Hong Kong business says forget flash, keep it simple for start-ups
Proposed hi-tech zone at Lok Ma Chau Loop only requires ‘shelter, water, electricity and a stable internet connection’
Forget fancy buildings and go for start-ups at low rents in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the Hong Kong government has been told.
Instead of buildings with shiny glass walls and elaborate designs, like those run by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks at Tai Po, what start-ups really need is something cheaper and more basic, businessmen said.
“If you look at all the technology areas in the Asia-Pacific region, you will find the rental cost in Hong Kong is much higher than elsewhere,” said Hilton Law Yiu-chung, chief executive officer of science parks-based start-up Integrated Solutions.
“What start-ups need is very simple: shelter, water, electricity and a stable internet connection. We don’t need to work in landmark buildings.”
One of the men behind Cafe X, a start-up that makes coffee vending machines manned by robotic arms, shares similar views.
“Although the office space was great for our software engineers and our hardware team when working in [computer-aided design], it was a challenge to build and assemble a large complex product in the space given,” co-founder Henry Hu said.