Speech by FS at Elevator Pitch International Competition 2025 (with photos/video)
Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, at the Elevator Pitch International Competition (EPIC) 2025 today (November 7):
Sunny (Chairman of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai), Terry (Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Terry Wong), Consuls-general, judges, innovators from around the world, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. What a pleasure to be back with you at this year's EPIC.
My congratulations to the winners in each of the three tracks. And in just a minute or two, we'll find out who takes the overall champion. I promise to keep my remarks brief. I know the suspense is building.
This is the ninth edition of EPIC — and my third time joining you. Yet each year, I find myself more amazed, more inspired and more energised by the creativity, passion and ambition in this room.
Today, as I look out at a thousand innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and partners from all over the world, one thing is crystal clear: EPIC has grown into an iconic global innovation contest.
The numbers speak for themselves. Applications come from 70 economies, including 12 new ones. And 85 per cent of the 100 semi-finalists are non-local start-ups. This is the most globally diverse edition of EPIC ever.
And the beauty of EPIC isn't just about crowning winners. It's about giving you — the founders, the dreamers — a stage to share your ideas, your ambitions, and your vision for the future.
And here in Hong Kong, we want to help you realise that.
We have a deep pool of angel investors and venture capitalists, ready to consider high-potential ventures.
And not just that. From private equity to IPOs, Hong Kong offers a full spectrum of financial options to fuel your journey. You may know that Hong Kong tops the world in IPOs so far this year.
Our innovation landscape is also buzzing. We now have over 4 700 startups. That's 500 more compared to one year ago.
We're building a stronger innovation and industry chain from the upstream to the downstream. And we're fast-tracking the development of the Northern Metropolis, the future innovation engine of Hong Kong.
The Northern Metropolis will be a launchpad for global innovation companies. It is a hub for collaboration with cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou — which, together with Hong Kong, form the world's number one most innovative cluster according to the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Ladies and gentlemen, when you come to Hong Kong, please don't just work. Let's not forget that life in Hong Kong is pretty good. Apart from excellent law and order, endless cultural and sports events. Beautiful country parks and hiking trails. Happy dining and pubbing. Home to the best bar in the world. And we don't tax wine!So enjoy!
So wherever you're from, I invite you to join us here in Hong Kong, where your dreams will take off.
A big thank you to Science Park and all sponsors, judges and partners who have made this competition amazing.
And one last note. To friends from the local community: remember to mark your diary on December 7 for the LegCo Election. It's important for our future .
Thank you all once again — and now, to the announcement of the champion!
Speech by FS at Elevator Pitch International Competition 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by FS at Elevator Pitch International Competition 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by FS at Elevator Pitch International Competition 2025 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from April 16 to 20
The Transport Department (TD) today (April 1) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on April 16 (Thursday) to noon on April 20 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
A spokesman for the TD said, "A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with 'HK' or 'XX' as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged."
Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by "iAM Smart+" equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered "iAM Smart" users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not "iAM Smart" users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using "iAM Smart+" or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of the email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Chequeor cash paymentis not accepted in the E-Auction.
(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.
Source: AI-found images
