF Innovation Award” sponsored by GF Securities. Ms. Xiaoying MAI, Executive Director of GF Investments (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., was invited to attend as the award presenter and judge for two consecutive years, providing professional advice and guidance to the participating teams.
Mr. Xiaodong LIN, CEO of GF Holdings (Hong Kong) Corporation Limited, also paid close attention on the entrepreneurship competition and encouraged the participating teams. He believes that “Entrepreneurs are people who dare to take risks, envision new possibilities, and fearlessly pursue their dreams. With their innovative ideas and unwavering dedication, entrepreneurs have the potential to make a long-lasting impact on the world. The entrepreneurship competition cultivates a sense of community among young entrepreneurs, enabling them to learn from each other and join hands to work on new ideas. GF Holdings (Hong Kong) is dedicated to entrepreneurial spirit through this kind of competition to invest in the future.”
Established in 2011, HKUST-Sino One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition has been held for 13 sessions. As the platinum sponsor of the competition for 7 consecutive years, GF Securities has been fully supporting innovation and entrepreneurship of youths. The Company also sponsored the “GF Innovation Award” for 5 consecutive years to specially recognize the entrepreneurial teams with innovative breakthrough. At present, the competition has expanded from Hong Kong to other regions in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Macau, Shenzhen, and Foshan, becoming a well-known youth entrepreneurship competition in Greater China. So far, more than 700 teams from all over the world with different scientific research backgrounds such as artificial intelligence and medical etc. participated in the competition, of which many widely recognized start-ups and projects have been cultivated. Moreover, the top 3 teams from the Hong Kong region will be eligible to participate in the national final held later this year, together with the winning teams from the other five regions, to jointly compete for the national championship.
With the theme of “Empower your Future”, this year’s competition attracted 234 participating teams, which was a record-high number. This year’s competition had three rounds of evaluation, and the participating projects were mainly focusing on hot topics such as healthcare, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development. ESG, as a hot issue, also earned widespread attention from entrepreneurs and 80% of the projects this year have involved ESG-related element. As the long-term sponsor of the competition, GF Securities proactively participated in the competition progress. Ms. Xiaoying MAI, Executive Director of GF Investments (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., was invited to attend as the award presenter and judge for two consecutive years, providing professional advice and guidance to the participating teams.
Ms. MAI said, “It is a great honor to represent GF Securities in the entrepreneurship competition again this year and act as the award presenter and judge. This year’s competition brought many excellent entrepreneurial teams together, and we fully recognized their outstanding innovative spirit and market insights in their presentations. As the offshore investment arm of GF Securities, GF Investments (Hong Kong) has always paid close attention to outstanding start-ups in various fields. In the future, GF Securities and its subsidiaries will continue to fully support great entrepreneurs and the growth of start-ups, to enable more aspiring youth to realize their entrepreneurial dreams, and support more outstanding university research results to be commercialized. ”
As one of the most influential securities companies in China’s capital market, GF Securities has devoted to substantial charity work. Domestically, GF Securities has been focusing on technological innovation through projects such as “Micro Enterprising Initiatives for University Students” to support young students in their innovative and entrepreneurial practices. GF Securities has successfully held micro-entrepreneurship activities for eight consecutive years, with a cumulative investment of more than 10 million dollars to help college students improve their innovation and entrepreneurship capabilities. So far, it has attracted 8,830 micro-entrepreneurship projects from college students, of which 400 projects have received reward and support, earning high brand awareness and influence among over 1,000 domestic colleges and universities. In the future, GF Securities will continue to adhere to its core value of “Gathering Love From the Bottom of the Heart”, actively fulfil its social responsibilities, and strive to enhance the vigorous development of youth entrepreneurship both domestically and abroad.
About GF Securities Co., Ltd.
Established in 1991, GF Securities Co., Ltd. is one of the first full-service securities firms in China. The Company was successfully listed on the main boards of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (HKG: 0776), and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKG: 1776), in 2010 and 2015 respectively. Due to its excellent business performance, its continued refinement in risk management and its quality services, the Company has achieved sustained and steady development, and remains one of the most influential securities companies in China. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had 338 subsidiaries and branches across 31 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions throughout China. The Company’s market-leading capital strength and profitability has allowed it to rank top among domestic listed securities companies in terms of aggregate market value. Relying on the ” GF Securities Social Charity Foundation “, the Company actively fulfils its social responsibilities, focusing on the two major areas of poverty alleviation and aiding education, proactively practising social responsibilities, and the Company’s reputation and brand influence improve continually.