Key Takeaways
- • The Cyberport Venture and Capital Forum (CVCF) opened in Hong Kong on Wednesday, bringing together more than 80 international investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss global venture capital trends, fund reallocation and enterprise AI.
- • Jeremy Dalton, an adviser at FOV Ventures and SXSW Pitch, argued that capital is misallocated in AI, citing a Deloitte report showing only 25 percent of business leaders have pushed more than 40 percent of their AI pilots into production.
- • Hong Kong's Undersecretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Lillian Cheong Man-lei said adopting AI does not guarantee business success and pointed to government support via the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund and the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme.
- • Simon Chan Sai-ming, chairman of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company, said more than half of funds raised in Hong Kong IPOs in the first three quarters of 2026 came from the information technology sector.
- • Officials positioned Hong Kong as a 'superconnector' linking mainland China with global capital, a theme central to the forum.
Summary
The Cyberport Venture and Capital Forum opened on Wednesday in Hong Kong, bringing together over 80 international investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders to discuss global venture capital trends, fund reallocation and enterprise AI. The event took place amid a global boom in artificial intelligence investment, according to China Daily HK, and was framed by organizers and officials as an opportunity for Hong Kong to link global capital with entrepreneurs.
In a session on capital allocation, Jeremy Dalton, an adviser at venture capital fund FOV Ventures and the US startup showcase platform SXSW Pitch, said funding often misses the mark. "There is incredible transformative value in the AI space, but the main issue is that too much money has been invested in the wrong things," he said. Dalton said many companies overemphasize the AI label rather than driving actual deployment in production, citing a Deloitte report released this year that found only 25 percent of business leaders have successfully pushed more than 40 percent of their AI pilots into production.
Lillian Cheong Man-lei, undersecretary for innovation, technology and industry of the HKSAR government, said that adopting AI does not in itself guarantee business success, and that what matters is how effectively enterprises integrate AI into operations to meet customer needs and improve productivity. She said Hong Kong can help investors identify high-growth ventures while giving startups a platform to strengthen their competitiveness. Cheong pointed to government initiatives including the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund and the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme as support for the city's tech ecosystem.
Simon Chan Sai-ming, chairman of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Ltd, said AI has become a key driver of global economic growth. He noted that in the first three quarters of 2026, more than half of the total funds raised from Hong Kong IPOs came from the information technology sector. Chan described Hong Kong's role as a "superconnector and super value-adder" between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world as "more valuable than ever" in a shifting global capital landscape.
In a session on capital allocation, Jeremy Dalton, an adviser at venture capital fund FOV Ventures and the US startup showcase platform SXSW Pitch, said funding often misses the mark. "There is incredible transformative value in the AI space, but the main issue is that too much money has been invested in the wrong things," he said. Dalton said many companies overemphasize the AI label rather than driving actual deployment in production, citing a Deloitte report released this year that found only 25 percent of business leaders have successfully pushed more than 40 percent of their AI pilots into production.
Lillian Cheong Man-lei, undersecretary for innovation, technology and industry of the HKSAR government, said that adopting AI does not in itself guarantee business success, and that what matters is how effectively enterprises integrate AI into operations to meet customer needs and improve productivity. She said Hong Kong can help investors identify high-growth ventures while giving startups a platform to strengthen their competitiveness. Cheong pointed to government initiatives including the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund and the Digital Transformation Support Pilot Programme as support for the city's tech ecosystem.
Simon Chan Sai-ming, chairman of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Ltd, said AI has become a key driver of global economic growth. He noted that in the first three quarters of 2026, more than half of the total funds raised from Hong Kong IPOs came from the information technology sector. Chan described Hong Kong's role as a "superconnector and super value-adder" between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world as "more valuable than ever" in a shifting global capital landscape.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.