Hong Kong Tops Asia in Startup Growth Potential, HKSTP-CB Insights Report Finds
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong has claimed the top spot in Asia and fifth globally in the Mosaic scoring system with 370 points, according to a joint report released by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and global technology market intelligence firm CB Insights . The report, titled "Inside Asia's Fast-Track to Global Tech Scale," highlights Hong Kong's strong development momentum among Asian enterprises . It also reveals that Asian artificial intelligence investment continues to accelerate, with physical AI emerging as a particularly dynamic sector .
Key Points
- Hong Kong scored 370 points in the Mosaic assessment, ranking first in Asia and fifth globally, reflecting its potential and investment appeal for innovative enterprises
- Asian AI investment is accelerating with robotics infrastructure attracting $26.1 billion and AI infrastructure $21.4 billion in financing in 2025
- China dominates emerging sectors including robotics, industrial humanoid robot foundation models, vision-language models and autonomous driving, accounting for nearly all regional transactions
- Asian innovation hubs play distinct roles: Mainland China leads frontier R&D and manufacturing, Hong Kong serves as the gateway for global capital and commercialization, Japan handles about half of regional M&A, India drives commercialization in fragmented markets, and Singapore provides customer testing and capital market connections for Southeast Asia
- CB Insights Managing Director John P. Kelly noted that while Silicon Valley follows the "0 to 1" model, China is succeeding with the "1 to 100" approach, and Asia now accounts for 45 percent of global R&D spending
Why It Matters
The report validates Hong Kong's positioning as an international innovation and technology hub with the ecosystem to nurture high-growth startups and future unicorns. As HKSTP celebrates its 25th anniversary with over 2,500 companies in its ecosystem, the findings reinforce confidence in Hong Kong's ability to attract global capital while serving as a crucial bridge between Mainland China's tech ecosystem and international markets .
The report validates Hong Kong's positioning as an international innovation and technology hub with the ecosystem to nurture high-growth startups and future unicorns. As HKSTP celebrates its 25th anniversary with over 2,500 companies in its ecosystem, the findings reinforce confidence in Hong Kong's ability to attract global capital while serving as a crucial bridge between Mainland China's tech ecosystem and international markets .