Guangzhou incubator helps ease headache of HK, Macau firms entering mainland

After exploring registering a company in Shenzhen and Zhuhai in 2013 and 2015, ChiMan Chan, a Hong Kong entrepreneur, finally made the plunge and launched a business on the Chinese mainland in 2017 when he came across the Tianhe District Service Center for Hong Kong and Macao Youth Entrepreneurship.
The service center, a non-profit organization which acts as an incubator for emerging enterprises, is located in the heart of Guangzhou’s bustling central business district, Zhujiang New Town.
Since it was established in 2017, the center has embraced more than 2,200 young entrepreneurs from the two Special Administrative Regions, and 45 Hong Kong and Macau enterprises have settled down at the center.
Chan is now the founder and chief executive officer of Deming ProDevelop, an engineering consultant agency with four offices scattered across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
In Chan’s view, the service center played an instrumental role in his company’s current success. “Without the help of the service center, there is no way we could have thrived to such an extent on the Chinese mainland,” Chan said.
Establishing a business is tough in itself, but for newcomers to the mainland, the application and registration process can especially present a massive initial hurdle, according to Chan.
Chen Jingzhan, director of the center’s entrepreneurship and innovation department, said many Hong Kong and Macau entrepreneurs that have set their eyes on development on the mainland often face similar headaches.
“It’s not just a matter of investing enough time to complete the registration process. Without professional guidance, many Hong Kong and Macau newcomers to the mainland simply do not know where to start,” said Chen, adding that is where the service center comes in.
Not only does the center help entrepreneurs get started, but it also offers support as they continue to develop through free registration, entrepreneurship, policy, intellectual property rights, law, and market resource consulting services.
To enterprises that meet specific requirements, the center even provides office space for two to three people free of charge, with aims of “reducing the operational costs associated with startups, and offering more development opportunities to Hong Kong and Macau enterprises,” said Chen.
Since the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area was released in February, more and more entrepreneurs and small businesses from the two special administrative regions have set their sights on Guangdong.
Ye Zhengqiao, a young entrepreneur from Hong Kong, is one of them. Drawn to the Greater Bay Area after graduating from university in the U.S., Ye now is the founder of Geometry Technology Co., Ltd., a company that has launched an online intelligent pet platform. Ye’s platform lists pet-related service providers and product sellers in a one-stop online solution for pet owners in China.
Ye said the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area has given young people like him “more confidence and opportunity.” He said he believes “the rate of success in Guangdong is higher than in Hong Kong,” and that the Greater Bay Area gives young people “more room to try new things with lower capital requirements.”
The concept behind the Greater Bay Area also provided the inspiration for ChiMan Chan’s business. While working on a project related to the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the Greater Bay Area’s most iconic structure, Chan saw the potential for a bridge of his own: a platform to connect Chinese mainland engineers and their Hong Kong, Macau and overseas counterparts.
Ye Zhengqiao said that he hoped more young people from the two SARs can latch on to the business opportunities provided for by the Greater Bay Area, and “come to the mainland more often to appreciate the opportunities available.” MDT/Xinhua