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The Start-up Scene in Hong Kong
The Financial Engineering and Technology Corporation are one such business in the finance sector who are setting the bar pretty high for everyone else. They specialise in providing financial engineering services to investors in Hong Kong through dynamic use of trading technologies. Their products include the Provesor app for iPhones, which is a mobile investment management tool for individual investors.
DemystData are another firm that are on the rise, thanks to their innovative applications specialising in the aggregation and cleaning of online & social customer data. A sign of their burgeoning success, DemystData were picked amongst three finalists in the Big Data section of the 2012 Amazon Web Services Startup challenge. Their customers include global banks, card issuers and online lending firms.
8securities are another firm that have been widely discussed by respected authorities such as the Financial Times, Forbes and TechCrunch. They specialise in the online investment market. One of their key features is the customisable Trading Portal, which enables clients to select the markets and trading tools that are right for them. One of the keys to their success seems to be a focus on what they call ?incredible? customer care.
Another one to watch in the finance sector is Private Investor Collective, who specialise in connecting investors with advisors that are suitable.
Gaming start-ups worth watching Not all the action in Hong Kong is taking place in the world of finance, though. The equally fast-paced gaming industry is outputting some star players at the moment. One such firm is Frenzoo who specialise in mobile games, particularly 3D ?lifestyle? games aimed at girls and young women. The company?s hit title is ?Me Girl? ? a 3D fashion game that enables gamers to create fashion designs for their characters and embark on photoshoots. Frenzoo has had the benefit of backing from some of the engineers behind Skype.
6waves has found success with a diverse array of game offerings for social media and mobile phones. The company has successfully created a popular online gaming network that covers virtually all genres and tastes. Lakoo and Epicforce have also made important inroads into the gaming sector.
Services Start-ups
In the services sector FindDoc has found a niche by providing people with a way to book a doctor wherever and whenever they are, while Fringebacker provides a way for artists and creatives to link up with financial backers. OneSky has made its success by offering innovative crowdsourcing translation services, and the IHotelStore is a powerful booking provider for hotels. What all these service-based businesses have in common is that they are prospering by offering something a little innovative.
One of the reasons that business in Hong Kong is booming is the presence of accelerator centres such as AccelaratorHK, whose co-founder Paul Orlando says that, ?Hong Kong is in the right place to achieve a lot more.?
A wide variety of meet-ups and networking events are also helping Hong Kong?s start-up scene to explode. These include those organised by Funders and Founders, and conference events like BarCamp HongKong.
All in all, Hong Kong?s start-up scene is flourishing, and with the conditions right for further growth, many more businesses are sure to bloom.