EdUHK’s EASE Fund Nurtures First Batch of Start-ups
EdUHK’s EASE Fund Nurtures First Batch of Start-ups
To support the start-up ventures of its students and alumni, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) launched the Education and Social Entrepreneurs Fund (EASE Fund) and invited applications last year. Today (12 March), a final presentation and award ceremony was held to determine three winning teams, each of which was awarded HK$120,000 in seed funding to start up their venture.
The EASE Fund, EdUHK’s first entrepreneurship scheme, marks a major milestone in cultivating a creative, entrepreneurial and innovative ambiance within the EdUHK community. The scheme, which features the themes of education technology, education innovation and social innovation, received over 20 applications after its launch last summer. After months of idea development, consultation and mentoring by practitioners from related sectors, five teams pitched their proposals in today’s final presentation to compete for the title of EASE Fund winner. During the period, 12 workshops were organised by the Knowledge Transfer Sub-office, through which entrepreneurs, investment experts, non-governmental organisations, charity founders, and business consultants shared with the participants practical business skills and the latest market information.
EdUHK Vice President (Research and Development) Professor Lui Tai-lok said, “We are committed to nurturing professionals who are dedicated to advancing Hong Kong’s long-term development as far as the education and related sectors are concerned. The EASE Fund scheme opens up a new pathway for our students and alumni to realise their dreams in support of the sustainable development of EdUHK’s creative and innovative culture. We look forward to seeing them prosper and contribute to Hong Kong education and society.”
The EASE Fund scheme is a fusion of entrepreneurship education, knowledge transfer and business execution. Director of Knowledge Transfer Dr Stephen Chow Cheuk-fai said he was impressed by all the entry proposals, “We see their passion about educational and social innovation. This provides a good opportunity for them to become prospective entrepreneurs with creativity, an innovative spirit and social responsibility.”
The three winning teams of EASE Fund 2018/19 are as follows:
Project LEARNT
Through partnerships with restaurants, the Project LEARNT team operates the shops and provides co-learning space when they are closed. This is a revolutionary venture in Hong Kong, integrating self-study centres, on-site learning support, career planning, tutor–student matching and catering services.
StoryXIntegrity
“StoryXIntegrity” bridges the gap between the rising demand for soft skills from our students and the lack of a systematic curriculum for educators, parents, and schools to educate children.
GoodSupport
GoodSupport is an interactive information platform to help schools select quality external SEN services and other services for students. It also reduces the administrative work of teachers and provides training for service providers to improve service compatibility.
