HK entrepreneur to help more HKers realize dreams on mainland

Writer: Chang Zhipeng  |  Editor: Holly Wang  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2020-12-25

Chan Yun-fu at an unmanned aircraft exhibition.

Chan Yun-fu said he aims to help more young Hong Kong entrepreneurs who seek business opportunities on the Chinese mainland with the services of the incubator he manages.

Currently, 30 Hong Kong-funded startups are being incubated at the GBA Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of the nonprofit Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association (HKYIEA) at the second development phase of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub.

Chan, from Hong Kong, said that Shenzhen is known for its innovation and entrepreneurship-friendly environment, and “Qianhai offers various, comprehensive supportive policies for young entrepreneurs,” adding that that was what attracted him to Shenzhen back in 2015.

Chan graduated from the City University of Hong Kong with an associate degree in visual design in 2008. He had worked for CRCare, a local pharmaceutical chain store in Hong Kong, for a few years before working for a Belt and Road Initiative project in the Republic of Georgia.

“I already made up my mind to pursue my career on the Chinese mainland before joining the project in Georgia, as I believed the mainland has a great economic growth potential,” he said.

Chan worked on the marketing and branding for three companies after relocating to Shenzhen. Last year, he won an entrepreneurial incubation program in Qianhai and got an office space free of charge in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong design and creation cluster, Zetta Bridge. He was appointed director of HKYIEA’s Shenzhen office after the start of the incubation program.

In October this year, Chan also became deputy general manager of the GBA Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

Chan said he also wants to try to narrow the cultural and ideological differences between Hong Kong and the mainland through his efforts, letting more young Hong Kong people better understand and develop the Greater Bay Area construction taking place on the mainland.

“I wish to match the abilities of young Hong Kongers with the needs of Qianhai, Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area,” he explained.