CityU and Pacific Coffee announce crossover collaboration for fostering innovative, entrepreneurial spirit in the community

City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Pacific Coffee, owned by China Resources Enterprise Limited (CRE), jointly announced today (13 December) that they will collaborate on fostering an innovative entrepreneurship culture, and thus contribute to innovation and technology development throughout Hong Kong. 

Pacific Coffee cafés in targeted districts throughout Hong Kong are set to become venues for networking and knowledge exchange activities for the flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme, HK Tech 300, run by CityU.

CityU launched HK Tech 300 in March last year to encourage aspiring entrepreneurs among CityU students, alumni, research staff and general public to develop their innovative ideas into start-ups. The programme aims to create 300 start-ups in three years.

The crossover collaboration between CityU and Pacific Coffee announced today will step up efforts to foster a technological and entrepreneurial culture across communities, echoing HK Tech 300’s theme “Venture Beyond Boundaries”.

Pacific Coffee will become one of the designated venue partners under the collaboration framework for HK Tech 300’s outreach and networking activities over the following three years. By leveraging its retail network, Pacific Coffee can offer venues and corresponding support for innovative and technological activities on the programme, thereby extending the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit from the CityU campus to the community, and encouraging young people to develop their innovative ideas into start-ups. 

Pacific Coffee will provide catering and free venues in some of its cafés for HK Tech 300 start-ups for discussion and knowledge exchange, which will not only support the development of innovation and technology industry, but also drive foot traffic in the stores, achieving a win-win situation. 

Since its launch, more than 440 project teams have been awarded a HK$100,000 Seed Fund and over 90 start-ups have been awarded HK$1million from the Angel Fund investment for developing and validating their business models. These start-ups specialise in multiple domains, ranging from biotech and health technology, deep tech, information and communications technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and to fintech and environmental and educational technology.

CityU’s collaboration with Pacific Coffee marks another strategic cooperation with CRE. An agreement signed last October by CityU and CRE co-established a HK$100 million innovation and entrepreneurship platform for nurturing start-ups. 

HK Tech 300 provides a range of support for start-up teams, including entrepreneurship training and business networking. The teams will be coached by seasoned entrepreneurs, industrialists, representatives from chambers of commerce and professionals through a mentorship scheme. CityU has also set up co-working space at its main campus in Kowloon Tong and in the business district in Admiralty to facilitate start-up teams’ interactions and business engagement.

Collaboration on AR game between HK Tech 300 Angel Fund Start-up and Pacific Coffee 

Pacific Coffee and Radiance Tech International Limited (Radiance Tech), a HK Tech 300 Angel Fund start-up, have embarked on a joint digital marketing project with the latter’s Augmented Reality (AR) solution. Radiance Tech has developed an AR game to allow customers of Pacific Coffee to take pictures of rich animation and media content for sharing on social media, fostering online‐offline interaction, and providing customers with a brand-new catering experience.

The two companies are on the lookout for further collaboration opportunities, including the expansion of Radiance Tech’s VR Content Creation Platform. CityU is pleased to witness HK Tech 300 start-ups actively exploring opportunities with companies in different industries, enriching their entrepreneurial experience and injecting new impetus into various industries.

About City University of Hong Kong and HK Tech 300

As one of the fastest-growing universities in the world over the last decade, CityU is recognised as a hub for innovation in research and professional education. Our world-class faculty champion the integration of teaching and research and consistently excel across many key international indicators for research excellence. Focusing on our core mission, we are committed to promoting knowledge and contributing to society through outstanding teaching and research. 

Under the theme “Venture Beyond Boundaries”, HK Tech 300 is a large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme launched by CityU for aspiring entrepreneurs among CityU students, alumni, research staff and others to establish start-ups and ignite their entrepreneurship journey. With an allocation of HK$500 million, the programme offers comprehensive support for entrepreneurship training, a seed fund, an angel fund, co-working space, and networking opportunities in the industrial and commercial communities.

HK Tech 300 aims provide educational and growth opportunities for young entrepreneurs and translating CityU research results and intellectual property into practical applications. Since its launch in March 2021, over 1,300 people have participated in entrepreneurship training, more than 440 teams have each been awarded a seed fund of HK$100,000, and over 90 start-ups have been selected to receive angel fund investment of up to $1 million each to develop and validate their business models. Over 100 experienced industrialists and successful entrepreneurs have accepted our invitation to serve as mentors. For more information about HK Tech 300, see www.cityu.edu.hk/hktech300.

About Pacific Coffee

Pacific Coffee is a people-focused business promoting coffee culture in the community through exceptional espresso-based coffees and a wide selection of delectable food items. 

Quality always comes the top priority. Every cup of coffee is handcrafted by talented and well-trained baristas, demonstrating a shared passion and commitment for the perfect cup anywhere anytime. Through attentive services and a perfect cup of quality coffee, customers can enjoy delightful moments at Pacific Coffee. 

To instill new energy to the coffee industry, Pacific Coffee provides a diverse and growing network of over 130 convenient and comfortable store environments where dreams and ideas can be initiated and nurtured. It embraces innovation through continual Food and Beverage development, store design transformations and enhancing the digital engagement of its members by creating a unique customer experience. All endeavor has made it an ideal partner for creativity incubation and practical applications while benefiting the community as a whole.

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