Seed 2025 Cohort 2

Seed 2025 Cohort 2 in Hong Kong is an early-stage startup support program jointly run by HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Core and HKSTP, designed to nurture innovative or startup projects across any discipline or industrial sector.

Objectives:

• To support students and graduates from HKU and affiliated institutions in developing innovative startup ideas.
• To provide structured entrepreneurship training, coaching, and resources to enhance business skills and market validation.
• To facilitate participation in startup competitions and provide public exposure.
• To foster a community and networking opportunities for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Target Beneficiaries:

• Principal applicants must be HKU members (students, staff, or alumni) with at least 20% ownership in the applying or to-be-established company.
• Individuals aged 18 or above holding an HKID.
• Companies incorporated in Hong Kong for less than 2 years at the application start date.
• Teams that commit to incorporating a limited company in Hong Kong within 2 weeks of approval.

Application Process:

• The program runs twice a year with deadlines on the last Sundays of February and August.
• Selection is based on paper-based assessment; for HKSTP Ideation Programme applicants, an additional interview or pitch recording evaluation is conducted.
• Criteria include individual/team competency, business development potential, innovativeness, and research & development.

Key Features:

• Three-week structured entrepreneurship training covering business modeling and market validation.
• Opportunity to receive up to HKD 100,000 funding from HKSTP Ideation Programme.
• 6-month iDendron membership for awardees under the HKSTP Ideation Programme.
• Nomination for external innovation and entrepreneurship competitions.
• Access to community, networking, and public exposure opportunities.

The next application deadline is February 22, 2026, for the February 2026 cohort. Contact Tim Cheung at tim.cheung@hku.hk or +852 3910 2726 for more details.

This program is ideal for HKU innovators seeking early-stage support to transform ideas into viable startups with comprehensive training, funding, and ecosystem access.