Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks officially opened its Incu-App Center on Tuesday, to support mobile and web app development startups.
As part of the Incu-App Incubation Program, first introduced in January 2012, the Incu-App Center provides incubatee firms with an environment that encourages collaboration and knowledge exchange, easy access to equipment for testing and support, logistics support and other facilities such as a networking area and meeting rooms, said HKSTP.
The center is now home to 18 companies, and should reach full capacity within 12 months, HKSTP added.
“With the tremendous growth of the mobile and web applications industry, many start-ups require tailored support services,’ said E Anthony Tan, HKSTPC CEO.
“With the support of HKSTPC and our strategic partners, we believe that incubatees under the program face the best possible chance of succeeding. Hong Kong is a great city for app developers with a smartphone penetration rate of about 35% of the population—the third highest in the world.”
HKSTP also announced the addition of RIM to the center’s strategic partner roster. RIM will provide Blackberry development tools, technical development consultation, joint marketing and promotion services, and their latest phones to incubatees.
Some of the center’s other partners include 6wave Lolapps, CITIC Telecom CPC, Cluster Technology, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI), Hong Kong Business Angel Network (HKBAN), Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association (WTIA), Microsoft, Nokia, Outblaze, and Samsung.