The 2nd “Parafuturo de Macao” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and Technology Forum was held yesterday (18th). After fierce competition, the winners distinguish themselves. And seven projects are recommended to compete at the five major international competitions. Parafuturo de Macao and a Brazil incubator have signed an agreement and promised to provide consultancy service and venue support for the entrepreneurs of each other. This marks the further expansion of the network of youth entrepreneurship cooperation between Macao and Portuguese-speaking countries besides Portugal.
The finals of “Parafuturo de Macao” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition were jointly held by Parafuturo de Macau Investment and Development Limited, the Association for Promotion of Science and Technology of Macau, and Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Center at Convention Hall, Convention Center, Macao Science Center at 10:00 a.m. June 18. Leong Vai Tac, Secretário para a Economia e Finanças, Ms. Zhu Hong, Deputy Director General of Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR., Xu Yingzhen, the Secretary-General of Permanent Secretariat of Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), Tai Kin Ip, the Director of Economic Bureau, Wu Zhiliang, the President of Macao Foundation, , Wang Yasi, the Project Director of Business Development Department, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Education Alliance of China (IEEAC), Chen Jing, the Secretary-General and Vice President of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubators Alliance of China, Law Tsz Kwan Iris, Co-Chief Representative—HK and Managing Director of Public Affairs of Fosun Group, Sha Wei, the General Manager of West China, Business Department, Alibaba Business Incubating Department, Qian Weiqiang, the Dean of China Academy of Invention Achievement Transformation, Pan Sio, the Curator of Macao Science Center, Tam Pak Yuen, the Chairman of Parafuturo de Macao, Chui Sai Peng, the CEO of Parafuturo de Macao, Lam Ka Wai, the CEO of Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Center, and Xu Aoao, the President of the Association for Promotion of Science and Technology of Macau presided over the opening ceremony. The event attracted nearly 200 participants.
Chui Sai Peng expressed in his speech that, the first competition last year made fruitful achievement. Several projects stood out internationally. This year, the event attracted 179 projects from Macao, Hong Kong, mainland China, Taiwan, and foreign countries, which doubled from last year. Especially, over 90% of the projects are about science and technology innovation, reflecting the strong driving force of innovation of the event. In addition, Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Center took advantage of its role as “an innovation and entrepreneurship exchange center for youth of China and Portugal” to attract 53 Brazilian and Portuguese projects, four of which were finalists, and once again demonstrated its characteristics of platform for China and Portugal. This year, the event will also recommend the winners to compete at the five major international competitions and facilitate the latter to step on the “golden track” based in Macao, connecting mainland China, and reaching out to the world.
Xu Aoao pointed out that, in the context of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of Enhancing Science and Technology Innovation of Mainland China and Macao signed by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Macao and the construction of “Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macao” Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the favorable environment for innovation, entrepreneurship, and creation is being formed in Macao. The competition benefits the participants by linking resources, enhancing comprehensive competitiveness, and industrializing scientific and technological achievements.
Witnessed by guests including Leong Vai Tac, Chui Sai Peng, on behalf of Parafuturo de Macao, signed the cooperation agreement with Hector Gusmao, the CEO of Fabrica de Startups of Brazil. Both parties promised to assist the entrepreneurs of the other party in entering each other’s market by integrating entrepreneurial resources, including consultancy service and office space. Furthermore, Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Center and “New Fortune”, a well-known domestic financial media, signed to build “New Fortune Academy, Macao Campus”. And Macao Young Entrepreneur Incubation Center signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with four incubators and entrepreneurial bases in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Dongguan, respectively, in order to combine the entrepreneurial resources of both parties, drive the exchange plan of professional consultancy service, and jointly promote the advancement of innovation and entrepreneurship.
22 projects entered the finals to display their forward-looking ideas and entrepreneurial ideas in the aspects like smart city, Internet+, high-tech material, biotechnology, and precision medicine. The six-member jury, consisting of Lau Wai Meng, Deputy Director of Economic Bureau, Li Wei, the Chairman of Guangzhou Branch of the Guangdong Incubator Investment Management Limited, Song Guangyi, Vice President of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubators Alliance of China, Wong Tze Wah, the General Manager of Hong Kong TusStar Center, Kenny Xie, Deputy CEO of Fosun Hani Securities Limited, and Sheng Sen, the founder and Managing Director of Alibaba Hupan Foundation, spent over six hours in commenting and scoring each projects. They gave suggestions on the projects to help them upgrade and grow.
After grueling competition, “Jinchunake” won the championship and the bonus of MOP30,000. The second and the third places were ” Smart Casino – Gaming Enterprise Operation Solution” and ” Guoyan Innovative Technology (Macao) Co., Ltd.”, with the bonuses of MOP20,000 and MOP10,000, respectively. Among the ten projects with direct access to the five major international competitions, “MBMC” and ” WeeeMake” are recommended to join “China College Students’ “Internet Plus” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition”, while ” Smart Casino – Gaming Enterprise Operation Solution” and “MBMC”, “China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition”; “Jinchunake” and “WeeeMake”, “IEEAC Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region—Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Youth (International) Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition”; “Guoyan Innovative Technology (Macao) Co., Ltd.” and ” AntzKnow Future”, “Fosun Protechting InnoStar Global Innovation Competition” to be held in Portugal; and ” Smart Casino – Gaming Enterprise Operation Solution” and ” Smart public transport monitoring solution”, “Alibaba Cloud Startup Contest”. All the prize-winning projects are awarded an extra bonus of MOP10,000.
The competition also arranged the finalists to visit advanced scientific and technological institutions in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area from June 19-20 and conduct roadshows to win more investment opportunities.
