Investors, corporate leaders, entrepreneurs and government officials have come together for a global investment summit on the second day of the BEYOND International Technology and Innovation Expo 2023.
The three-day BEYOND Expo is being held at the Venetian Macao and features hundreds of speakers, panellists and exhibitors exploring innovations in healthcare, sustainability and consumer tech. The global investment summit is a day-long breakout event that seeks to build connections between those interested in harnessing the investment opportunities presented by new technology.
During the morning sessions, Carol Yu, a founding partner of the Shenzhen InnoX Academy moderated a “fireside chat” with Charles Li, the founder and chairman of Micro Connect – a financial platform connecting global capital with China’s micro and small businesses.
[See more: Asia’s tech community convenes in Macao for BEYOND 2023]
Li said that there were a lot of small businesses in China, but because of their size it was difficult for them to raise funds and get investors.
“These small businesses can yield high returns, but they don’t qualify for investment”, he explained. “Funding mostly comes from their own savings and family”.
Li added that the business model of Micro Connect brought such enterprises together with investors and allowed the latter to receive daily repayments, which they could choose to invest in another small business.
“The logic of this type of investment is completely different,” replied Yu. “It diversifies. It is an especially stable investment”.
The discussion was followed by a panel on the outlook for investing in emerging markets. Lily Lyu, an anchor at CGTN, moderated a conversation between Rodney Tsang, co-founder of Hammer Capital Group and Eddie Chen, the managing director of Fullerton Fund Management.
Chen highlighted the need for ethical investing. “Companies need to be responsible and not only be concerned with good products and generating profit”, he told delegates. “We need to look at ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors and carbon emission. It’s not a choice, it’s a must”.
Tsang agreed that “the topic of ESG is not discussed as much as investors and start-ups should”. He talked about his own experience in investing, and said he always reminded himself “to invest in companies that will help or be a contributor in promoting less use of traditional fossil fuels”.
Future directions in investing
Other morning sessions looked at areas for investment besides the hot-button sector of AI, as well as the development of cross-border investment in Asia. Li Liang, the founding partner of private equity firm HillHouse also gave a brief overview of digitalisation.
The discussion on investment alternatives featured Li Haidan, a senior editor at Tencent News, moderating a discussion between Wayne Shiong of ChinaGrowth Capital and Eugene Huang, the managing director of Temasek China.
Shiong said that “Other than AI, the medical industry is one that should be watched”. He also mentioned the aviation industry as one showing promise.
[See more: The healthcare summit at BEYOND Expo 2023 gets underway]
For Huang, the “industries in which China is developing better than the world” are the industries worth investing in. These included manufacturing, energy, electric vehicles and medical technology.
In the afternoon, a panel discussion took place on the rise of female-led investment firms.
Cynthia Zhang, the founding partner of FutureX Capital, said that compared to men, women have three advantages. They were “more balanced,” “more persistent” and more likely to have backup plans if things do not work out.
“We all know companies have cycles, just like the market has cycles” she told delegates. “So when you encounter difficulties, when you have difficult times, you need women to stand behind the company to help the company to solve all these problems”.
Dr. Frances Du, the founding partner of J Ventures, said there was “opportunity” for women in areas like AI.
“ I still have confidence that women tech leaders will be part of this AI race”, she said.
The mission of BEYOND Expo 2023 is to “encourage exchanges of ideas” and “promote comprehensive industrial upgrading, development, and transformation, for a better global innovation ecology”.
The event is being held until 12 May at the Venetian Macao Convention and Exhibition Centre.
—With reporting by Almond Li.
Macao News is an official Macao media partner of BEYOND Expo 2023.
