HKFYG Launches Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 2026
HKFYG Launches Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 2026
Connecting 500 Entrepreneurial Leaders Worldwide with AI and Greater Bay Area Opportunities
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) launched its Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 2026 today (27 October) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, bringing together more than 500 young entrepreneurs, angel investors, industry experts and business leaders from around the world.
Under the theme “Think Global, Be Agile: Navigating the Next Era of Entrepreneurship”, the Forum explores how innovation, agility and artificial intelligence (AI) can help young entrepreneurs build competitive businesses and expand internationally. Following the Hong Kong programme, a Qianhai, Shenzhen tour and a Guangzhou programme will connect participants with opportunities across the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
The Forum focused on four priorities: fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, accelerating AI-powered digital transformation, expanding cross-border business, and leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths as a gateway to the GBA and global markets. Participants explored how to navigate uncertainty, adopt agile business models and use AI to strengthen competitiveness.
Officiating guests included Dr Bernard Chan Pak-li, JP, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development and the Hon Duncan Chiu, Member of the Legislative Council. Zheng Liping, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Media and Public Relations, The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR; Chen Guanxing, Deputy Director of Division 5 of the Department of Education and Youth Development of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Members of the Legislative Council including Alex Fan Hoi-kit, Dennis Leung Tsz-wing, Duncan Chiu, Lam Chun-sing, Kwok Fu-yung and Webster Ng Kam-wah; Imma Ling, President of HKFYG and other guests to witness the ceremony.
In her welcoming remarks, Ms Ling said entrepreneurship begins with identifying a problem worth solving and taking action. It also demands curiosity, agility and a willingness to learn from experience. She encouraged young entrepreneurs to combine Hong Kong’s international connections with the GBA’s strengths and the potential of AI to turn innovative ideas into impactful ventures.
Dr Bernard Chan Pak-li, Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, emphasised that the opportunities for youth entrepreneurship far outweigh the challenges, highlighting Hong Kong as an ideal platform for building careers, nurturing talents, and expanding global horizons. He further noted that Hong Kong’s robust business network and professional services are well positioned to deliver one-stop support for Chinese Mainland enterprises going global and international brands entering local and regional markets. As flagship development projects such as the Northern Metropolis gain momentum alongside supportive policies, the HKSAR Government remains fully committed to empowering young entrepreneurs to pursue their ambitions. Dr Chan encouraged young founders to seize current market dynamics, embrace innovation, and capitalise on Hong Kong’s unique advantage of being “backed by the Motherland and connected to the world” to expand their global footprint.
Legislative Council Member Mr Duncan Chiu pointed out that as the global business landscape witnesses a surge in enterprises going global, Hong Kong stands as a pivotal hub in cross-border business expansion. While Chinese Mainland tech firms possess top-tier hardware and software capabilities, Hong Kong offers unique value for the Country’s technological overseas expansion through its international standard certifications and high-value-added engineering support services. With the era of application-level tech unicorns drawing to a close, he pointed to deep technology including biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics as the next investment frontier. He called on young entrepreneurs to capitalise on Hong Kong’s advantages and partner with leading Chinese Mainland research and development teams to scale globally.
International speakers included Carol Appel, Executive Director, Membership & Engagement, Youth Business International (UK); Mandy Nguyen, Operation Director, Startup Vietnam Foundation (Vietnam); Tonya McNeal-Weary, Founder, IBS Global Consulting (USA); and Khishigsuren Byambaa, Executive Director, Development Solutions NGO (Mongolia).
Hong Kong speakers included Ms Sammy Wong, Managing Director, Head of Business Banking, Commercial Banking, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited; Mr Reeve Kwan, Co-founder of GOGOX; Prof Martin Zhu, Co-founder and CEO of i2Cool; and Mr Desmond Leung, Hong Kong intermedia artist and Founder and Director of AHO Studio.
They shared insights on fostering innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and on harnessing young people’s talents in culture, technology and social services to support development in Hong Kong and the GBA.
The panellists addressed the delegates on four key themes, including “The Global Journey: Go-To-Market and Brand Building Strategies”; “Dare to Create” Fireside Chat: Becoming the Game Changer in a Restless World; “Transforming Eastern Heritage into Global Brands: The Power of AI” and “AI at a Turning Point: Opportunities and Scaling Pathways for Young Entrepreneurs”.
GOGOX co-founder Mr Reeve Kwan said navigating local cultural and market nuances is critical to global expansion. Unlike Hong Kong’s established van-hailing culture, Singapore initially lacked the concept, while South Korea’s logistics rely heavily on motorcycles—underscoring why rigid, one-size-fits-all expansion strategies fail. He emphasised that successful cross-border growth requires respecting local habits. In his view, startups thrive on rapid trials-and-errors and localized deployment. By leveraging AI to compress months of market research and software upgrades into days, companies can build flexible infrastructures that empower local teams to maximize operational efficiency and accurately capture global opportunities.
The Forum also featured skills workshops. Leaders from youth entrepreneurship networks across Asia, the United States, Vietnam and around the world shared practical insights on digital business, AI transformation, and cross-border collaboration under the theme “Beyond Borders: Next-Gen Business Growth.”
In “AI Unlocked: Building Skills for the Future”, Google Hong Kong guided young people in applying AI to learning, creativity and productivity, helping participants understand how the tools work and develop responsible AI habits.
In “From Idea to IP: Powered by AI”, Johnson Stokes & Master and a multimedia creator showed participants how to develop, protect and expand creative IP, and demonstrated how AI can streamline ideation and production to speed up time to market.
The third workshop, “Beyond the Pitch: From Story to Investment-Ready”, helped young entrepreneurs build the fundraising capabilities needed to attract investors in the Mainland, Hong Kong and around the world, with seasoned investors and industry experts breaking down the investment considerations of different markets and sharing how to strengthen business models, demonstrate growth potential and craft compelling funding pitches.
A dedicated “Resources Building” session connected young entrepreneurs with financial services, government funding and GBA policy support. Through group discussions and one-to-one consultations, participants met representatives from HSBC, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and youth entrepreneurship bases in Qianhai, Guangzhou, Hengqin and other GBA cities to explore financing, market expansion and partnership opportunities.
Following the Hong Kong programme, participants will visit Qianhai, Shenzhen, on 28–29 October to explore the GBA’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Panel discussions and company visits will focus on frontier technology, green innovation and cultural integration.
The Guangzhou programme, taking place on 3–4 November under the theme “Connecting Guangzhou and Hong Kong · Innovating for Global Expansion”, will link Guangzhou’s supply chain strengths with Hong Kong’s international platform. It will explore opportunities across research and development, design, smart manufacturing and global brand development.
The Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 2026 is organised by HKFYG, with the Guangzhou programme sponsored by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubation Base.
Since its launch in 2014, the Forum has brought together more than 6,500 delegates from 34 countries and regions, providing an international platform for entrepreneurial exchange and collaboration.
For programme details, please visit: sic.hkfyg.org.hk/gyef.
For enquiries, please contact:
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Senior Communications Manager
Ms Miranda Ho
Tel: 3755 7044
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Communications Officer
Ms Lau Ka-yu
Tel: 3755 7010
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