The 7th "Design Licensing and Business (DLAB) Support Scheme" Grandly Launched 39 Selected Local Design Companies Driving Hong Kong Design Brands to Expand Licensing Opportunities

HONG KONG, Jan. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Organized by the Innovative Entrepreneur Association ("IEA") and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency ("CCIDA"), the Design Licensing and Business (DLAB) Support Scheme held its 7th edition's Kick-Off Ceremony today at the United Centre in Admiralty, announcing the 39 selected local design companies for the 7th DLAB Support Scheme. These companies span a wide range of creative sectors and represent the new generation of Hong Kong's design talent. Through the scheme, they will receive training, professional consultancy, and business matching opportunities to further expand their brand licensing potential.

The organiser is honoured to have Miss. Yvonne IP Man Yee, Assistant Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, as the Guest of Honour and to give a speech. She was joined by Mr. Zacharias CHENG, President of IEA, Ms. Cherrie CHONG, former President of IEA, Mr Cyril CHEUNG, Vice President of IEA and Ellen MOK, General Secretary of IEA, to officiate at the launch ceremony. Guests and representatives from the 39 selected companies gathered for a group photo, marking a vibrant and celebratory moment. The event also featured a keynote sharing by Mr. Samuel CHOY, General Manager of Bliss Concept Ltd, who explored the latest trends in design licensing. In addition, the alumni of previous DLAB cohorts shared their success stories, offering valuable inspiration and practical insights to this year's participants.

Since the 1st edition, DLAB has successfully supported over 300 local design companies, driving the development of Hong Kong's design licensing industry. The scheme provides professional training in marketing, brand building, and business operations, along with professional consultancy and business matching services, helping enterprises seize licensing opportunities and expand into the Chinese Mainland and international markets.

For its 7th edition this year, the scheme offers two application categories:

• Category 1: Companies established for no more than 6 years (between November 6, 2019, and November 5, 2025), primarily engaged in design or licensing, with IP launched for no more than 6 years. Applicants must have full ownership of the IP rights of the creative content, such as original character designs, pattern designs, illustrations, etc.
• Category 2: Companies established for 6 to 12 years (between November 6, 2013 and November 5, 2025), with IP launched for no more than 6 years. Applicants must have full ownership of the IP rights of the creative content, such as original character designs, pattern designs, illustrations, etc.

Selected companies will have their participation in the late-January 2026 Greater Bay Area Study Mission fully subsidised, strengthening ties with Mainland enterprises and exploring the market potential. In addition, they will also enjoy a preferential booth at a special rate of HK$4,000 for first-time DLAB participants and HK$6,000 for returning companies – to showcase at the DLAB Hong Kong Pavilion of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show 2026, held from April 27 to 29, 2026. They will present their creative achievements alongside over 600 international and local IPs, further enhancing Hong Kong design's global visibility.

Mr. Zacharias CHENG, President of IEA, stated at the launch ceremony, "DLAB has now reached its seventh edition, witnessing the continuous growth of Hong Kong's design industry. This year, for the first time, we are proud to announce the 39 selected companies, representing a new generation of creative power. Through training, exchange opportunities, and exhibition platforms, we hope these brands will go further, connect seamlessly with international markets, and showcase Hong Kong's spirit of originality to a

broader global stage".

For more details of the 7th DLAB, please visit www.dlabhk.com.

About Innovative Entrepreneur Association (IEA)

Innovative Entrepreneur Association is a non-profit making organisation, with the aim to foster the spirit of "Innovative Entrepreneurship" in Hong Kong, the Mainland and all over the world. With the cooperation with the government and other organisations, IEA helps the start-up companies acquire more experience and strategies in order to enhance their competitiveness. IEA always strives to promote Hong Kong as world-leading "Creative and Entrepreneurial Capital".

Website: http://www.iea.org.hk.

DLAB Logo

There are four letters in the logo of DLAB, "D" stands for Design, "L" stands of Licensing, "A" is And while "B" is the short form of "Business".

About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA's strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. Website: https://www.ccidahk.gov.hk. 

Event Photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S2jERf8jv-FJRhcWxeJf1HIOP6JMTFCo?usp=drive_link

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

The 7th "Design Licensing and Business (DLAB) Support Scheme" Grandly Launched 39 Selected Local Design Companies Driving Hong Kong Design Brands to Expand Licensing Opportunities

ZeroBounce analyzed more than one million real work emails to uncover the most common email clichés.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- "Reaching out" is the most overused email cliché, with "checking in" and "follow up" close behind, according to a new study by ZeroBounce. Phrases like "please advise" and "hope my email finds you well" are still prevalent in corporate communication, even as AI tools become more common in everyday writing. 

Email deliverability company ZeroBounce examined more than one million work emails to find out which phrases professionals just can't quit. Familiar buzzwords continue to dominate workplace communication, revealing how deeply ingrained they are in professional writing.

Here are the top 10 email buzzwords, according to ZeroBounce:

1. Reaching out – 6,117 emails
2. Follow up (all variations) – 5,755 emails
3. Check in (all variations) – 4,286 emails
4. Aligned (all variations) – 1,714 emails
5. Please advise – 1,459 emails
6. Hope you're doing well – 1,300 emails
7. Hope this email finds you well – 974 emails
8. Hope all is well – 592 emails
9. E-meet – 536 emails
10. Circle back (all variations) – 533 emails

The study offers a peek into workplace psychology and how politeness, hesitation, and the fear of sounding "too direct" continue to shape office language. For instance, nearly 3,000 emails started with a version of "hope", including "hope you're doing well," "hope this finds you well," or "hope all is well."  

"Per my last email": AI tools are picking up corporate jargon

Despite nearly one in four employees now using AI to help write emails, the language hasn't evolved much. "The same buzzwords keep sneaking back into our inboxes – and even AI has picked up on our bad habits," says ZeroBounce CEO Liviu Tanase.  "The bots are 'reaching out' and 'circling back.' We laugh at corporate jargon, but we keep using it, and we've trained machines to sound just like us. Understanding which phrases persist can help people write with more clarity and connect better."

Other overused phrases include "touch base," "hop on a call," "bandwidth," and "low-hanging fruit." Even expressions many thought extinct made an appearance: "per my last email" showed up in 89 emails, despite being widely mocked in workplace culture.

"The findings reveal an opportunity for people to stand out at work and in business. Emails that skip the clichés tend to sound more confident and persuasive," says ZeroBounce Chief Marketing Officer Anne Ghaltchi.

About ZeroBounce

ZeroBounce is an email validation and deliverability platform helping more than 500,000 customers worldwide land in the inbox. Its tools include email validation, email scoring, inbox placement testing, blacklist monitoring, DMARC monitoring, and more. ZeroBounce validates more than 6 billion emails annually and is widely recognized for its 99.6% accuracy rate, strong security standards, and award-winning customer support.

For more information, visit https://www.zerobounce.net/. 

 

ZeroBounce analyzed more than one million real work emails to uncover the most common email clichés.

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Jan. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- "Reaching out" is the most overused email cliché, with "checking in" and "follow up" close behind, according to a new study by ZeroBounce. Phrases like "please advise" and "hope my email finds you well" are still prevalent in corporate communication, even as AI tools become more common in everyday writing. 

Email deliverability company ZeroBounce examined more than one million work emails to find out which phrases professionals just can't quit. Familiar buzzwords continue to dominate workplace communication, revealing how deeply ingrained they are in professional writing.

Here are the top 10 email buzzwords, according to ZeroBounce:

The study offers a peek into workplace psychology and how politeness, hesitation, and the fear of sounding "too direct" continue to shape office language. For instance, nearly 3,000 emails started with a version of "hope", including "hope you're doing well," "hope this finds you well," or "hope all is well."  

"Per my last email": AI tools are picking up corporate jargon

Despite nearly one in four employees now using AI to help write emails, the language hasn't evolved much. "The same buzzwords keep sneaking back into our inboxes – and even AI has picked up on our bad habits," says ZeroBounce CEO Liviu Tanase.  "The bots are 'reaching out' and 'circling back.' We laugh at corporate jargon, but we keep using it, and we've trained machines to sound just like us. Understanding which phrases persist can help people write with more clarity and connect better."

Other overused phrases include "touch base," "hop on a call," "bandwidth," and "low-hanging fruit." Even expressions many thought extinct made an appearance: "per my last email" showed up in 89 emails, despite being widely mocked in workplace culture.

"The findings reveal an opportunity for people to stand out at work and in business. Emails that skip the clichés tend to sound more confident and persuasive," says ZeroBounce Chief Marketing Officer Anne Ghaltchi.

About ZeroBounce

ZeroBounce is an email validation and deliverability platform helping more than 500,000 customers worldwide land in the inbox. Its tools include email validation, email scoring, inbox placement testing, blacklist monitoring, DMARC monitoring, and more. ZeroBounce validates more than 6 billion emails annually and is widely recognized for its 99.6% accuracy rate, strong security standards, and award-winning customer support.

For more information, visit https://www.zerobounce.net/. 

 

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

Study: "Reaching out" Tops the List of Most Overused Email Buzzwords