(27 October 2018)

Sunwah – On 26^th October 2018, the Elevator Pitch Competition 2018 (EPiC 2018), organized by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), took place at the iconic International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong.

This year, the global signature start-up event drew a record high number of around 600 applications from over 20 countries and regions, including Vietnam, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and many more. Additionally, the Competition attracted more than 1,000 entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, accelerators and industrialists. The Champion received an investment prize worth 140,000 USD. The Competition focused on technology trends, including Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, FinTech, Healthy Aging, Smart City and Next Generation Technology.

This year, as the Global Partner of HKSTP for EPiC 2018, Sunwah Group partnered with the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and provided 3 sponsorship packages for 3 Vietnamese tech start-ups that were all shortlisted to enter its final round in Hong Kong, which are Meete, getdone and CYFEER.

At the International Commerce Centre, Hong Kong, 100 selected participants were given 60 seconds to pitch their innovative ideas to judges in an elevator ride. From these, 10 finalists were selected and given another three-minute opportunity to pitch to the panel of judges, made up of highly influential investors and industry leaders.

Among 3 Vietnamese entrepreneurs, Mr. Pham Hung Phong, founder and CEO of CYFEER, has been selected as one of the 10 finalists and awarded a six-month training program by HKSTP. Sunwah Group executives, along with Mr Tran Thanh Huan, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong, and Vietnam News Agency representatives also attended the Competition to provide support to the Vietnamese start-ups.

Mr. Pham Hung Phong (first row, second from left), founder and CEO of CYFEER, was selected as one of the 10 finalists at Elevator Pitch Competition 2018

From left to right: Mr. Nguyen Canh Duong, CEO of Meete; Ms. Betty Chan, Director of International Relations of Sunwah Group; Mr. Tran Thanh Huan, Consul General of Vietnam in Hong Kong; Ms. Pham Lan Khanh, CEO of getdone; and Mr. Pham Hung Phong, CEO of CYFEER; took photos at the Elevator Pitch Competition 2018

Speaking at the Competition, all 3 entrepreneurs said that this was a good opportunity for young start-ups in Vietnam to obtain more practical experiences and have a deeper insight into an international start-up environment. They really appreciated Sunwah Group for offering them the valuable opportunity to introduce their projects to the world as well as exploring and developing good relationships with many industry experts and potential investors.

During his attendance at the Competition, Consul General of Vietnam, Mr Tran Thanh Huan thanked Sunwah for inviting him to the event and providing sponsorship and support for the 3 Vietnamese entrepreneurs. He greatly appreciated Sunwah Group’s contribution to nurture Vietnamese start-ups and development of Vietnam’s start-up ecosystem. In the coming time, he hoped that Sunwah would use its expertise to coordinate with more incubators in Vietnam to bring Vietnamese start-ups to enter the global market.