Connecting inventors and investors
CUHK Innovation Summit panellists advise scientists to think business at the start of their endeavours
16 April 2025
Scientists aspiring to commercialise their technology should closely work with investors to hammer out a business plan from the start of their journey, investors and experienced professors told the audience at the CUHK Innovation Summit 2025 last week.
The summit, held on 31 March at Cheng Yu Tung Building, attracted more than 150 people from the CUHK academic community looking out for funding support for their entrepreneurial drive, as well as investors interested in financing innovative startups projects.
In its second year, the summit aimed at facilitating networking between CUHK startups and the investment community. It was hosted by CUHK Innovation Limited, a company wholly owned by the University, in collaboration with the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services.
The summit featured discussions of an investor panel and a panel of academic founders. In the first panel discussion, three investors, who are interested in startup projects in the higher education sector, shared their own criteria for assessing an investment opportunity.
Lin Sen, chief operating officer of Surrich International Company Limited, said he would ponder on the applications. “I’ll also look at the kind of scenarios the technology could apply to — whether it is a must-have, or nice to have, or better to have?” he said. He would also pay attention to whether the startup’s scientists had experience in the related industry, such as whether they had worked as technical consultants for a business, and whether they had a full team on board to manage the project.
Man Lap, co-founder and managing partner of Beyond Ventures, said he would support scientists who were willing to heed investors’ advice and adjust their business plans for commercial viability.
The second panel focused on applying for RAISe+ (Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus) Scheme, a major government funding scheme launched in 2023 to support university research teams to become successful startups. Professor Francis Chan Ka-leung from the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, who also sits on the government’s Steering Committee of RAISe+ scheme, encouraged scholars to keep an open mind and communicate with people outside the academia to understand their products from a business point of view. It was important they learn to explain their plan in layman language, he added.
Also in the panel was Professor Zhao Ni from the Department of Electronic Engineering, one of CUHK’s seven successful applicants in the first round of RAISe+, with her project of wearable medical device. “RAISe+ pushed me out of my comfort zone,” she said. “The application…was an educational process where I got many useful suggestions from investors and business partners to improve my business plan.” She advised fellow scholars aspiring to commercialise their technology to start working with business partners early, involving them in marketing, business planning and manufacturing.
“If you want to answer the [interview] questions well, don’t talk to ChatGPT — talk to businesspeople. Work out your financial projections and do a competitive analysis,” she remarked. “Engage your team members in the process; I am glad some of research team members stay on and work for the company [for commercialisation].”
The summit announced that four new partners had joined the joint investment platform with CUHK Innovation.
“Over the past year, our joint investment platform has expanded significantly, forging deeper connections with institutional investors. We have gained better insights into the needs of our venture teams,” Dr Norman Chan Tak-lam, chairman of the company, said.
The summit also saw 10 CUHK startup teams pitching their innovative solutions to a hall of potential investors. They engaged in-depth discussions with the investors on-site, seeking potential collaborations and funding support.
